Black Iron Magician

「Stop. They are my guests.」

「But…!」

Vakala, sitting on his throne, stopped the 『Long Sword』. Judging from the fact that he’s not playing around like usual, he seems to be in Demon King mode today. Ah, well, he is always like that in front of his subordinates. Being someone who stands at the top sure isn’t easy. Well, he will vent it at the meeting, though.

「With all due respect, please allow me to say it…! It is a heavy burden for these people to carry the flag of Carmine on their backs…! In the first place, they are not undead…! They are humans…!」

「Excuse me~, I’m not even human, you know~? I’m a succubus~」

「Gobuu.」

「…… It’s a heavy burden for them!」

In response to Lilyvia and Gobuo’s protests, the 『Long Sword』 forcefully pointed out again that Haru and the others are not strong enough. Hmm, it’s going to be long if Lily gets involved, so let’s give him a little help here.

「The ones who actually will fight as Carmine’s representatives are the three girls here. As for their race, what he’s saying isn’t wrong.」

「What…!? Why those girls…!? You and that blonde beauty are the strongest among you, right…!? Why are those weak girls representing our Carmine…!?」

Huh? I was planning to give him a little help, but he’s blaming me now.

「Fufu.」

And Nell seems to be pleased being called a blonde beauty. Well, she’s well known for her ability and reputation as the knight leader in Jiba continent, so she’s rarely being praised without it. I guess she’s happy to hear that from time to time. …… Maybe I should praise her like that sometimes.

Still, I guess that damn Vakala didn’t tell his subordinates about this trial. If he only told his subordinates that he would let us fight as Carmine’s representative, this reaction makes sense. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been so hostile to us.

「Well, I’m sorry. His name is Ōkuni. If I’m not mistaken, he is called the 『Long Sword』 in Elderado. He’s the lowest rank of the 『Sixty Six Demon Generals of the Corpse Country』. Until now, the fight against Elderado has been handled by the lower ranks of the Sixty Six Demon Generals and by the newly appointed Sixty Six Demon Generals. Since Ōkuni is the lowest rank, he was most frequently engaged in that duty. In short, he is worried that his job might be taken away from him. Please forgive him.」

「V-Vakala-sama…! That’s not what I mean…!」

Sigh, I see. That’s why he was like that. Also, there’s one more thing I that I want to say.

「What the hell is with that Sixty Six Demon General of the Corpse Country? That number far surpassed Elderado’s Great Eight Generals. Don’t tell me, is everyone here included?」

「Umu, that’s right. Elderado has a lot of unit names, right? Following Elderado’s example, I created a new position with a nickname in my country, thinking that it would help raise the ambition of my subordinates. However, making several nicknames is bothersome. Therefore, I narrowed it down to one name in order of individual combat power. Based on the size of our country, I was thinking of making it 666 Demon Generals at first, but would be troublesome to manage, so I decided not to do that.」

「No, Sixty Six Demon Generals is still a large number. Even the seven Irygal Sisters were troublesome enough…」

「You’re being rude…! Don’t lump us together with those weirdos…!」

It seems that he doesn’t aware that he’s also weird enough.

「That’s right, my sisters are weirdos. I don’t usually act together with them, so I’m excluded from that category, of course!」

「………」

「Look, even Goshujin-sama’s gaze says soo! As his exclusive maid, I understand!」

Hey, you over there. Don’t fabricate my thoughts.

「Hmm, this is a problem. It seems my subordinates are doubting about your abilities.」

「Look who’s talking. You planned this, didn’t you? Well, whatever. Anyway, I wasn’t going to just let the girls play around until the day after tomorrow. Let’s see… Vakala, it seems that he’s not here right now, but is that headless guy also a member of the Sixty Six Demon Generals of the Corpse Country?」

「Are you talking about Kira? Of course. He’s a newcomer, but he’s been promoted with unstoppable momentum. Let’s see…. Alhazard, what rank is Kira now? We had a swap battle the other day, didn’t we?」

Vakala asked the petite white-robed person who was the closest to the throne. The face is covered with a hood, just like when I’m 『Black』, so I can’t see what’s inside. But well, there’s no doubt that this guy is Vakala’s confidant.

「Yes. We had a swap battle yesterday, and he splendidly won against Kureha. His current ranking is 30th. As Vakala-sama said, he is doing very well for a newcomer.」

「A swap battle?」

「It’s a deadly match among the Sixty Six Demon Generals. It’s a battle for those who dissatisfied with their ranks to challenge the one who’s one rank higher than them. There are some detailed rules, but let’s omit it now. The point is, it’s a battle to kill each other one-on-one, and the victor is promoted to a higher rank.」

「Killing each other…. That’s why it’s a deadly match, huh? As expected of undead, you’re doing something dangerous carefreely.」

「I will take it as a compliment. So, what about it?」

「I have a proposal. Let’s use Kira’s ranking and that swap battle. How about having our disciples fight in that swap battle against those who are lower in rank than Kira and are dissatisfied with this proxy war? If our disciples win, they will receive the rank of the one they fought only during this period. That way, they can prove their abilities and show that they are worthy to be the representatives of Carmine, right?」

「Y-You…! Watch your mouth…!」

「Ōkuni, shut up for a moment. But, are you sure? My subordinates don’t know how to hold back, you know?」

Look who’s talking. This is the development you wanted, right? Well, it’s a win-win development, so I will take it.

「Don’t worry, it’s inconvenient for us instead if they go easy on the girls. Right?」

「Yes, if we’re going to do it, we should give it our all! Otherwise, there’s no point in defeating you!」

「This is just right for a warming up, I think? I don’t know who the heck that Kira is, though.」

「B-Both of you, please don’t say something that might provoke them too much…. W-Well, if that’s the only way, I will do it….」

「You heard them? What do you think, Vakala? Is there any other way to get both sides to agree in a short period of time?」

「Fumu, isn’t it interesting for an impromptu event? Very well, I will allow it. Whoever wishes to fight may come forward here and now.」

As Vakala declared so, many raised their voices from both sides of the throne. Alright, we’ve got suitable training partners.