Translated: Sei, MTL-sensei-tachi
Edited: Sei, Grammarly no Danna
Source: Syosetu

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Short Story: Courage In Fear


This time it's an SS, and it's from Hannah's point of view.

——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

　Let me state this clearly.
　I am so scared of that healing wizard, Usato.
　He has a kind face that cannot kill an insect, but when he throws himself into battle, he instantly transforms into the devil himself.
　He knocked down the warriors of the royal guard who were driving flying dragons, who were under my direct command, to the ground one after another, and finally tried to capture me.
　The moment I devised a plan, caught Usato completely off guard, and tried to manipulate Usato ——— my nightmare began.
　The illusionary magic doesn't work on Usato.
　A talking owl.
　And the devil's wings appear on Usato's back.

"...Hiih!?"

　I let out a small scream and raised my head to find myself in my usual office.
　It was morning, and I sighed more heavily than ever in my room, where the weak light from the cloudy sky was streaming through the window.

"What should I do...the healing wizard is coming..."

　The other day, Demon King-sama gave instructions to all the corps commanders.
　He told us to be ready to fight off the heroes who would come to invade this city within a few days.

『Let the people evacuate, prepare the army, and get ready. We will meet them in the city』

　I was wondering what and why the heroes were suddenly coming to attack this city, but the Demon King-sama soon told me about that as well.
　It seems that the heroes came to the ruins where Koga, the Demon King-sama's maid, and Nono were headed.

　If they are just heroes, there is nothing to be afraid of.
　You could say that my magic is the natural enemy of all living things.

[H-Hannah-sama~! F-F-F-Finally, the devil has begun to extend his evil hands to this Demon King's territory~!]

　My composure was shattered by the words of Nono, who rushed into my office without knocking.
　Normally, entering into my room, the corps leader, without permission would be deserving of punishment, but I was too shaken up to care about that.
　Despite my agitation, Nono bowed deeply as soon as she entered the room.

[Hannah-sama! My partner Shawn and I are quitting the Demon King's Army as of today———]
[Nono Hellestea! From today, I will appoint you as my deputy!!]
[Uih!?]
[You have no right to refuse!!]

　If we are going to hell, let's be together.
　I decided to keep Nono nearby as my deputy, as bait in case of an emergency.
　From a mere private to a deputy, from an outsider's perspective, she has risen through the ranks, but in reality she is a well-rounded decoy.
　I don't feel guilty.
　After all, it was obvious that Nono was thinking the same thing as me.

"...Shall I go check on the soldiers?"

　I get up from my chair, having had only a short sleep, fix my hair and appearance, and walk out to the outside where the soldiers are.
　Behind the building, there is a carefully nurtured flower bed of flowers, but they will be tended to later.
　Right now, I have to check on my soldiers in preparation for the heroes's attack.

"Good morning... Hannah-sama."
"Yeah, good morning, Nono."

　Nono, standing at the entrance to the building, greets me with lightless eyes.
　But I know it.
　Her eyes are not dead, but they are eyes that are vigilantly watching for an opportunity to sacrifice me.
　I know because I probably have the same eyes.

"Fufufu, let's go."
"Yeah, okay."

　Nono's eyes speak.
　"Help me, let me go" they said.
　Indeed, Nono would be able to escape with a flying dragon named Shawn.
　But I could not.
　As the commander of the Third Corps, I am absolutely not allowed to run away.
　To be honest, unlike other people who are fanatical about the Demon King-sama, I don't have that much of an attachment to the demon tribe.
　I understand that the Demon King is a person to be respected, but that's all.
　I'm not so enthralled that I'm willing to risk my life to follow orders.

"Hannah-sama, how will you arrange the soldiers?"
"Move them into position. I'll leave the rest to the Demon King-sama."

　But I must fulfill my responsibilities on the surface.
　As the commander of the Third Corps, I cannot escape.
　Rather, the truth is that if I ran away, I would be treated as a traitor by my own people and be purged, so I don't want that to happen.

"What are you going to do, Hannah-sama?"
"I will take command in the rear and use illusion magic to distract the heroes."

　We will soon arrive at the location where the soldiers are equipped.
　My role had already been assigned to me by the Demon King-sama ——— but to be honest, I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.

"Fufu, No matter what happens with the devil, as long as you can avoid encountering him, it's all good. I am in the rear, and if I don't go out in front, I won't encounter either the heroes or the devil...!"
"As expected of Hannah-sama! Yoh, you black-hearted!"
"Nono, you are in charge of the front lines."
"Da*mn it! This fiend!!"

　If you're at the rear, you won't encounter that devil.
　In addition to that, I also came up with a plan that would get me out of my current position alive.

"If I were to be killed by the hero... fufufu."

　After deceiving my subordinates with illusion magic, using the male hero's light magic or something, I fake my own death and escape from the Demon King's territory.
　Then I could get out of the Third Corps Commander's job without anyone noticing.
　From then on, all I have to do is use illusion magic to deceive random people and live my life.

"It's really...a perfect plan."

　Because I am in the rear, there is no danger of death, and most importantly, there is little chance of encountering that devil.
　I don't see any factors that would cause failure anymore.
　It's almost too perfect to laugh at...!

——— seireitranslations.blogspot.com ———

Author's Notes:
A short story about finding the courage to (run away from) fear.
A style that lets the reader, not Amako, make the prediction