The executives were a buzz at these words, but to be honest, I wasn’t surprised.
『Hero』. A kind of natural enemy of us demon tribe, with its resistance and superiority over demons.
It is said that the talent of the current generation of heroes is extraordinary, and if they grow up, they will become so strong that they will surpass even the Demon King.
…The most important thing to remember is that the people who should be protecting and worshipping her are breaking her heart, brainwashing her, and using her as a weapon.
And I have been told by Isuzu-sama, albeit in fragments, of the treatment that the heroes received in the process.
So, to be honest, I knew that this time could come at any moment.
「As everyone here knows, we plan to protect the hero… However, it would be three years, at the earliest, before the humans would deploy the hero to the front, as Isuzu-sama had predicted. In that amount of time, the hero who has lost her mind will simply mindlessly raise her levels and trains her body, and becomes a threat to us.」
「……May I speak up?」
「Tiana. Allowed.」
「I wonder if it is possible for a girl, no matter how talented she may be, to be strengthened to such an extent in just three years. Isn’t that not such a threat at that’s the case? Isn’t it possible that the moment I see a hero, I can instantly shift to protect him or her by surprise with a powerful peak strike magic?」
「Impossible. The talent of today’s heroes can no longer be applied to human beings. To be honest, in this respect, she is even more gifted than this mistress. In three years, she will have acquired the power to be at the level of our executives, or even better.」
「……That much…」
「Without a doubt. She’s a presence that should be watched carefully, to the extent that the appearance of a single person could change the war… That’s why we want to bring her to our side.」
Hearing the Demon King-sama speak, the executives began to groan.
She’s Lv1 now, and if they think she can surpass their accumulated abilities in just three years, well, that’s what she’ll do.
And it’s out of our control because we don’t have many ways to deal with it.
When the other side comes in with their hero, we sent a few executives at the same time… I thought for a moment, but no.
Maybe they will retreat when they see two or more executives. With spatial magic.
Even if we put up a Transference Sealing Wards, some magic is specialized to destroy wards. I can’t imagine that the other side hasn’t deployed its users.
Well, I do know one solution to this. I mean, I’m sure that both the Demon King-sama and Isuzu-sama would think that this is the only way to do it.
「…Well, calm down. We already have the strength to fight the heroes…right, Lean?」
At these words, the executives all turned to me at once. Oh, scary. They looked so intimidating.
◆◇◆◇◆
「But, Demon King-sama… Even if I make this girl stronger and have her charge in with some of the executives, maybe the heroes will run away, right? They are not so stupid that they don’t know how strong we are.」
The one who said this was Aron, the beastman’s onii-san.
I knew it. He is an executive. He seemed rough, but he is also smart.
Executives of the Demon King’s Army.
Although they are not chosen solely based on their fighting ability, they are the keystone of the ten Demon King’s forces, all of whom are capable of performing at the top of their game and living up to their name.
The best and brightest from each tribe are being gathered more.
I had heard a little about the executives from Tiana-san.
Tenth place, the Dwarf Race―――『General Forge』Gareon Mein.
Ninth place, the Mermaid Race―――『General of the Great Sea』Natsume Maelstrom.
Eighth place, the Undead―――『General Marching』Zedd.
Seventh place, the Fairy Race―――『General of Disaster』Rain Fairylord.
Sixth place, the Dark Elf―――『General of Desolation』Feria.
Fifth, the Beast Tribe―――『Fighting Wolf General』Aron Beastlord.
Fourth place, Dragonman―――『General of the Flame』Luz Dragley.
Third place, Elf―――『Forest General』Tiana Forrester.
Second place, the Demon Race―――『Brave General』Gray Christ.
First place, the Devil Tribe―――『General Murderer』Vinel.
It is easy to understand the brainy, martial, and special groups.
But all of them here have a certain amount of fighting power.
If several such beings come at them, even the quintessential hero will lose. I think it is natural to retreat.
…But there is one person here who has no prior information at all and is as close to no warning as one can get.
Yes, that’s me.
「Hmmm, Aaron. You are mistaken. Even I know that until the hero gains strength, she will run away from several executives. Instead, I am going to ask Lean alone to deal with the heroes.」
「HAA!?」
Aron-san shouted, and the other executives looked astonished.
Tiana-san is the only one who knew, though she didn’t lose her expression.
「……Oh, come on, Demon King-sama, are you serious? She may be gifted, but she’s still just a kid, okay?」
「Serious. My prediction is that if Lean continues to grow, she will become a strong executive-level player. Three years is a bit short, but I think she’ll be fine.」
「B-But hey…」
The other executives are worried, too.
