The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King Chapter 46

After the Battle

Riddled with wounds, we returned to Ashtaroth castle.

My clothes were in tatters. I had been cut and pierced by the enemy during the battle.

Thankfully, they were mostly just scratches. And so I had just put saliva on them. But when I met up with Eve later on, she looked very pale.

"You are the Demon King. What do you mean by not getting treated!"

She said as she brought some bandages. But I thought that her efforts would be better used on the soldiers.

I looked at the line of them behind me.

They were much more wounded than I.

Goblins, orcs, werewolves, kobolds and humans. All different in race, but gravely wounded regardless.

Many of them had to be carried on stretchers.

They needed help.

In fact, Saint Jeanne had cast healing magic on some of them, but as there were nearly two hundred survivors, it was not possible for her to take care of all of them.

The current situation showed just how harsh the battle had been, and just how brave they were.

And so I told Eve to call the doctor and healer from Ashtaroth castle to us, so they could take care of the wounded on our march back.

These were my dear subordinates. Courageous and reliable.

They had survived this long. And so they had a right to live longer than just until tomorrow.

And so our return to Ashtaroth castle was delayed greatly, but we eventually arrived.

When we finally stood in front of the gates again, I sent them words of gratitude for getting through the battle.

"Our victory in this battle, it is all thanks to you. You have my thanks."

I said with a bow.

It was not a common thing to do in this world. But I had studied a country called Japan in my past life, and had adopted some of the customs.

As I thought this, the man from Japan spoke to me.

"Master Demon King, raise your head. It is not good for the chief to bow so easily."

"However, in this case… No, in every case… You have always fought with me at a disadvantage. As your king, I am very sorry."

"Well, even master Sun Tzu said that it was good to defeat many with a few. But then again, I think that was about creating such situations? In any case, you are a novice Demon King. You could not have done much better."

Indeed!

Other voices rose among the soldiers.

Even kobolds who had once worked for Sabnac.

"Besides, we enjoy seeing what kind of plans you end up devising each time. And you take care of your soldiers. Yes, each battle is brutal, but the death rate is still lower than it was in Sabnac's army. We have a good chance of coming back alive."

After all, their old master, Demon King Sabnac was known for his cruelty and tended to fight without much planning. He also didn't care if his soldiers were treated after battle or not.

He had often said that dogs can just lick their wounds and recover.

So in comparison, I was practically an angel.

No Demon King wanted to be compared to an angel, but I appreciated the general sentiment they tried to convey.

The next person to speak was Saint Jeanne.

She stood close next to me and said… 'you did well, Demon King.'

She sounded weaker than usual, which was probably a result of having used so much healing magic on the road. 

"You were always in the front and in the midst of the raging battle. There was no such king back in France, where I once lived. Not Charles VII or Gilles de Rais. No, not in all the world would you find a Demon King as kind as you."

She said as she leaned into me.

I was a little anxious about Eve's reaction and also did not think it good for a leader to flirt with a woman in front of his soldiers, but I didn't say anything.

After all, she too had been in the thick of battle.

She always faced the enemy while her allies were at her back.

How much courage had the others gained by seeing her fight so beautifully on the frontlines?

She was a Hero who helped bring the One Hundred Years War to a close in her past life.

And nothing had changed. Maybe it would be a girl like her who would also bring this age of turmoil in this world to an end?

That's what I thought.

I could hear her start to doze off, and so I used magic to pick her up and put her on my horse.

I then I held her like a princess, and none of the soldiers made any jokes.

That was how much respect they had for her as a warrior.

'I'm tired. I'm going to the brothel,' said Toshizou, as he went on ahead with his horse. I was reminded of how lucky I was to have them as my subordinates.

Now, the battle against Eligos was finished, but there was much that a victor had to do.

Care for the wounded and secure a hospital.

Rewarding those who performed well.

Solving the issues that may have arisen in town while we were away.

I wanted to see Gottlieb, who had been taking care of the town in my place.

He was also an important subject and a crucial part of the Ashtaroth army.

I had promised to drink with him after the battle had ended.

It might seem strange to drink with a ghost, but he apparently enjoyed seeing a drink in front of him, even if he could do nothing with it.

It was likely that he would try to force me to drink his share, but I wasn't in a mood to act so stiffly now.

I no longer felt that it was so bad to enjoy drinking on a day where something especially great had occurred.

When I returned to my office, Eve had prepared some drink for me, which I enjoyed while working to address each problem.

Eve and Gottlieb stayed with me until the morning and shared their wisdom with me.

As ever, they were invaluable personnel.

Chapter end