Combatants Will Be Dispatched - Volume 5 - Chapter 5.8

8 

Finally freed from the castle, I’m sweating bullets as we run through the streets of Grace. 

“What’s wrong, Mr. Six? You’re sweating profusely.” 

Viper expresses concern for me, but an explosion rings out right as she speaks. 

<Evil Points Acquired> 

Sweet. The influx of points that started a little bit ago hasn’t slowed down. 

The eggs that I scattered in the hopes that one or two would hatch seem to be yielding a lot more baby monsters than I expected. 

From every corner of the city, I hear cries of “Look out, it’s a mipyokopyoko!” followed by the sound of explosions. 

“…I’m worried that the dregs of the Demon Lord’s Army are conducting terror attacks to try and break you out, Vi…” 

“N-none of my demons would ever do anything like that! This chaos is your doing, isn’t it, Mr. Six? I’m sure you know exactly what’s going on, don’t you?!” 

Immediately recognizing this is most likely my fault, Viper stops running and looks around. 

“…Perhaps I should just return to my execution…” 

“It’s mipyokopyoko eggs! It’s just mipyokopyoko eggs hatching, and the newly hatched and irate ones exploding! Someone told me the explosion of a newborn mipyokpyoko isn’t strong enough to kill anyone!” 

But as Viper surveys the damage, the knights from the castle gain on us. 

“Vi, let’s think of our next move while we run!” 

“But there’s a person pinned under some wooden debris over there!” 

Completely ignoring the approaching knights, Viper goes to help the man crying out in pain. 

“Vi, you really are a softy! But I don’t dislike that about you, either, Vi!” 

While I assume a fighting stance, fully prepared to take on the advancing knights… 

“My, my. Stopping and helping the injured to earn brownie points. That’s just the sort of shallow behavior I would expect from a home-wrecker.” 

…Grimm appears, a thin smile on her lips and spouting a line better suited for the black-hearted daughter of a noble. 

Moving in to block the knights’ path, Grimm has a group of Kisaragi agents backing her up. She snaps her fingers to the one pushing her wheelchair. 

“…? What is it, Ms. Grimm? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do when you go off script.” 

“You’re supposed to say something along the lines of how I, the Archbishop of Zenarith, am better suited to helping the injured and that a Demon Lord isn’t needed here! Then, you’re all supposed to laugh at her! Oh, whatever! I’ll say it, so just laugh when I do!” 

Grimm goes off on an odd tangent as she heads toward the injured man. 

Ah, got it. She’s acting a bit like a tsundere, but I guess this is her own way of trying to help Viper… 

“…Hey, why are you just standing around?! Healing the injured is my job! I’m going to help a handsome man who’s been incapacitated, and even though he’ll fall in love with me at first sight, I’m going to tell him, I’m sorry, I already have someone to whom I’ve promised my future.” 

““““Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”””” 

“Hold on! You’re not supposed to laugh at that part! …Oh, whatever.” 

…Nope. She probably just wants to flirt with a handsome, helpless man. 

Wait, when she mentioned the person she promised her future to, she wasn’t talking about me, right? Surely, she hasn’t been editing the promise in her mind, right? 

Grimm tends to the injured man with all the speed and efficiency of a crazed spinster who’s relentlessly practiced for this exact scenario. 

“Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!” 

Having seen that, Viper shouts a thanks as she dashes off. The knights try to circle around Grimm as she blocks the road. 

But the Combat Agents stand in their way… 

“H-hold it! Don’t let her escape! …Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?!” 

“Lady Grimm, we can’t have you interfering in our activities! Do you not know who that woman is?!” 

In response, Grimm smiles seductively and makes a come-hither gesture to the barking knights. 

“I’m far more attractive than that fragile girl, wouldn’t you say? There’s a lovely moon out tonight, so why not have a drink with me, hmm? Just forget about work and—” 

Two of the knights turn on their heels. 

“We don’t have time for this! Men, go around them!” 

“There’s a back alley behind that street. Let’s take that route!” 

“……” 

Having been completely ignored, Grimm covers her face and trembles. 

