[12th Round] Blink
Captain Fantasy!
That gigantic infant’s skin was as strong and resilient as Master Mollan’s, and the essence of dark matter, the new technique of the Demon Lord Pedonar, was concentrated in its plump arms.
Resembling the wings of the First Spirit, he had the ‘Captain’s Wings’ on his back, allowing him to fly freely. He also had his huge head that frightened even the Dragon King Noebius.
“W-what is this ?! This child…”
“Woah!”
He had skills, but he didn’t rely on them, depriving them of special roles.
In addition, he inherited the characteristics of the human race.
That gave him endless possibilities.
Having bitterly lost the last time, Captain Fantasy, using that experience, had become even stronger!
That was human tenacity.
Anyone looking from afar would think his palms looked like that of a baby’s, but for Ssosia, who was at close range with him, his palms were huge walls, perhaps no different from ‘Buddha’s palms.’
Captain Fantasy didn’t even need to use his best attack, the headbutt.
He ignored the sword emitting violet light and patted the little demoness with his heavy hand.
“Aaaaaghh!” Ssosia shouted, pinned to the ground.
If she were an ordinary demon, then her body would have been crushed beyond recognition, but she was fine.
The clever Captain Fantasy’s eyes lit up. He truly did look like me.
He then went straight to action.
Opening his mouth, which didn’t even have front teeth, Captain Fantasy threw Ssosia in. He then rolled his tongue as if sucking on a pacifier.
He wanted to swallow her. However, as befitting her high stature, Ssosia didn’t give in so easily.
A thin hand appeared between Captain Fantasy’s lips. Then another followed.
Finally, her head, with his hair and face covered in saliva, appeared.
I came closer.
“You said you were teaching me a lesson.”
“Just you wait. I’ll do it soon. Ugh!”
Ssosia made an effort to pull her body out, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pull out anything but her arms and head.
I immediately understood the reason.
“Your chest is stuck, isn’t it?”
Ssosia didn’t answer me. Instead, she concentrated on trying to get out. However, despite her extreme efforts, she couldn’t break the laws of physics.
Captain Fantasy flopped to the ground.
Judging by the high mountain ranges, we were at the border that separated the Central and Western Continents.
The mountains couldn’t support the child’s weight, causing it to collapse, but that wasn’t worth worrying about.
“Oo-ooooh?”
“Ku-ku?!”
“Trooo-ooh!”
The surprised monsters, seeing the cute kid, immediately rushed away, not even thinking to attack.
Noise in the same level as marketplaces surrounded us before they escaped, but now only the breathing of the Demon Lord’s daughter remained.
“Haa… haaa…”
It was a completely natural biological reaction.
Captain Fantasy licked Ssosia’s entire body with his tongue. It seemed like she wanted to somehow prevent it but couldn’t since she was stuck between his lips.
Her expression changed every second.
“Hey. How about you just let him swallow you?”
“I can’t even get back in. The tongue of this monster continues to– H-hah?!”
“How rough. He’s not a monster. He’s Captain Fantasy. He’s a cute protector that looks like me as a kid.”
“I get it, so make him… S-stop… A-ah!”
She really did seem to be in a quandary.
Ssosia’s arms that were flailing in all directions just a while ago now did nothing but hang down. Her gaze had defocused as well, her saliva flowing from her slightly parted purple lips.
Her trembling body confirmed that she was still alive.
“Repent as you have fun with a cute child.”
“L-let me go… A-ughhh!”
“I’ll come back tomorrow. If I forget, then I’ll come back when I remember.”
“Demon!”
Now she decided to call me, the Righteous Hero, a Demon?
Still, there was no limit to my generosity.
I gave her time to think and would return when she was ready to talk. After all, I had no reason to rush.
Seeing the successors of the trading companies come, I was convinced that the Trading Republic had reached its limit.
War, economic blockade, armed protest, disunity…
It didn’t matter what I used. Everything would work out in my favor.
The time had come.
“Shall we continue the unification of the Central Continent?”
***
Realizing their weakness, the heroes, who were defeated on the western continent, cleared the dungeons of the Holy Mollan Empire and again went to the Western Continent.
Their goal was to assassinate Shakespeare, one of the Five Great Disasters, but in reality, they simply wanted to save the Princess of Darkness, the Knight of Darkness, and Lanuvel, whose fate remained unknown. Of course, they wanted to get Alex back as we, became one of their enemies.
But if they went like that, they would’ve lost again.
Hence, I made the angel that I had resurrected in the Chimera Haven S accompany them. The impudent heroes wanted to take Aqua too, but I didn’t allow it.
After all…
“Your Majesty the Emperor! If you send a woman on a military campaign, it will negatively affect the soldiers’ morale. Besides, she’s unarmed.”
The deeply wrinkled old general advised against it. He had guarded the state border we shared with the Trade Republic since the days of the Holy Kingdom.
It didn’t matter to him who became the ruler. He was not interested in politics. This honest man had dedicated his entire life to defending the borders against the invasion of monsters and the troops of the Trade Republic.
That was why he talked to me like that.
“Good point, Count.”
War was for men, and family was for women.
I understood that for modern people, that might sound old-fashioned, but we weren’t on Earth. This was the Fantasy World.
