The Executed Sage Reincarnates as a Lich and Begins a War of Aggression

I was in front of one of the guest rooms in the castle.

I knocked on the door and called out to the person inside.

“I’m coming in.”

“Ah.”

I heard the familiar voice of an old friend.

I opened the door.

Beyond lay Logan, who was sitting on a chair.

He held a glass of fruit wine in his hand.

It was rare for him to drink alcohol.

He hadn't shown any signs of it, but perhaps he felt like drinking tonight.

I asked Logan.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’ve recovered by a lot. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Don’t worry about that. I was the one who forced you into it. Not only am I not annoyed, I’m grateful to you.” 

Logan had gotten exhausted looking for the mystical stone.

Even if I was supplying him with magic power, he still accumulated fatigue.

Even so, he had struggled with the task.

Not only did I not blame him, but I also sincerely appreciated his efforts.

I gazed over the nighttime scenery of the royal capital from the window of the room.

The sections of the streets were brightened by light magic tools.

There were similar light sources scattered at a distance.

As the number of inhabitants increased, the number of unused plots of land decreased.

As I looked out of the window, I told Logan my intentions.

“I’ll reclaim the mystical stone by tonight.”

“You’ll use the Demon Lord’s Army for that?”

“I’m leaving the duty of organizing it to Grom and Henry. We’ll invade at once, take the mystical stone back, and leave by dawn.”

The deadline imposed by the Great Spirit was tomorrow.

I had no leisure to do a thorough border invasion.

We had to organize elite units and transfer them, increase the number of undead at the same time as the assault, and take the mystical stone during that moment.

There was nothing special to mention; it was just the usual tactic.

The only problem would be the weapons possessed by the Magic Kingdom.

The other party was in possession of the latest weaponry, including the golems.

The weapons we had developed at our laboratory had not yet reached the level needed for combat.

We were clearly inferior in terms of weaponry.

Regarding the countermeasures against the golem with guns and protection magic, I thought of using normal golems as shields to stall them.

There wouldn’t be any shortage of undead within a big city.

As we push at the frontline, we’ll use magic for long distance attacks.

If all the executives were to participate in the battle, we would be capable of matching the Magic Kingdom Army.

Logan murmured as he tilted his glass of fruit wine.

“…I hope the Great Spirit will calm down once she recovers the mystical stone.”

“If she ends up going berserk, I’ll do my best to stop her.”

I declared so.

Although the opponent was most likely superior to me, I didn’t feel like losing.

At the very least, I could handle its offshoot.

Even if her main body were to come, I could just strengthen my power by sending the large amounts of undead stationed in each region to the Valley of the Dead as sacrifices. 

That way, even the Great Spirit wouldn’t come out unscathed.

Contamination through miasma also worked against intangible beings.

If they were to interfere and tried to stop me from achieving my ideals, I would destroy them, whoever they might be.

That was the duty of one who has become the enemy of the world.

Logan slightly twisted his mouth into a smirk.

“What a Demon Lord-like answer. You seem more confident now than when you were human.”

“I gained the power to destroy the world. The confidence came along even if I didn't want it.”

I couldn’t call myself as the Demon Lord without any confidence.

I inherited that person’s ideal.

I couldn’t expose my pitiful appearance.

At that time, something happened to the barrier which was enveloping the capital.

The protection magic was suddenly destroyed, and a powerful magic reaction invaded.

It approached the royal castle at tremendous speed.

“Dwight.”

“I know.”

I nodded as I responded to Logan, who had a grim expression.

Apparently, he had also sensed it.

The identity of the intruder was clear.

There was no way I could forget this kind of magic reaction.

I prepared multiple spells so that I could attack and defend at a moment's notice.

Eventually, the Great Spirit appeared outside the window.

She phased through the window and entered the room.

“The current generation's Demon Lord, did you find the mystical stone?”

“The agreement should be valid until tomorrow.”

I replied to her with some criticism.

It was very annoying for us to have the Great Spirit appear here.

The fact that she was here was already enough of an impact.

I had to be cautious, considering that she could invade the Demon Lord's territory without permission.

The castle town should be in a mess by this time.

There would be confusion without a doubt.

The Great Spirit, on the other hand, continued without being bothered at all.

“I came since I couldn’t bear to wait. Does this bother you?”

“There’s no way it does. Our nation was honored with a direct visit from the Great Spirit.”

There was no way I could honestly say what I thought, so I just used flattery.

It might sound a little sarcastic, but the Great Spirit seemingly did not pick up on it.

She just tilted her head.

“How is the progress for the search for the mystical stone?”

“We've found its location. We’ll recover it by tomorrow.”

I wouldn’t say the specific location.

If the Great Spirit were to know, she would go to the Magic Kingdom at once.

She would then trample upon the people there in her rage.

That was a very undesirable development.

We were trying to control the damage to the Magic Kingdom.

We might cause some destruction, but we wouldn’t go to the point where recovery wouldn't be possible.

However, if the Great Spirit were to rampage there, that plan would very well collapse.

There was no choice but to use the Demon Lord's Army to recover the mystical stone.

“I see. I’ll believe your words.”

The Great Spirit withdrew easily.

It seemed she has put her trust in me for the time being.

Otherwise, she would have asked for more details.

The Great Spirit remained calm because she believed we could reclaim the mystical stone.

Judging from our exchange so far, she came solely to check on the progress of our search.

She seemed impatient to relieve her curiosity.

This was because of my lack of consideration in reporting the progress to her.

However, her business should be over after that.

Since she currently knew the progress of the search, she could just leave the capital.

As I thought of that, the Great Spirit stood in front of me.

She asked me in a flat tone of voice.

“Demon Lord. May I ask for some of your time? I want to talk with you about something.”

“— Ah, I also have something I want to talk with you about.”

I instantly replied to her.

I wanted her to leave already, but she would become moody if I honestly told her this.

Since I wanted to avoid engaging in combat as much as possible, I had no choice but to match her words.

I was also genuinely curious about what the Great Spirit wanted to talk to me about.

Since it was a rare opportunity, I might as well have a conversation with her.

After she heard my response, the Great Spirit turned her gaze to Logan.

“What a coincidence. Then let’s switch locations for a bit. Chieftain of the elves, would you like to come along?”

“…I’ll refrain from doing so. I’m still recovering right now.”

Logan spoke with a strained expression.

I instantly understood his intention.

He detected signs of trouble and escaped.

Sure, Logan was exhausted, but not to the point where he couldn’t converse.

He wanted to get out of a situation where he would have to converse with the Great Spirit as soon as possible.

It was a decision contrary to expectations, especially when one thought of the high affinity between elves and spirits.

“…”

I silently looked at Logan.

He didn’t even try to look at me.

He looked at the fruit wine instead, of which only a little remained.

“It can’t be helped then. We’ll talk slowly when we have the opportunity. Then, only you are to come along with me.”

“…I understand.”

The Great Spirit phased through the window, and I chased her back.

I couldn’t refuse in this situation.

As I turned to look at the room, Logan secretly waved his hand.

I would have to talk to him later.

Really, what a reliable old friend.

As I swallowed the words back in my throat, I followed the Great Spirit as she flew through the night sky.