“Uhhh, Ms. Grimm! I-it’s all right, Ms. Grimm, you’re a beautiful woman! Six said so himself!” 

“Hey, Ms. Grimm’s crying for real! What sort of men are you?!” 

“Apologize to Ms. Grimm! …Um, Ms. Grimm! I currently have someone I like, so maybe if we’re reincarnated and meet each other in the next life, we can date then!” 

As those and other such phrases recede into the background, Viper and I turn onto a busy street with a lot of people on it. 

It looks like mipyokopyokos aren’t the only ones rampaging through the city. Combat Agents are raising hell, too, and I can hear familiar taunts coming from every direction. 

But tonight is the Defeat of the Sand King Celebration. A festival isn’t complete without a brawl or two. That’s just how it is. 

Eventually, Viper and I arrive at the square, hearing the screams of Grimm and the knights all the while. 

If we can make it to the crowd of people, the knights will probably be at a loss. 

After all, they can’t very well go around shoving their own citizens. 

I, of course, don’t hesitate. I am, after all, part of an evil organization. 

…Then, as we enter the square, we realize we’ve been had. 

“We’ve been waiting for you, Sir Six. You’ve really done it this time…” 

A knight commander is there waiting for me, backed by soldiers. The face looks familiar, but the name escapes me. The soldiers all have nets and ropes in their hands, and I can see they’re not planning to kill us. 

There are over a hundred knights and soldiers present. Taking them all out would be a pretty tall order, even for me. 

As I stop and take a deep breath, Viper stands up and hands me the game console she’s been cradling this whole time. 

“I’ve solved as many puzzles as I was able to… Um, it’s a pity I won’t be able to keep my promise, but it’s been a long time since I’ve run this much. It was very refreshing.” 

Viper then makes a smile free of regret. 

“You know, Vi, you seem perfect at a glance, but your weakness is that you give up too easily. I get it. You’re brilliant, but you always make a snap decision after weighing the pros and cons for only a few seconds.” 

I collect myself and open my wrist device for the first time in a long while. 

After checking the screen, I show it to Viper. 

“Do you know what this number represents, Vi? This is one of the biggest point totals I’ve ever been able to gather. And this number can directly translate into my power.” 

I was already about to get out of the red, but after tonight’s rampage, my Evil Point total is about to hit quadruple digits. 

“N-no, you can’t, Mr. Six. I don’t want to live at someone else’s expense. I don’t know what you’re planning, but…” 

At my fearless grin, the soldiers around me back up. 

Yes, the people here are just soldiers who, while I know their faces, I don’t know well enough to remember their names. 

Which means they’ve also seen us Combat Agents fight… 

“It’s okay, Vi. I’ll use nonlethal methods to take them out. Sure, they might get a little singed, or blown up, or electrocuted, or frozen, but I promise they won’t die.” 

“No! Please, can’t we have a peaceful chat with them, Mr. Six? I won’t run away again, so maybe we can negotiate for more time to finish that game…” 

At Viper’s panicked expression, the knights and soldiers here seem to have figured out my intentions. 

I’m definitely in the black again, but I’m more than happy to go back into the red for her. 

If I just let Viper die, I’ll probably regret it for the rest of my life… 

“You’ve really done it this time, you moron. I told you to stay put, but nooo. You couldn’t even trust your own partner, huh?” 

As I’m deciding which nonlethal weapons to employ, the person I least want to see right now shows up with Tillis and Snow in tow. 

“Sorry, Alice, I need you to back down this time. Otherwise, I’m gonna use my points to turn this kingdom into a sea of flames.” 

“Oh? Is that how you want to play? All right then, give it your best shot. Even if you do manage to take me out, my generator will detonate, and this kingdom, as well as every neighboring nation, will be caught in the blast.” 

“Please don’t. Seriously, please, please don’t.” 

“Mr. Six, no more! Please! I’m begging you!” 

As Alice and I exchange glares, Tillis and Viper desperately try to stop us. 

