#869 Look for Your Calling

I’m Heligene.

A glorious elite soldier of the demon race.  

...Or so I once was.

Now, things are different.  

Just the other day, I was forced to retire and now find myself without a role.

A person of Belial.

How did it come to this?

The Demon King’s Army, feared by all, was the pinnacle of strength, a force to be reckoned with.

Respected as the ultimate protectors by allies and feared as harbingers of death by enemies.  

Wherever the army appeared, enemy corpses would pile up; its mere name made everyone tremble.

Being a part of such an army was my pride.

Serving as the hands and feet of the Demon King, obliterating enemies, I considered this invincible role my destiny and fought valiantly.

But, unexpectedly, it all came to an abrupt end.

The trigger was, of course, the end of the war.

The centuries-long conflict between humans and demons suddenly ceased, bringing about peace.  

With it, the Demon King’s Army announced a massive downsizing.  

Voluntary early retirement was encouraged, and our twelve destructive brigades were eventually reduced to just six.

In a time without war, weapons seem unnecessary.  

The Demon King’s Army, once famed as the spear and shield of the demons, now turned its course towards reduction, a shadow of its once active glory.

My fellow officers started opting for retirement one after another, either taking up new jobs with a hefty pension or transferring to desk jobs.

Among them, I was the only one who remained on the front lines until the end.

I had to, to maintain my pride.  

I entered this path, aspiring to be part of the strongest Demon King’s Army.

But now, being told I’m no longer needed in this newfound peace– who could accept that?

I still pursue the ideal of the strongest Demon King’s Army.  

Even if I’m the last one standing.

With this thought, I devoted myself to training day and night, but recently, my time to pay the piper finally arrived.

Summoned to the personnel department, I reluctantly appeared only to be offered a transfer to the reserves.  

And then...

“…An adventurer?”

“Yes, it’s a unique profession in the Human Kingdom, and as part of the army reduction plan, we’re considering it.”

The personnel staff, though part of the Demon King’s Army, seemed more like bureaucrats.

Inwardly, I couldn’t accept them as my peers, looking down on them.

“Adventurers seek out danger to protect the lives of common folk... Especially in the Human Kingdom, where the government is fragile. Without such roles, people wouldn’t feel safe.”

“Hmm…!”

“Though irrelevant to us demons, there’s been a lot of buzz about disarmament lately. The point is, the social role that these adventurers play is starting to attract attention, possibly overlapping with our role in the army.”

“Hmm?”

“What I mean is the elimination of monsters and the management of dungeons. There’s talk about whether these tasks, which the army currently handles, could be delegated to adventurers instead.”

Ridiculous!!!

Monster hunting and dungeon exploring-aren’t these the last stages in which the Demon King’s Army can still shine in combat post-war?

Are they trying to strip us of our last bit of pride?!

“So, Heligene, how about it? Why don’t you become an adventurer?”

“What?”

Listening further, it seems the personnel department has been pushing hard for downsizing and personnel restructuring but hasn’t yet reached its target numbers.

The plan now is to transition the remaining soldiers into adventurers for further reduction.

“As mentioned, the duties of an adventurer overlap significantly with those of a soldier. The transition should minimize confusion. And for those who’ve stayed this long, saying, ‘I know nothing but military life’ is no longer an excuse.”

“Ngh…!”

“Those who agree to become adventurers will continue to hold a place in the Demon King’s Army reserves. In the unlikely event of a crisis, they’ll be called back to serve His Majesty and the demon race.”

This proposition became the deciding factor for me to leave the army.

With the war over and even the chance to battle monsters taken away, there seemed no way to maintain combatant pride by staying.

Losing the chance for real combat, life in the army would be nothing but lukewarm drills and desk work.

Then, it seemed somewhat better to lose the prestigious title of the Demon King’s Army and become this so-called adventurer, remaining in the thick of real action.

So, there I was, signing the transfer... or should I say, the resignation form, and thus agreeing to finally part ways with military life.

“Thank goodness. It’s been a few years since the disarmament efforts began. Those who’ve stayed on until now are mostly stubborn old-timers.”

“…You seem pretty unaffected and at ease. I guess desk workers like you don’t have to worry about losing your jobs, huh?”

I tried to reply with as much sarcasm as possible, but…

“Oh, just because I’m in an administrative role doesn’t mean I’m safe from layoffs. In fact, non-urgent departments like ours are often the first to face cuts. As for me, I’ve already been scheduled for discharge at the end of this month.”

What?

Really?

“Unlike you, who have always been on the front lines, we desk folk don’t have much going for us. After I leave, my only option is to get married and settle down. Fortunately, I finally met someone suitable at my eighth matchmaking session. I can leave my job without any regrets,” says the female officer.

What can I say… Congratulations, I guess?

***

Thus, I unexpectedly embarked on a new chapter in my life.

From today, I am no longer Heligene of the Demon King’s Army but Heligene, a demon adventurer.

I can’t help but feel a bit ridiculous.

Why should I, a proud soldier, now stoop to such a nondescript, unaffiliated profession?

A few days after leaving the army, I researched what being an adventurer meant. The more I found out, the more disillusioned I became.

Basically, adventurers are society’s outcasts.

Refusing to follow the prevailing powers, these misfits formed their groups in an attempt to solve problems.

That’s what the Adventurers’ Guild is.

Each of its members came to be known simply as adventurers.

They live this way because they can’t lead everyday lives, taking on dangerous work just to survive.

It’s a far cry from the honorable life in the Demon King’s Army.

And now they want these ruffians to handle all the dungeons and monsters within the Demon Kingdom?

Jobs that our army used to manage?

It’s utterly unacceptable.

It’s humiliating that we, the victorious Demon King’s Army, should now follow the lead of the defeated Human Kingdom.

Even if it’s just me, I’ve decided to collaborate with other former military adventurers who’ve trickled into this line of work.

We’ll form a vigilante group and protect our Demon Kingdom.

That’s what I was thinking when suddenly…

“Adventurers from the Human Kingdom?”

I was puzzled by the news.

According to the messenger, professionals from the Human Kingdom, the heartland of adventurers, were being dispatched to teach us.

Their so-called professional skills, huh…

What nonsense.

No matter how experienced, they’re still just troublemakers.

They can’t hold a candle to the trained might of the Demon King’s Army.

If they dare to come, we’ll show them the true strength trained in our ranks and let them realize the limits of their ragtag ways.

If we can clearly demonstrate how useless adventurers are, it might lead to a reinstatement of the Demon King’s Army for monster control in our nation.

And when this adventurer arrived, he was scrawnier and more unreliable than I anticipated.

“Haha, hey there, looking forward to working with you.”

Even his manner was unimpressive.

Is this really the professional adventurer that the Human Kingdom is so proud of?

There must be some mistake.

...Wait, no. This is perfect.

We’ll show him our formidable strength up close, scare him off, and send him packing.

Such a weakling will surely fall apart when we drag him into the dungeon.

After all, the dungeon is a terrifying place.

I’m actually looking forward to this.