“So, you’re telling me that I was featured in the most famous demon realm newspaper magazine?”
“Yes, that’s right. It even vividly described how the Iron Lion, Rodon, had his front paw severed!”
The newspaper handed to me by the Orc captain contained exactly such an article. But what’s this about fighting because of Lauro’s recruitment? What’s going on here?
…Well, maybe it’s not entirely untrue. After all, it was the reason for the conflict.
The Orc captain clasped his hands together, his eyes sparkling brightly.
“All the warriors of our tribe came because they admire General Kan’s reputation. So please…!”
There was no need to hear more. The soldiers were originally going to go out looking for recruits themselves. It was an unexpected stroke of luck that they came to us first.
Though it would increase expenses, it wasn’t a problem to house this many people, thanks to the profitable renovations made to the dungeon.
“Raise your heads and stand up. You, pig-faced bastards.”
“Qwii…?”
“Remember this well. The Lord of the Balotus Demon Army kneels only before our lord.”
!!
The Orcs’ massive roar echoed through the dungeon.
At that moment, Rupia, who had woken up from the alarm, sleepily picked up her pillow like a shield and staggered over.
“W-what’s going on, General…?”
“Rejoice. It seems that my visit to Underis wasn’t all bad luck.”
Upon hearing the details, Rupia was overjoyed. Finally, we had acquired a proper demon army. But I wasn’t satisfied with just that.
“I hear my reputation has spread quite a bit in the demon realm, so I plan to use it to my advantage.”
As you know, the Monster Trading Post is off-limits for the time being, so we can’t go around searching for monsters.
So, why not have the monsters come to us directly?
“I’ll put up a recruitment notice for the Demon Lord’s army with my name as the headline. If I give the Hell Journal a bit of gold, they’ll help promote it.”
“Ho-ho, such a method…?!”
Rupia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if envisioning a bright future.
There was a chance that monsters as great as me might come seeking us on their own.
“Look forward to it. At least B-rank, and maybe even A-rank monsters will come pouring in. Heh-heh.”
I immediately contacted a demon realm newspaper and paid quite a bit of gold to run the recruitment ad.
Even though it was a small corner, they charged over a thousand gold.
A month passed.
“…Damn, it’s just gathering dust.”
In the entire month, the only one who showed up was that black cat merchant who had visited before.
He awkwardly smiled and tried to sell me something again. When I looked, it was a giant painted salamander egg, claiming it was a dragon egg lottery.
I quickly punched him and kicked him out before Rupia saw. His whiny cries still linger in my ears.
“Hey, is this newspaper company not doing its job? Someone go check on it.”
One of the Orcs spoke cautiously.
“C-captain, it’s rumored that Demon King Damon is preventing anyone from coming due to the story about Rodon’s paw being severed…”
“What?”
I heard that when Damon heard I was recruiting talents by telling the story of severing Rodon’s front paw, he flew into a rage.
A headache throbbed painfully in my skull.
“Hah… That woman again.”
Since that large-breasted demon lord started bothering Rupia, things haven’t been going well.
One day, I’ll definitely destroy the dungeon and make her surrender, turning her into my personal maid.
“By the way, where should I vent this frustration now?”
Unable to suppress the boiling rage, I once again swung my sword wildly in the air.
Looking at the corner of the dungeon, I noticed the goblins, who had become surprisingly quick-witted, pretending to work.
“…Hey.”
At that moment, someone approached silently. Their presence was so faint that even the alarm didn’t react.
Upon closer inspection, it was the wolf-man I had met in Underis before.
“It’s the wolf from last time. What brings you here?”
“…H-hack!”
The wolf startled and immediately knelt down.
She was a rather humble one for a beast-man.
“It is an honor to meet the great General Kan of the Balotus Demon Army! It’s been a long time…”
“Enough, just tell me what you’re here for. Don’t tell me you came to get the bread you ate back then…”
The wolf shook her head, still lying on the floor.
“Th-thats not it… I saw the Demon Lord army recruitment notice, and I came because I want to join the Demon Lord’s army…!”
I stared at the pitiful wolf-man, checking her status window. I had seen it once before, but I wondered if anything had changed in the month that had passed. Unfortunately, she was still trash.
‘The Orc is C-rank, but how is this combat-focused beast-man D-rank?’
Not only was her rank a disappointment, but her stats were also terrible. She might be useful as a worker, like a Goblin, but as a combatant, she seemed hopeless.
I deliberately made my voice sound regretful.
“Your talent and abilities are commendable, but…”
Actually, they weren’t that great, but still.
