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

That afternoon, I was in the castle’s conference room.

Besides me, Henry and Logan also sat around the table.

Although Logan was formally my slave, he was treated as a quasi-executive.

Since his capability was well known, no one was against it.

There was a knock on the door.

The one who entered was a kobold subordinate.

It placed some glasses in front of us with an impressive deftness.

“Good work.”

“Excuse me.”

The kobold bowed and left the room.

Henry immediately swallowed the contents of his glass. 

As he was emptying his glass, he saw mine.

“Commander, what's that in yours?”

It was natural for him to have questions about it.

Henry’s and Logan’s glasses were filled with fiery alcohol and tea, respectively1.

Meanwhile, my glass was filled with three dark red dumplings.

Indeed, it was hard to tell what it was at a glance.

I answered Henry’s question.

“It’s a luxury food for an immortal. Would you like to try?”

“He-h. I’ll take one then.”

Henry picked up a dumpling from my glass.

Then he threw it into his mouth.

While he was chewing, I asked Logan.

“Would you like one?”

“…I don’t want it.”

Logan, who had his arms folded, shook his head.

Immediately after that, Henry frowned.

He glared resentfully at the remaining dumplings.

“Ueh… that makes my tongue numb. Isn’t that way too spicy?”

“Immortals lose their sense of taste. The only thing I feel is spiciness which is simulated through pain.”

I chewed at one of the dumplings in my mouth.

As my teeth chewed on it, I could feel a stimulus like a needle poking me from the inside.

The more I chewed it, the stronger the sensation became.

This dumpling was only recently developed.

It was made by kneading various spices into the dough, then blessing it with holy magic.

No flavor besides that of spiciness was considered.

Since I had no stomach, I then incinerated the dumplings I finished chewing using my magic.

The blessing was just a weak one that wasn’t enough to harm undead on the level of me or Grom.

At best, it merely accompanied the spicy stimulus for a bit.

This spiciness and blessing made me feel like I was eating.

It was a very valuable luxury item for immortals, who could no longer detect the taste of most food and beverages.

After Henry heard my explanation, he was convinced and swallowed the dumpling with a pained look.

Then he glanced at Logan.

“I see. That is definitely luxury food. So you chose not to eat it since you are aware of its taste?”

“That’s how it is.”

Logan answered as he moved his tea in front of Henry.

It must've been his way of showing concern.

Henry gratefully drank it.

I paid no head to their exchange, and spread a map of the continent on my desk.

I started talking after I saw that both of them had settled down.

“Let’s begin our main subject. There is only one reason I called the both of you together. It is to discuss future plans.”

“As expected. I thought it was about time.”

Henry happily replied.

He was a natural battle maniac.

He had joined the Demon Lord’s Army exactly because he sought battle.

He didn't have any other motive in choosing to do so.

Henry was a warrior who didn’t consider good or evil in his battle.

It hasn’t been long since the battle against the Magic Kingdom, but I wanted to take the next step already.

I wanted to maintain a continuous sense of tension among each of the nations.

To be more specific, it would be best to begin to launch attacks against countries all over the continent.

The more intact the nation was, the more necessary it was to invade them.

“Henry, what’s the situation of the artillery unit?”

“I guess I could call it decent or not bad. Depending on the battlefield, they could do better compared to magic or bows.”

The Demon Lord’s Army had organized various units in preparation for a multi-front war.

By strengthening the unit’s specialty, it would achieve the goal of increasing expertise in related skills.

“Is it possible for them to operate the magic cannons?”

“Yeah. For the time being, they are capable enough to use them in combat situations.”

Henry confidently answered this matter as well.

As the person in charge of the military, he possessed a leadership capability that matched his status.

Since he was also active at the frontlines during actual combat, I heard he was popular amongst his subordinates.

The Demon Lord’s Army was running smoothly even without my involvement.

After the battle against the Magic Kingdom, the Demon Lord’s Army had greatly increased its strength.

At present, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it the best on the continent.

This was an unquestionable fact.

Of course, that didn’t mean that I wouldn't stay alert.

Regardless how powerful it was, it would only take but a moment for it to perish.

That was what history has taught us.

I myself was one of the people who had managed to defeat the Demon Lord and had ended the age of darkness.

I knew well that arrogance was forbidden.

I needed to prepare for all the possibilities.

“According to the reports, there are no nations openly trying to wage war against the Demon Lord’s Army.”

“Based on how you worded it, that means there are some who do so beneath the surface?”

“There are those who have formed secret alliances and those who have prepared special countermeasures like the Magic Kingdom. There is confidential information regarding that, but the power map2 is gradually changing.”

I remembered the contents of the reports as I explained.

Henry laughed when he heard some concrete examples.

He then leaned forward with a ferocious smile.

“Hahaha, this is the best! This sure is getting lively. Well then, Commander, which nation do you intend to attack?

I pointed at a certain spot on the map as I answered.

“Although it isn’t a nation, strictly speaking, this Slave Autonomous Region could be a convenient target.”

The Slave Autonomous Region was a region that spanned the northern area of the Demon Lord’s territory.

This location was a lawless region that wasn't affiliated with any nation, and many of the people there simply declared their respective territories and controlled it independently.

It was a special location where they earned their living mainly through slavery.

Although it was a region where order has collapsed, it possesses a huge amount of manpower.

It could be said that they were stronger than small nations.

It has reigned over hundreds of years without being challenged by any of the nations.

There was a reason why they listed the Slave Autonomous Region as a viable target.

It was purely because that region was too malignant.

That autonomous region casually seized the small nation and the imperial territory I had destroyed.

It seemed that they were looting the towns and villages they occupied, capturing the refugees there, and turning them into slaves.

Since they've been acting so willfully all this time, it was about time to strike at them.

“I see. The Autonomous Region is indeed a proper choice. We could replenish our forces by taking the slaves away.”

Henry was convinced by my choice from a military perspective.

The act of taking slaves and adding them to our force wasn’t that different from the Autonomous Region’s method, but it wasn’t something to be concerned about by this point.

The Demon Lord’s Army had committed massacres several times.

There was no reason to hesitate.

The Demon Lord should be thoroughly evil.

“Logan, what do you think?”

When I asked for his opinion, he responded with a resolute attitude.

“I also agree with the invasion of the Autonomous region. There are also elven slaves there. I had thought of getting rid of my resentment someday.”

Logan’s words was filled with a firm resolve.

It was very reassuring that he was taking the initiative to offer his help.

With this, they had both given their confirmation.

The actual invasion wouldn’t begin until after the other executives gave their confirmation as well.

That said, I doubted that anyone would reject it.

It might proceed as smoothly as this round table meeting.

“We’re going to do a lot of damage to the Slave Autonomous Region, but do not destroy them. This is an enforced rule.”

“It’s the usual rule as always. Roger that.”

“The elves will cooperate with this. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask.”

“I’m sorry. Thank you.”

I was satisfied to hear their reliable words.

As we had come to a decision on the next invasion site, the meeting was dismissed.