Chapter 923 – Lecture

My name is Derian.

I am a demon.

I serve as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Demon King Army.

Deputy Chief of Staff.

…Honestly, I don’t really know what that job even is.

From what I vaguely understand, it involves military command of some kind… but how’s it different from a general?

Or from a tactician?

Sure, the title suggests it’s one rank below a Chief of Staff—but we don’t actually have a Chief of Staff in the Demon King Army.

I don’t even know what a Chief of Staff does.

Yet somehow, there are four people, including myself, calling themselves Deputy Chief of Staffs.

There are a lot of weird titles like that in the Demon King Army.

The Four Heavenly Kings, Lieutenant Generals, Colonels, Administrators—you name it.

I do know the reason.

We basically adopted all these cool-sounding titles from the ancient devils and old human empires we used to fight.

Actually, no—it’s a little different.

The vibe was more like: “Hey, that enemy’s title sounds pretty awesome. No clue what it means, but I’m using it too.”

And it kind of worked.

When dealing with the enemy, using a flashy title had its own advantages.

Of course, this also caused problems.

There’s often a mismatch between what someone’s title actually implies and what everyone thinks it implies.

Imagine a regular foot soldier calling himself a “Grand Marshal.”

Among ourselves, we’d just laugh it off—but in external negotiations, it causes serious issues.

People start doubting the credibility of Demon King Army titles altogether.

So yeah, we have tried to straighten it all out.

Take the Four Heavenly Kings, for instance.

They were clearly defined early on as the Demon King’s special advisors—the highest-ranking officers after the Demon King.

Great! Solid foundation.

As for the rest?

Well, the fact that I, a Deputy Chief of Staff, still have no idea what my job technically is should tell you everything.

Yeah… not much progress there.

But hey, it’s not like no one’s trying.

If you think we’re just being lazy, try doing this yourself.

「Hey, that title you’ve been using for generations? It doesn’t match your actual duties, so could you stop using it? 」

Or worse—

「We’ve decided to assign work that matches your title, so here’s a bunch of new stuff. Good luck. 」

Could you actually say that to someone?

Some people have inherited their titles for centuries.

It would definitely cause a fight.

Like, a serious fight.

Even I would push back if someone told me I had to stop calling myself Deputy Chief of Staff.

Sure, I have no clue what it means… but I’m attached to it!

Besides, I am the second in command to General Glatts, who commands the entire Demon King Army.

So I believe the title isn’t completely off the mark.

…Or at least, I want to believe that.

If you get too nitpicky about the details, people are gonna hate you.

-0-

Alright then.

Titles and ranks… whatever. That stuff doesn’t matter right now.

What does matter is the lecture in front of me.

This lecture was organized after Village Five requested an explanation of the Demon King Army.

Normally, I wouldn’t be the one to handle a lecture like this—but this time, I volunteered.

In exchange—or perhaps as my only real condition—I asked for the village chief of Big Tree Village to attend.

I thought it would be impossible… but it actually worked out.

The village chief of Big Tree Village is here today.

Thank you, Demon King-sama. Thank you, Beezel-sama.

As expected of you.

General Glatts being here is an unexpected bonus, but no matter.

The fact that village chief is present means I’ve already achieved most of my goal.

Now I just have to present things clearly and concisely.

Ehto… the main listeners today are Ririus-kun, Riguru-kun, and Ratte-kun.

I’ll do my best to explain things in a way that’s easy to understand, so thanks in advance.

Ah, good responses!

Okay, time to give it my all.

Today’s topic is the structure of the Demon King’s military.

Let me walk you through how the Demon King Army works.

-0-

First off, the Demon King’s Kingdom broadly has two types of military forces.

There’s the regular army, employed directly by the Demon King’s government, and then there are territorial armies, led by nobles or tribal chiefs.

The regular army is composed of troops recruited and maintained by the central Demon King’s Kingdom.

This includes the 1st through 29th Armies, along with the Royal Guard.

All together, they number over two million soldiers.

But out of those, the ones who are constantly serving in an active military capacity are only the Royal Guard, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Armies.

That core force totals around 300,000 troops.

Just so you know, the 1st through 7th Armies form the main offensive forces, while the others are designated as defense units for regional protection.

Each army varies a lot in size, so be careful not to assume they’re all the same.

The Royal Guard, by the way, is independent of the other forces.

They serve directly under Demon King-sama’s command.

And let me tell you—mobilizing an army isn’t easy.

Especially when they’re not in a state of high alert, you can’t just say “go” and expect movement.

You need to start preparations dozens of days in advance.

That’s exactly why the Royal Guard exists: a force that can be moved immediately whenever Demon King-sama needs them.

Serving in the Royal Guard is considered a great honor in the Demon King Army.

-0-

And then we have the territorial armies, led by nobles or tribal chiefs within the Demon King’s Kingdom.

These are composed of soldiers conscripted locally from each noble’s domain or tribal territory—drawn from the races and groups that serve under the Demon King’s Kingdom.

Their total numbers are estimated between three and five million.

Why the range?

Because no one actually knows the precise figure.

It’s all pretty vague and loosely tracked.

You might wonder:

Isn’t that a huge problem for a military force?

Yes.

It’s a massive problem.

When you don’t know how many troops you have, you can’t properly calculate how much food, supplies, or logistics support you’ll need.

Still, that’s a problem you can usually fudge your way through by over-preparing—bring more than you think you need and hope it’s enough.

But there’s a deeper issue for the Demon King Army.

What is it?

It’s the fact that the Demon Kingdom is a multi-racial nation.

Do you know why that’s a problem?

Let’s hear it from you, Ririus.