But in fact, this is the best plan.
No matter how strong the hero is, and her strong friends nearby…owner? Anyway, even if there were humans, even if they were the《Twelve Holy Apostles》, they would take the utmost precaution if they were dealing with the Demon King’s Army executives. Even more so if there were more than one. No, there is even a possibility that one of them might run away to reduce the damage to the heroes.
That’s where I come in. I am not an executive, so I am not as feared, but if I work hard enough, I can make it to the executive level in just three years.
I am the only one who can surely stop the heroes.
「What’s more, Lean is a vampire. Vampires are a special race whose status increases with the blessing of the moon. If it is Lean on a night with a full moon, even the current you will not be spared from a hard fight, right?」
「…Ah, I see. In short, on the night of the first full moon when the heroes appear, this girl, who has been trained to death, will be transferred to the vicinity of the heroes and attack them by surprise.」
「That’s what I mean. The hero is strong. As I said before, the predicted strength after three years is more than equal to the Demon King’s Army executives. Even the most senior martial artist can lose. But, on the contrary, that’s about it. If Lean with her status is multiplied up to 20 times, she will have 10 times your status, even if her bare status is half that of the executives. In that state, there is a high possibility that Lean will be able to defeat the hero. It is a rational decision. The rest depends on Lean’s heart.」
Oops, you’re swinging at me here.
「No need to think about it. Even if I have to crawl on the ground, even if I have to vomit blood, even if I have to die. I have decided to destroy human beings, and I will not choose any means to do so. For this purpose, I will gladly accept the offer to protect the hero. To be honest, three years is a short time, but I will make myself stronger to the extent that I will be able to approach, if not surpass, the executives.」
「Mm, that’s the spirit… I’ll leave it to Lean to deal with the hero. You have no objection to that, do you, executives?」
This time everyone nodded. Apparently, they were convinced of the Demon King-sama plan and sensed my resolve.
「This concludes our emergency executive meeting. I apologize for taking up so much of your time. You may go now.」
And so the executive meeting ended.
◆◇◆◇◆
「Oi, wait up, Lean.」
After a few moments, I got up from my seat and was about to ask Tiana-san to continue her class.
It was Aron-san, the fifth-ranked executive, who suddenly called out to me.
Maybe it’s a wolf beastman, but his face is scary.
Eh, what? Did I do something?
Or a mugging? I have no money.
『You don’t even say hello to your senpai, aah!?』. like that type of thing?
Uhh…before I know it, all the other executives are gathering here. Eh, scary scary scary.
Hey, Tiana-san, Demon King-sama, help!
「I’m so excited to see you here! I like it, I’m rooting for you!」
「…he?」
「For a young girl, that’s quite a feat. If you ever want a weapon, just tell me, and I’ll make you one for free.」
「She’s so polite and nice. If you ever need a song from me, just let me know, okay?」
「I’ll lend a hand, too, if I can. The undead soldiers I create are perfect for mock battles.」
「Well, that’s not so bad, is it? I and the fairies can lend a little help too. Just a little!」
「We dark elves also have confidence in magic. I am much stronger than Tiana. I can teach you magic if you want.」
「I will support you. I am as powerful as any of you, so if you need anything, just ask.」
「…I’m also…If you don’t like something…I will destroy…」
「She’s so tiny and cute. Lure the hero…I’ll do my best to plan out a strategy for when you need protection!」
……Eh, eh, what? Are you giving me a pep talk?
Demon Army Leaders, you’re so kind! Some of them look so scary, but they’re so damn sweet! I’m almost in tears.
「Ah, um… Thank you, very much…」
I could barely say this. I was a little embarrassed to say more, so I thanked them properly a little later …….
「Yes, yes, everyone, Lean-sama is in trouble. Please calm down a little… And Feria, about what you said earlier. You stronger than me? Haven’t you ever heard the saying,『Speak in your sleep?』.」
「Heh. What are you talking about when you can neither use recovery magic nor transformation magic, you fool who has no choice but to strike with offensive magic?」
「How about you wait until you have mastered the elemental magic of all four major attributes before you say such a thing? Which one of you idiots is the one who can’t even handle lightning?」
「Hahahaha!」
「Fufufufu…」
………
……………Eh, what’s this scary?
「Oh, no, here we go again. I don’t know. I’m going home.」
「I’m leaving too. I don’t want to be a part of this.」
With words like that, all the executives left. Except for Feria-san and Tiana-san, who have been in a verbal war with each other since a while ago.
………eh, you want me to stop this?
AN: In case you’re wondering, the genders of the executives, in order from tenth,
It is male/female/female/female male/female/female/female.