Demon Lord’s Gambit Arc
136. Eastern Empire
The Eastern Empire.
It’s official name is Sovereign Alliance of the Naska-namrium Ulmeria Empires. (SAN-NUE)[1]
Managed under its overwhelming strength.
Under its sole emperor, Ludora Nam Ul Naska.
And thus the empire eventually came to be called simple Eastern Empire.
Eastern Empire is a homogenous state.
Their only creed [Power is Everything] allows anyone to achieve greatness as long as they are powerful.
Three-hundred fifty years ago, they attempted to subjugate Veldora and lost a city because of it. A whimsical dragon destroyed it before they could as much as regret.
“Build up your forces, conquer that forest, and expand our dominion.” That was the Empire’s burning wish since then.
But why would a country as bountiful as the Empire need to expand?
That was the only reason, but no one complained.
And hundreds of years ago they announced its invasion plan.
Who would have thought that a single foolish idea that commanders had would cause that plan to crumble?
The forest needs a master. Those lizards are no threat to us!
This foolish thought let them to their doom.
Their dreams, their ambitions, were reduced to ash.
The Empire continued with an additional creed: “Never invade Jura Forest.”
There were those who resented Veldora, but not one of them would disobey a superior–each of whom forbid an invasion.
They could not allow the second invasion to fail.
For them, this was an opportunity to prove their loyalty to their Empire.
And two years prior, they received those news.
The Empire rejoiced. The time has come! Drums of war beat now even in the hearts of the commanders.
Moreover, they could hardly allow their Emperor to wait any longer.
And the Emperor blessed them with a single word,
「Prepare」
The Empire was ablaze in activity.
No one else has any real power there.
Perhaps some of them do own and manage property, but such would be a rare and special person.
This Feudalistic state listens to the wishes not of the people but of the Emperor. Every soldier pledged his loyalty to the Emperor.
Can you believe it: a single person is managing every aspect of such a large nation.
And the Emperor gave his orders.
And soon the preparations were complete.
A single carriage was heading towards the capital.
The carriage was driven by a knight clad in black.
Yuuki’s entourage.
「By the way, shouldn’t we restore your arm?」
Kagali asks Yuuki the most obvious question in the world.
There’s hardly a reason to remain armless, at least no reason Kagali could think of.
「Hmm? It’s fine, no problem!
「Haaah?! The hell you dare to say, after losing to that bastard Leon!
Instead you suffered a terrible defeat and we barely escaped with our lives!」
Besides, it’s not a loss if you live to see the morn! *snicker*
Also took that Red Knight’s teleportation power, so what’s the big deal?」
Yuuki casually responded to Kagali’s grumbling.
The fact is, Yuuki suffered a crushing defeat before Leon.
Luckily, when the Chaos Dragon’s power was taken it disrupted the magnetic field in the atmosphere allowing Yuuki and the rest to escape by teleporting away.
Even so, Kagali could not bear to see Yuuki remain as he was, so
「Yuuki-sama, are you sure you would not like me to lend you a hand?
As such, I must take responsibility for my mistake, but I must ask…
Why did you hold back against him?」
When Kagali finished the sentence, Chloe opened her eyes and glanced at Yuuki,
Since it was but a moment, Chloe was unable to measure his actual strength and could only curse her inadequate analysis abilities.
And this was not something Chloe could ignore.
「Ahahaha, what did you expect? I can’t go around parading my power in front of Chloe.
I mean, I have to keep at least one hand in check, right?」
「Hey! That’s mean, Kagali!」
Always hiding his true intentions under the guise of a clown.
He truly is an enigma–Kagurazaka Yuuki.
Like that time with the kids,
『Oh, did you not know?
In other words, you can just try redo the summoning!』
Without a question, that was a lie.
He can continue summoning as long as he wants. Well, considering the necessary requirements he would have to wait a month, but still..
From the time Chloe observed him, she has noted how bizarre he really was.
He said he was exploiting the kids, but he built them a nice school.
Even so, if he truly desires to destroy this world, his method is haphazard at best.
Moreover…
「Hey, why didn’t you take that Red Knight’s life?
If you wanted to, you could have taken the energy of her soul, right?」
Without breaking her gaze, Chloe asked Yuuki.
「Huh? What do you mean? I took everything.
Damn, I guess I should have pulled more」
Yuuki replied, laughing cheerfully.
An enigma–Kagurazaka Yuuki.
Rimuru, Leon, Ruminas, Hinata, and the kids.
If Yuuki sought to destroy their world, she would mercilessly slaughter him.
Before she finished thinking, the city they would stay in came into view.
Chloe again closed her eyes.
She would observe first and think later. About Yuuki, and about his goals.
In the end, Chloe could only observe.
Empire’s military was split into three divisions.
The Armored Corps–a marvel of technology by Imperial engineers. They ride modern tanks and symbolize the Empire’s technological prowess.
The Beast Corps–from the four corners of the world, the Empire brought beasts of wonderful strength and forced them to obey. They symbolize the Empire’s strength.
And the Mixed Corps–a group of engineer rejects and beast exiles. These members are too powerful and too smart to work as a single organization.
They represent the Empire’s heart. Young as it may be.
Their armies are not something one could achieve without otherworld’s influence.
The Empire did not just collect beasts from the four corners of this world.
The Empire welcomed world travelers with open arms, and most of them by far reside there.
Of course, there being many in the Empire who possess a unique skill, these too have been assembled into an army.
And behind the scenes another army is protecting the Empire.
In other words, they are powerful enough to be called an army despite being a single unit.
The Empire is founded upon the maxim that strength is everything.
The Emperor himself, the generalissimo is one.
That being is so powerful he is said to surpass the demon lords, and has ensured the Empires safety for hundreds of years.
These four men are the pillars of the Empire.
The strongest equipment before which no man can be an equal.
A hundred individuals of great power join the Guard; their strength is legendary.
The Empire does not discriminate against world travelers, and recognizes only strength.
But how are the one hundred selected?
A system where the young may usurp the seat of the elder. Though forbidden during marches, any member of the army could challenge a superior to a duel..
Such was the best system for a country where strength was everything.
In place of a captain, Guardsmen would serve. As a result, if you wanted to rise in status, you would wait for an opportunity to defeat them.
And…
A single lad had made history.
With a metal arm, Kagurazaka Yuuki became a General of the Mixed Army in the shortest time.
In a blink of an eye he built up support for himself; and though there were already some who supported him from the beginning, no one seemed to mind.
The Mixed Army consolidated under a single will.
The legend will go down to say that the Empire’s invasion began on the day Yuuki gained power.
End of the Demon Lord’s Gambit Arc
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[1] Played around with acronyms. What do you guys think?
[2} I know this seems contradictory, I think so too… probably will be edited out in the Light Novel.