Gunshots whizzed by as explosions shook the ground, deafening the screams of soldiers all around. Some screams were of anger, others fear, pain, or agony. If there was a single word to describe the scene, it would be ‘Hell.’

 

All of this, however, was all too familiar with Viktoria. She had grown desensitized to it all to the point where she showed no hesitation when she took part in the carnage and death that engulfed it. Even through it all, through the worst of these hells and and most chaotic of battles she managed to maintain faith in their victory. She trusted the battalion commander with her life and with the life of her comrades in the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion. She was the youngest of them, but easily the one most fitting to lead the group, having been the one to create it in the first place.

 

But now, she felt an emotion she had only felt slightly, always suppressing it at the command of her leading officer. That emotion was fear. She had witnessed the battalion commander take a powerful magical attack head-on, and when the smoke cleared she wasn’t there. The mage that fired the spell remained for a moment, looking down frozen, as if they didn’t know what to do with themselves now that they had killed her. After just a moment though, that mage dashed off, though she no longer fought with the same ferocity that she did against the commander.

 

Seeing the mage that struck down the commander flee, Viktoria descended, hoping that their commander had survived the blast, that they were just injured, or in the worst case scenario, she hoped she could retrieve her body so she could receive the proper military funeral she deserved. 

 

As she landed where the magical attack had struck the floor though, she found nothing. Looking down, all that was left was a smoldering, scorched crater. An immediate glance didn’t show any bodies, but perhaps she was elsewhere. Suddenly though, she noticed one thing among the black, scorched earth at her feet. Shimmering against the few rays of sunlight peeking through the darkened clouds was what was unmistakingly the commander’s Computation Jewel.

 

Viktoria picked up the jewel, the Type 95, the most powerful computation jewel in the world that only the battalion commander could use. Unlike the rectangular models used by most of the army, hers was circular and golden, a cross at the top connecting it to a chain around the neck and a large red jewel in the center containing four cores. It was a marvel of magical engineering, the fact that it even worked seemed to be a miracle in itself. However if it was here that meant…

 

There was no way she had survived, not without it. The Computation Jewel was the source of a mage’s power, and while some spells could be cast without it, there was no way she could survive, let alone escape the battle without it.

 

Viktoria still held out hope, thinking that perhaps she dropped it on the way down and she was still around here somewhere. Before she could go and look, the jewel began to glow a bright golden color. She had seen it do this before, but only when the commander had used it to the maximum of its capabilities. For it to activate now, especially when she wasn’t even trying to use it, something must be wrong.

 

Before she could even have the time to be confused, she was distracted by a light shooting up from the ground below her as a complex magical circle appeared below her feet, various geometric shapes forming together into a circle of incredible magical power. Realizing that she didn’t have the time to flee and that her current jewel would not be able to withstand whatever attack such a powerful magical circle could launch at her, she placed the Type 95 around her neck, praying that she could use it at least once, just to make sure she could survive the impending attack.

 

The Type 95 glowed brighter, but no attack came. The circle glowed brighter until she could no longer see the war going on around her, the sound of the circle dwarfing out the screams of hell beyond it. As the light dimmed down, however, the war was nowhere to be seen, and the sounds of hell echoed in the back of her mind before finally fading.

---

The feast had been going on for a bit now, Rimuru happily enjoying the fact that he could eat again as I joined Rigurd, Rigur, and Kaijin in sitting with who seemed to be the head of the band of ogres, the red one, with the older one sitting a ways behind him. The lack of names for most monsters was starting to annoy my mental thought process, having forgotten about the fact that monsters don’t usually have names almost entirely due to how much Rimuru just throws them around.

 

The ogre explained the situation of his group. Apparently they resided in a large ogre settlement which had been attacked by Orcs, a humanoid pig-like race which are usually deemed far weaker than the much stronger Ogre race. As they mentioned before when we fought, they encountered a masked majin who seemed to be behind the attack, or at least an organizer of it. Whether or not he’s the one at the top remains to be seen, however.