There was no advanced weaponry here that only required one pull of the trigger to kill the opponent.
The main weapons here were swords and spears.
The average weight of a medieval 2-meter sword or 6-meter spear was 5 kilograms, but they were much heavier and much longer on the Continents of Fantasy.
Monsters lived here, after all. Ones that not even wolves, tigers, and lions could compare against in terms of strength and abilities.
Therefore, physical strength here wasn’t an option but a requirement.
It was easier for men to build muscle than women.
But there were also exceptions.
Skills helped women overcome their physical limitations better than any modern weapon. They could increase their combat power not by building muscles but by maintaining a beautiful figure.
The companions of the heroes confirmed that fact.
Men dominated the ranks of soldiers, knights, and mercenaries, but among the heroes’ companions, the ratio of men and women was the same. That being said, such females were special, their numbers being countable with just one hand.
Mermaid Aqua was a good example of this.
“Then why…”
“The mermaid will lead us to victory, Count. She looks like an obscene fish, but in fact, her combat power is higher than that of some soldiers and knights combined. I hate to admit it, but it’s true.”
“Since you say so, Your Majesty, I will never dare doubt your judgment. Haha!”
I had gathered an army near the border of the Trade Republic.
The victory was already a foregone conclusion.
Money was important, but mercenaries valued their lives more than gold. It didn’t matter how much was offered to them. They wouldn’t fight.
The Trade Republic was full of war goods.
But they had no food, which was extremely important in a war. Therefore, even if we didn’t attack, the victory would be with the Holy Mollan Empire.
“You’ll soon find out, Count. When they run out of food, they will be the first to attack. At that moment, you’ll realize how powerful she truly is. Regardless, for the safety of the refugees and deserters, you must wait. It doesn’t matter if this order leaks out as well as it will only instill even more despair in them.”
“As you desire, Your Majesty.”
I didn’t declare war.
I just watched my borders, and to prove this, we didn’t wear any armor or weapons.
I was a little uneasy about the naked mermaid, but their slippery skin was pretty good armor in itself.
That was why mermaids usually didn’t wear clothes.
Two days later, the Trade Republic sent a messenger. They knew they had no chance of winning this war.
This time, they didn’t send a merchant.
Judging by his appearance and manners, he was a young knight who had graduated from an elite course. For convenience, I called him Knight A.
“I am honored to meet the Holy Mollan Empire’s Emperor.’
“What do you want?”
“Order your army to retreat.”
“What army?”
“Are you really still going to make excuses that everything isn’t as it seems in this situation? I am talking about the army located on the border.” The insolent knight was blunt with his words.
I smiled.
“Do you think that I came to fight?”
“Well…”
Knight A couldn’t answer right away.
In my temporary headquarters, instead of knights and warriors, there were many fine maids. And the count looked even older than when we first met, so his appearance was only to our advantage.
There were many delicious foods on the table. No military maps or strategic reports.
And I?
I was sitting not on a chair but a soft bed, massaging Acqua’s slippery body.
“I am the emperor of the Holy Mollan Empire. I have no relatives or descendants. People must always carry weapons with them in self-defense, especially those in high positions, which is why I am under the protection of my troops, regardless of whether the war is going on or not. Am I wrong for doing this, young knight?”
“You’re still asserting that the army located on our border is needed only for your escort?”
“Yes, and I’m also the one who ordered for its numbers to be decreased. Is that not so, Count?”
“It is, Your Majesty.”
He brought with him many complaints, but the fact that he had managed to survive this long amounted to something. I knew that we would work together even if we didn’t plan everything in advance.
“You’re a hero, Your Majesty, and you are a powerful combatant. Considering that, there are too many armed people outside.”
“You sound as if you’re upset that with so many guards, it’s impossible to assassinate me.”
“That isn’t true! Our Republic would never…”
“Shut up, child. How dare you raise your voice here. Even though I look kind, I am still the ruler of this country. Don’t act too familiar with me. Now, do you still have anything to say?”
The rationale for any action was essential in the Fantasy World. I justified all this by stating that I simply ‘went for a walk accompanied by guards’.
“Your Majesty, God is watching everything. He does not forgive cruelty.”
Yeah. If there were no justification, one would need to rely on a miracle from God.
What a familiar repertoire.
“Let’s see whose God is stronger, shall we? If you have nothing more to say, don’t waste my time and return home.”
After Knight A left, an army was sent to provoke us. They weren’t from the Trade Republic, but the Holy Empire.
Regardless, I didn’t withdraw my troops.
And the next morning, a preemptive strike came from the Trade Republic without any declaration of war, as expected of the savages.
“It’s noisy outside. Sort it out.”
“I will, Your Majesty.”
My fish-reeking warmonger, furious at being interrupted amid her pleasantries, eliminated the entire army at once.
She showed no mercy.
And so we met a fresh morning.
The Trade Republic attacked without declaring war yet was still defeated. Soon after, they disappeared from the history of Fantasy under a barrage of criticism from other countries.
Yet, why did my soul seem restless since yesterday?
“I seem to have forgotten about some important meeting … but I can’t remember which one.”
In any case, only the Holy Empire remained untouched on the central continent of Fantasy.
