Jashin ni Tensei Shitara Haika no Maou-gun ga Sassoku Metsubou Shisou Nandaga, Dousureba Indaro ka

9、<Half Faced> Lu Gan (B-side)

Although they were suddenly ambushed, the <Dethroned Crown Prince>'s soldiers responded admirably.

They quickly ascended the hill, and assembled in a tight formation.

Indeed, as expected of the famed <Dethroned Crown Prince>'s forces. Just stragglers of the defeated army? They moved as if they were all elite forces.

But that was all.

The soldiers were still tired and wounded.

The commander of the 300-soldier ambush, the hobgoblin Lu Gan, smiled with just half his face. The left side did not move. Old scars were haphazardly stitched up across his face.

"They say 'The cornered lizard is the grandson of a dragon'...I can only hope it’s true."

Lu Gan was personally given a secret mission by Venon the <Clairvoyant> to hunt down and kill the <Dethroned Crown Prince> Drake.

If he failed, there would be no place for him to return.

Venon was a worrier, he was afraid Drake would give them the slip, and assigned Lu Gan to attack him. After all, according to the plan, the stupid mercenary squad split away from them and got themselves annihilated, tiring their opponents in the process.

The enemy was commanded by a charismatic man.

What's more, the <Dethroned Crown Prince> Drake was the supreme commander of the anti-<Northern Overlord> Alliance.

Lu Gan himself previously fought under the command of Drake.

He was a bit meddlesome, but his plans were great. He never hesitated giving orders, and he was easy for subordinates to follow.

Getting to go head to head with Drake, Lu Gan was unexpectedly excited.

His opponent was a blood relative of the Great Demon Lord, an elite.

By comparison, Lu Gan was a Hobgoblin teased for being a 'mutt', and climbed the ranks through his own effort.

He was a genuine warrior, and managed a medium-sized unit; Lu Gan did not feel inferior to Drake in the slightest. He had trained his subordinates himself, and they were a force to be reckoned with. There's no way they would lose. With losing out of the picture, he was already prepared for lavish praises. He had rid himself of anything that could bring him down, and for the first time, a hard worker would have the right to challenge a genius.

His blood was boiling.

Now, it was time for battle. Lu Gan had his favorite battleaxe slung over his left shoulder, and took it with his right hand. He would swing this down in the haze of battle.

And at that moment, the sky suddenly became dark.

 ○

"Here I pray, please save us!"

After he said it, Drake mocked himself for it.

How stupid. Just what is an Evil God?

In this world, history was written by the Demons, not the Evil Gods. This was no longer the age of the Gods, so what could the Demons possibly expect?

Nine out of ten times, the <Dethroned Crown Prince> Drake would die here.

He was the <Dethroned Crown Prince>, who was blood related to the Great Demon Lord, and at one time commanded a great army numbering 190,000 soldiers.

The illustrious soldier living on with his force of 200 would be lost, never to rise again.

Frustrating.

The vexation was overwhelming.

But, there was not a single complaint or wail that escaped his lips.

"Here I pray, please save us!"

That was his prayer.

It was a sincere and simple prayer.

And then, it was answered from the heavens.

 ○

Behind a flash of lightning, I surveyed the two armies from on high.

The sky was darkened with thunderclouds, and a light rain began drizzling down.

“Cease and desist!”

My voice echoed over both armies.

They were all captivated with my colossal sound, if I do say so myself.

It would appear I used the basic Evil God skills, "Thunder in the Background" and "Amplifier".

I say it appears I did, since I have no idea how I actually activated them.

When I look down, I see Drake issuing orders like normal, and the <Dethroned Crown Prince>'s army all take to their knee and prostrate themselves.

Good good, as expected of my believer.

Compared to that, the enemy is clearly in a panic. But there are no deserters to be seen.

A brown colored goblinoid that looks like their leader headed my way, and said,

"I do not know which Evil God you are, but allow me to make a most humble request. First I shall compose myself. My name is Lu Gan, son of El Gen. I am called <Half Faced> Lu Gan."

He properly took to his knee and humbled himself before me. As I thought, an Evil God's authority is indeed impressive.

I slowly descend to the goblinoid.

"O' Lu Gan, son of El Gen. I shall exceptionally allow you to raise your head."

"Yes."

Truly, I had no idea watching all those period dramas would come in handy in a place like this.

In reality, I was just ad-libbing with the period language as best as I could; the atmosphere was incredibly important for me to keep it up.

"I am the Patron Evil God of the <Dethroned Crown Prince>. For what reasons do you, Lu Gan, attack my devoted Drake for?"

"Yes, I must respectfully confess; it is my mission, more important than my life, to ambush and kill the <Dethroned Crown Prince> Lord Drake."

That's not good. It's just as I thought.

I don't know who he is, but do I tread carefully, or try to get him to switch sides?

Either way, it's gonna be a hard sell.

"Your mission, you say...what a waste."

"A waste, how do you mean?"

"Behold!"

With exaggerated gestures, I point to Lu Gan's subordinates.

They finally stopped their panic, and all mimicked Lu Gan, humbly taking to their knee.

"Those elite forces you lead, Lu Gan, for what reason must they participate in this dirty work?"

"That is..."

He's confused.

After all, it's not work anyone wants to do. Giving him a loaded question was surprisingly effective.

I often performed such negotiations in my previous life. This guy is overwhelmingly remarkable, I don't feel like he would lose in battle.

"<Half Faced> Lu Gan...nay Lu Gan, son of El Gen. You, why do you not proclaim your valour to the world? Sneaking and hiding in the shadows, tormenting the wounded, why do you do these things?"

The goblinoid lowered his head, sinking into silence.

Let's push him once more.

"Fight honestly and justly, cross your sword with Drake’s, do this if you want to be remembered. Fulfilling your duty this way will be most rewarding. Do you want your achievements to be sullied, will you shame your name as the son of El Gen?"

"But I!"

"But you what?"

"But what shall I do? I have only myself. I've come this far all by myself. How can I live if I do not obey my lord's command?!"

What's this? This is a nice unexpected turn of events.

I had planned to request for him to retreat from here, however...

"O' Lu Gan. Have you not just answered your own question?"

"Have I done so?"

"Indeed. You said 'I've come this far all by myself'. You are the master of yourself, you alone, Lu Gan."

"Wha-"

"The soldiers you have trained agree. To them, you are their lord and master."

It's a bluff.

It's a total bluff, but surprisingly effective.

I then wink in Drake's direction. Now <Dethroned Crown Prince>, show me your true strength.

 ○

"Attention warriors!"

Drake stood and shouted while brandishing his sword.

"The Evil God has shown us the way. A second path to follow!"

Like that, he advanced slowly down to hill to appear before Lu Gan.

"The first, a path of battle. A path that would cross swords with the subordinate under Venon the <Clairvoyant>'s command. A worthless, dishonorable, and contemptible battle of the stories of old."

The rain intensified.

The intense rain tried to drown him out, but Drake raised his voice.

"The second path!"

Thunder.

Lightning flashed, illuminating everyone.

"A path to walk with me. A path where you could face forward instead of down. You will likely perish, but it is a path where you can die with pride."

Drake stood in front of Lu Gan.

The <Half Faced> Hobgoblin hung his head.

"Lu Gan, Son of El Gen, and your soldiers. Will you join me in conquering the world?"

Kneeling before Lu Gan, Drake kindly held out his hand.

The flesh on Lu Gan’s raised shoulders, you could easily tell how hard the hobgoblin had trained.

"Lord Drake, no, My Lord Drake."

Lu Gan raised his head.

"I humbly accept your offer. Please allow me to be by your side as you realize your dream for the world."