 

While I processed the information, Kajin seemed surprised, “Orcs attacking Ogres?! That can’t be!”

 

“It’s the truth.” the ogre responded.

 

“Can such a thing really happen?” Kaijin asked, turning to Rigurd and Rigur as well as to myself.

 

“I don’t know.” Rigurd responded.

 

Gobta came up from behind, still chewing as he spoke, “Is it that strange?”

 

“Of course it is, Ogres are immeasurably stronger than Orcs. That such a weak race would attack them is unthinkable.”

 

“Nevertheless, they did come. They attacked our village out of nowhere. They carried weapons and armor, and their overwhelming numbers filled the entire forest. Those detestable pigs… overran our village.”

 

“Orcs wearing armor?” Kaijin asked.

 

“Yes, the same type of full plate mail that Humans wear.”

 

“You mentioned their numbers filled the forest right? Have any idea how many there were?” I asked, turning to the ogre.

 

“I’m not sure, too many to count.” He responded.

 

“I see, so they overran you with sheer force of numbers alone. In an area like a forest, I’d imagine human wave tactics could be somewhat effective but…”

 

“But what?” Kaijin turned to me, curious.

 

“How do you keep such a large army supplied? Surely they need to eat, and I doubt they’d get enough to feed possibly hundreds or thousands of them with just monsters hunted in the forest. The armor also raises another question, too. Nobody just comes up with that much armor alone. If all of them were heavily armored, then they have enough armor that some nations would struggle to get.. I’ve never interacted with orcs, but I have seen one or two pig creatures during my flights, and assuming those are Orcs, they’re quite a large race. A single armor set that fits them would be expensive.”

 

Kaijin nodded, “Yes, it's unlikely they’re working alone, and I doubt any nearby nations could suddenly come up with that much armor, let alone make an agreement with Orcs to give them it.”

 

“Exactly, among them was a high-level majin, I’m certain of it.” The ogre responded.

 

“And you fought Great Rimuru because you had mistaken him for this masked majin?” Rigurd asked.

 

“Yes.”

 

“So… What does this all mean?” Gobta asked, still chewing.

 

“That the Orcs have sided with one of the Demon Lords, possibly?” Rigur speculated.

 

“A Demon Lord eh?” Kaijin mumbled.

 

“But which Demon Lord is the question.” I mentioned to the response of silent mumbling.

 

“I’m not much familiar with the nearby Demon Lords I’m afraid.” Kaijin muttered.

 

“There’s only so many candidates. If they’re also supplying this army, they must be close enough to do so. That means there’s really only four that I know of, Frey, Carrion, Clayman, or Milim. Of these I think Milim to be the one I can most reliably cross out. She’s the only one I know a significant amount about, she has quite a reputation as ‘the destroyer.’ She seems like too much of a chaotic wildcard to do anything so organized and coordinated.”

 

Kaijin nodded, “Yes, I’ve heard much the same about that Demon Lord.”

 

“Frey is the one I know the least about, frankly she could be behind this but I would have no reason to know how or why. This leaves Clayman and Carrion as the main suspects assuming it's not only a Demon Lord but one that’s nearby. Carrion leads the Beast Kingdom of Eurzania, and as such could probably financially support such a large orc army. Being a powerful nation on the border of the Jura Forest could see them having a special interest in the region. Clayman I don’t know much about either on a personal level, but I do know his nation needs to import quite a lot, so taking over the forest could be profitable for him. Unfortunately it seems we don’t know enough to guess who exactly is behind it.”

 

“What’s finding out who’s doing it got to do with anything?” Gobta asked, having finally finished his chewing.

 

“If we find out who, not only would we know who our enemy is, but also potentially allow us to work with that knowledge in mind, whether it be in cutting off their supply or a strike right at their capital assuming they’re leading a nation.”

 

“Whatever the case, the one thing I know for certain is that only six of my three hundred brethren are still alive.” The Ogre remarked.

 

“I see, no wonder you’re upset.” Rimuru said, walking over from the feast going on behind him.