Deciding it’s too dangerous to leave things as they are, Tillis quickly issues orders to those around her. 

“Snow, rally the other knights and soldiers and apprehend those two… But do it as calmly as possible. Try not to harm them or cause any unnecessary fuss.” 

Snow flinches at her orders, and I totally understand. 

For the most part, she just does as she’s told. But rarely—extremely rarely—she shows off her admirable side. 

Given the circumstances, I can’t really blame her. I’d probably comply with Tillis’s commands if I were in her shoes. 

“Y-Your Highness… I don’t mean to disobey a direct order, but…this woman, Viper, is a very good person—rare for a demon… And she’s great with paperwork, and she can fight, too! Killing her would be a terrible waste. She’s much more valuable alive…” 

“That’s enough.” 

The one who cuts off Snow’s desperate appeal is Viper herself. 

“I’m touched by your gesture, Ms. Snow. Thinking back on it, I did nothing but cause problems for you in Hideout City. But it’s really all right. For a long time, many feared me simply because I was the Demon Lord’s daughter. They weren’t even afraid of me but of my title. Once I came here, however, my abilities were properly appreciated, and I was valued for the merit of my contributions. Now the very people I worked alongside have come to my defense. I couldn’t be happier. I couldn’t ask for anything else… So please don’t look so sad.” 

With that, Viper makes her way to Alice and the others. 

When I glance in that direction, I meet Alice’s gaze, and she nods as if to say, Leave the rest to me. 

…I can trust you, right? 

“Viper, you’re special. From what I’ve seen, you’re extremely capable and not at all a moron like the Combat Agents.” 

It’s irritating that she needs to diss me even now, but since she’s not wrong, I stay quiet. 

As the knights and soldiers tensely watch the exchange, Alice holds something out. 

“This manual contains instructions for how to use this item. What you do with it is up to you. You’ve come this far, so you might as well show them what a Demon Lord’s made of.” 

After accepting the item from Alice, Viper skims the instruction manual. 

I sidle up to Viper as she reads and peer over her shoulder, but the words are written in this planet’s language. I can’t make heads or tails of it. 

After finishing the manual, she turns to Alice and me with a faintly embarrassed smile. 

Then, she leaps up to the roof of a house. 

High above the city, with the moon at her back, the beautiful young woman clearly stands out from everything else. 

The various spectators who have been vaguely looking at our direction can’t help but stare at her. 

Viper locks eyes with me, and then, with a deadly serious expression, she says: 

“I am Viper—daughter of the former Demon Lord Mehlmehl and current reigning Demon Lord!” 

Suddenly indulging in a bit of melodrama, Viper continues to draw everyone’s attention, flourishing her cape. 

Holding up the object she received from Alice, she continues: 

“The demon invasion of the human lands was wrought by my hand and mine alone. Using the secret brainwashing magic known only to the Demon Lords, I forced my ignorant and gullible populace to fight to this point. However…” 

…Oh, she’s doing the thing where the villain spills the beans on their evil plan for no apparent reason. 

“Those men there, the Combat Agents of the Kisaragi Corporation, foiled every last one of my plans. In a final bid for survival, I carried out terrorist attacks to cover my escape, but it seems they’ve messed that up for me, too… Yes, the explosions and the monster attacks were all my doing…” 

Alice watches the display with a look of glee. Is this really gonna be okay? 

I’m getting really, really worried all of a sudden. 

“Rather than die at the hands of you pathetic humans, I would sooner end my own life! Witness how a true Demon Lord dies…” 

Shit, this sort of thing never ends well…! 

I try to run to her, but Viper pulls something that looks like a pin from the device she’s holding… 

“Witness my power! Come, arc of the firmament! Let the earth tremble! Midgar’s Lightning!” 

A concussive blast shakes the sky, and Viper vanishes in an intense flash of light. 

“Well done! Look at that, Six! She went out in a blaze of glory! What a truly amazing display of evil! That was incredible!” 

“You idiot! I should’ve known… Damn you and your obsession with self-destructing…! I can’t believe I was stupid enough to trust you…!”