“I believe there are some shortcomings in becoming a combatant for our Demon Lord’s army.”
“…!”
The wolf’s eyes widened in shock, and her tail and ears drooped. She was far too emotional and wore her feelings on his sleeve.
“P-please…! If you’d just let me take the test… just once…!”
The wolf lowered her head deeply, gripping her hands tightly. Her voice was trembling, and her eyes were full of desperation.
‘Sigh…’
I sighed inwardly. She had come a long way, and since I owed her one from before, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to let her take the test.
“Golem, take care of her.”
“Clank!”
“Don’t use the mace. Fight with your bare fists.”
“Clank…!”
The Golem, who had been happily swinging its club, reluctantly set it down and stood before the wolf.
The shadow of the massive Golem loomed over the wolf, pressing down on her. The wolf, with a trembling voice, asked:
“K-Kan, what is this…?”
“You said you wanted to take the test, right? You’re a beast-man from a combat tribe, so you should be able to beat a Golem with your bare hands, right?”
“…!”
The wolf swallowed nervously and refocused her eyes. She crouched, exposing her sharp fangs, and took a battle stance.
I didn’t wait any longer and gestured with my hand.
“Then, let’s begin.”
Since the Golem was slow, the wolf had the initiative.
The wolf raised her claws and leaped forward.
“Grrr! Kwaaang!!”
And with a single blow, the wolf was slammed into the dungeon wall.
“Kehk!!”
It wasn’t surprising; I had anticipated this result. The Golem had received my training, and its stats were higher than the wolf’s, after all.
I waited for some time, then finally asked the wolf, who was struggling to get up.
“Do you need more tests?”
The wolf didn’t respond, merely biting her lip, swallowing her tears. The gloomy expression on her face made me feel like something bad would happen if I sent him away like this.
She was probably having a hard time accepting how weak she was compared to other beast-men.
I sighed and decided to show some last pity.
“…Listen carefully, wolf. You’re a beast-man, but you inherited more human blood than wolf blood.”
She was different from Rodon.
While Rodon was a bipedal lion, this wolf-man was more human with just the ears and tail.
“In cases like this, it’s better to use a weapon than rely on claws.”
There’s no human who uses only their claws and fangs. If you’re a human, use tools like a human.
I tossed her a sword without a blade.
“I’ll teach you, so try to catch it.”
“…!”
The wolf’s eyes lit up with a faint spark. Even though beast-men took great pride in their claws and bodies, after hearing rumors about how I had sliced through Rodon, she probably couldn’t ignore swordsmanship.
“Hold it like this, and swing it like this.”
“…Yes, yes!”
I taught the wolf basic stances and the three-attack sword style.
[‘You have taught swordsmanship.’]
[‘Skill level: B’]
[‘Next level: 0%’]
‘…Hmm?’
This wolf actually had some talent. Normally, people start with F-rank, and even with talent, they only reach D-rank, like the Golem’s club technique, but this wolf had a B-rank.
The posture I taught was clean, and the movements were surprisingly smooth for a first-time swordsman.
“Now, for the final test. Get ready.”
Even with talent, what’s needed is an immediately deployable combatant, not a trainee.
If she fails this time, there will be no more chances.
The wolf tightened her grip on the sword, her face set in grim determination, and she took a deep breath.
I waved my hand.
“Start.”
Perhaps because of the shock from earlier, the wolf staggered a bit but kept her distance.
However, her posture was clearly different from before. Using a weapon instead of her claws, she began targeting the Golem’s lower body, taking advantage of the increased range of his strikes.
She was surprisingly intelligent. Or maybe she had incredible talent.
The Golem tried to retaliate, but the wolf nimbly dodged and deflected the attacks.
Seizing the opportunity, the wolf pounced again, landing a series of blows targeting the Golem’s weaknesses.
The Golem began to weaken, gradually falling under the wolf’s overwhelming barrage of strikes.
“Kuoooh…!”
Finally, the Golem collapsed to the floor.
Honestly, I was impressed. I hadn’t expected this wolf, using a sword for the first time in combat, to perform so well.
“…I-I did it! I won…!”
The wolf looked as if she couldn’t believe her own achievement. Panting heavily, she asked in a trembling voice:
“…D-Did I pass?”
I smirked and shook my head.
“It was a one-on-one match. What are you talking about?”
By now, the Golem had picked up its chain and was shaking it, making a clinking sound.
Even though it was for practice, if that hit him, something would definitely break.
“Now, we need to fight properly, weapon in hand.”
The wolf’s face turned pale with shock.