 

“Have you had enough meat, Rimuru?” The ogre asked.

 

Rimuru responded, “I’m taking a break.”

 

I rolled my eyes, “You’ll find that that slime has a quite literally infinite stomach.”

 

Rimuru shook his head, looking again at the Ogre, “You’re sister’s really something. She knows a lot about medicinal and cooking herbs. The goblins took to her immediately.”

 

“She was a sheltered child, she must be happy that they’re relying on her.” The ogre looked towards the feast where the pink-haired ogre was surrounded by many goblins which she was talking to, though they were too far to make out any conversation.

 

“So, what are you guys going to do now?” Rimuru asked.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean your plans for the future. Whether you rebuild your village or relocate to another area, the fate of your comrades is depending on your leadership, right?”

 

“That’s easy, we’ll build our strength and take them on again.”

 

“Do you know where to find them?”

 

The ogre was startled, having clearly not even thought that far ahead. I simply sighed, “What makes you think that just the five of you alone could take them down when 300 of your brethren couldn’t? I’m not saying you’re weak by any means, but if you couldn’t beat them then with more, how do you think you can beat them now with less?”

It was frankly obvious that he didn’t have much of a plan at all. His desire for revenge blinds his reasonable decision making. If I were in his position, I would simply get out of the forest, or hide out far from the Orc’s path. I could be considered a coward, but if I had nothing to gain by fighting it, let alone lack the forces to actually do so, why would I try to go into a suicidal revenge mission? Of course, right now this is a threat for the entire forest, and since we haven’t lost everything yet, we’re actually in a position to fight. Given that, I can already see where Rimuru is going with this.

 

“Well I have a suggestion.” Rimuru spoke, “Do you guys have any interest in being my subordinates? Of course, all I can pay you is guaranteed food, shelter, and clothing. You need a home base, right?”

 

“But that would involve your whole village in our revenge.”

 

“At this point I’d argue it's more than just your revenge. The entire forest could be in danger, and it’s in our best interests to defend it.” I remarked

 

Rigurd added onto this, “The Orcs may be seeking dominion over the Great Forest of Jura.”

 

“This town isn’t completely safe, either. Which is why adding as many to our numbers as possible would benefit us. Plus, if anything happened to you guys, I’d fight with you. I’ll never abandon a friend.”

 

The ogre lowered his head, “I see… Let me give it some thought.”

 

“Sure. Take all the time you need to think about it.” Rimuru sat up again, “Well, I think I’ll go get some more meat. Tanya, you coming? If you don’t get anything soon they’re going to run out, you know.”

 

I sighed, “Yeah I’m coming.” I got up and stretched a bit before beginning to walk towards the feast. If anything, the food was usually great anyways, and this conversation was practically over. For now it was down to that ogre’s decision. Whether or not he’s smart enough to give up his own pride for the sake of himself and his subordinates remains to be seen, but given his situation… Well he has no other choice.

---

The red ogre had joined me and Tanya within one of the huts. It would appear that he had made his decision on the offer I made for him yesterday. I probably should’ve considered how he felt more, but from a practical perspective, he doesn’t have much of a choice. There’s no Ogres left to really even try to rebuild a village, so in the end they would most likely end up joining one anyways, it's best if they join one as powerful as us. Besides, if there is an Orc threat, we could be in danger as well. Just this morning Tanya was already beginning early preparations for war, though she may be getting a bit ahead of herself.

 

Among the two of us, Tanya is definitely the more experienced leader. I mostly had this position thrust upon me, and while I take it with pride, I still lack the experience Tanya seems to have developed in her two lives. I simply worked in general contracting in my past life, and while I was not bad at it by any means, I feel like being in charge of an army group in the middle of a World War is probably better for one’s credentials.