「Ehto… is it because the equipment can’t be standardized?」

Excellent.

Exactly right.

Because the military is made up of many different races, standardizing equipment is incredibly difficult.

Even something as basic as a spear—

You can’t just produce one type for everyone.

You have to design and issue spears tailored to each race.

And in some cases, there are races that can’t even hold a spear in the first place.

-0-

There’s more, of course…

Riguru, your turn.

「Their walking speed is different?」

Exactly! That’s it!

Different species move at different speeds!

Body size varies, so of course their strides do too.

Some can’t ride horses or wagons, while others—like the centaurs—are incredibly fast on their own.

But that just means no one else can keep up with them.

It’s a logistical nightmare.

Some species also can’t stay in one place for too long—they get restless.

-0-

Ratte, there are still other problems. Can you think of one?

「Ano… maybe they speak different languages?」

Close!

There is a language barrier, but thanks to the widespread use of a common language, it’s not as bad as you might think.

There are some species who don’t speak it, sure—but let’s think broader than just language.

「Hmm… is it… their cultures are different?」

Bingo! That’s the one!

Cultural differences.

Everything from what they eat to how they sleep is different.

In some cases, it’s so different you can’t even make them operate as a single unit!

Especially when it comes to how they approach combat—that’s where things get really messy.

Some races flee when they see a large enemy force.

Some refuse to fight alongside other races.

Some only want to fight from a distance, while others refuse to fight unless it’s up close and personal.

And that’s the tame stuff.

It gets worse:

Some won’t follow orders unless they come from someone stronger than them.

Some will charge in even if you order them not to.

Some will charge anyway when you’re yelling at them to retreat.

Some will keep advancing until they’re literally too tired to stay awake.

And yes—some take tea breaks mid-battle.

Sounds ridiculous, right?

You’re wondering—do such races really exist?

They do.

They actually do.

And they’re all part of the Demon King Army!

-0-

Can you wage a proper war with a bunch like that?

Normally, no.

But the Demon King Army had no choice—

Because the humans declared war on all non-humans, aiming to wipe us out.

So even in this chaos, we had to fight.

So—how did we do it?

By prioritizing one thing above all: communication.

We placed immense value on interaction and understanding.

We worked to understand differences in culture and species through communication.

And instead of trying to flatten or erase those differences, we chose to respect each culture while assigning troops appropriately and giving orders tailored to their nature.

Sounds simple? It’s not.

Officers in both the regular and territorial armies change constantly.

Some remain in command for years, sure.

But this is war.

They die.

They get injured.

They’re replaced.

And even members of the same race might behave completely differently.

The crucial factor is the personality of the commander at the time.

Which means: The upper ranks of the Demon King Army must constantly stay in touch with their commanders—talking with them, getting to know them, and maintaining constant communication.

-0-

I turn to village chief.

Have you understood the explanation so far?

General Glatts, we’ll have time for questions later, so please keep quiet for now.

All right, now that we’re clear on that.

Let me bring up a somewhat awkward matter.

There’s a certain general who keeps skipping our commander gatherings, claiming ‘family comes first’.

These gatherings might be labeled dinners or drinking parties, but in truth, they’re crucial opportunities for inter-command communication.

They are not just for fun.

I understand that family is important.

Mine is, too.

But connecting with fellow commanders is part of the job.

When someone doesn’t show up, it creates a problem.

Especially when that person is the one most capable of leading the Demon King Army.

Yes.

I’m talking about General Glatts.

For years now, he’s used his family as a reason to leave early.

He barely stays in the Demon King’s Castle for any length of time.

And naturally, the other commanders don’t want to take orders from someone they haven’t even spoken to.

They want to connect with him.

But he keeps refusing. Completely.

Why am I bringing this up to you, Village Chief?

Because Glatts says it was your advice, that you told him to cherish his wife.

Ah… yes.

That’s right.

That’s why I asked you to attend today.

I’m sorry to put you on the spot, but I’d appreciate it if you could speak to him.

Meanwhile, I’ll keep the lecture going for Ririus and the others.

With this, my main objective is complete.

Even Demon King-sama and Beezel-sama were troubled by Glatts’s apparent neglect of duty.

Hopefully this helps change things…

Ah—apologies for getting off track.

Let’s move on to the next topic: conscription.

How does the Demon King’s Kingdom actually recruit its soldiers?

-0-

My lecture concluded without incident.

Ririus and the others showed such eager curiosity—it was genuinely encouraging to see.

Wouldn’t it be nice if they joined the Demon King Army one day?

…Probably not going to happen, though.

As for General Glatts… thanks to Village Chief’s persuasion, it seems he’s finally resumed engaging with the other commanders.

A huge relief.

The commanders were happy too.

I hope he continues on this path.

Just—one thing.

There’s something that’s been nagging at me…General Glatts has started going to the Noble Academy.

A lot.

No, to be fair, he’s always visited now and then.

But lately? He’s been going almost every day.

Why?

Could it be… he’s arranged for his wife to be there?

If that’s the case, I don’t see why he’s keeping it a secret.

Seems like something that wouldn’t need hiding… doesn’t it?

-0-

Four Heavenly Kings A: 「We can’t call ourselves the Four Heavenly Kings if there’s not four of us!」

Four Heavenly Kings B: 「Just the two of us… doesn’t really cut it, huh.」

The Four Heavenly Kings were never very popular, so it took them time to do something about it.

-0-

Even among the ancient devils, titles were thrown around pretty carelessly.

Plenty just went ahead and called themselves kings, grand dukes, or legion commanders.

Those who picked cool-sounding names like Overlord or Supreme King tended to make the others jealous…

And then those others would come after them.

Literally.