 

In truth, if it weren’t for the fact most of the villagers originally propped me up as their leader and the fact Tanya doesn’t seem to have much interest in the position, I would’ve considered making her take over as de facto leader. Nevertheless I believe I have grown as a leader in my time here, and I’ve learned a lot from Tanya as well. She seems to be a thorough organizer, but I suppose that's necessary in a war, she’s also trained our defenses quite well, though she’s not proficient in medieval fighting so it's mostly been down to agility training.

 

Restructuring my thoughts and focusing back on the ogre in front of me I looked up and spoke to him, “Have you decided?”

 

The red ogre stood firm, looking down at me, “The Ogres are a warring clan. We aren’t against taking to the battlefield in service to another. If our master is strong, we are all the more pleased to serve them.” I simply nodded in response, Tanya standing nearby in a much more uniform manner, I suppose she sees this as a diplomatic meeting of sorts.

 

The Ogre continued, “Can our contract last only until we take out the Orcs’ leader?”

 

I nodded, “You can do whatever you want after that. You can stay and help us build a nation, or you can go on your way.”

 

The ogre thought for a moment before getting down on his knees, “I would like to accept the offer you presented last night.” The ogre lowered his head and continued, “We will hereby serve under you.”

 

“Good.” I responded. This has definitely taken a hit to his ego, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made, Tanya seems satisfied with her response, so it seems she saw it as his only reasonable option as well. It was fight with us or fight alone, though we intended to fight it regardless if it became a threat for us.

 

I quickly transformed into a human form and spoke again, “Lift your head. You’re all accepted. Call in the others.”

 

The Ogre lowered his head again, “Yes, sir.” He quickly went out, heading into the village to fetch the other ogres.

 

As he left I turned to Tanya, “You mentioned that the older one would be a good trainer for our forces, right?”

 

Tanya looked back at me, now leaning against a wall, “Yeah, he seems quite skilled with a sword. The slash he tried against my barrier was quite strong. Had he hit a barrier I made in my last life, it almost certainly would’ve shattered.”

 

“The shields that you use to block artillery shells?!” I had heard a bit about how Tanya’s last life worked, mostly as a lot of her abilities from it transferred over here, including her barriers which greatly helped us in fighting the ogres. I didn’t know much about the finer details of it all, but I knew at the very least how mages worked in her old world.

 

Tanya nodded, “There’s a chance, though blocking an explosion and blocking a slash are very different things. It’s sort of like the difference between being hit by a bullet and being hit by a car. One exerts force all over your body, likely breaking bones but possibly not killing you, while the other pierces into your body, only damaging one area, but piercing into the body and possibly killing you if in the wrong spot.”

 

“That’s a… complicated explanation. But regardless, I know you said you intended to work beyond the village, but how would you like to take on the old man and the red one as subordinates?”

 

“Hm? Why do you ask?” Tanya asked, folding her arms in curiosity.

 

“Well you’ve been the one that’s basically been in charge of the ‘army’, if we can even call it that, until now. I understand you may have interests elsewhere, but you would come to the village’s aid in a time of war, right?”

 

Tanya nodded, “Of course, if all goes well, then my interests beyond the village will eventually become intertwined with it, I can’t afford to let the village fall.”

 

“So you wouldn’t mind if I made you the Commander in Chief of the army, right?”

 

“That’s quite a lot of power to give me, Rimuru. That’s not something you should just be simply tossing away.”

 

“I trust you enough to let you take command. Eventually we’ll make an organized government and have the specifics all sorted out, but for now I trust you to lead our forces. After all, between the two of us, only one has actually been to war.”

 

Tanya shook her head, “Alright, I understand. I’ll take command of the military. That means you want me to take them as direct subordinates because…”

 

“Mhm, I intend to put the old one in charge of training our forces in areas you’re not skilled in, the red one is a skilled leader, however I have the feeling he’d be more interested in leading forces into battle over anything political like Rigurd. Of course the specifics will be up to you, they will be your subordinates. Do you think you’ll have the magicules to name them?”

 

“I should. I have a sort of internal mana source that while I can’t directly access, I can use for naming.”

 

“What's the deal with that?”

 

“I have no idea, it appeared when I reincarnated here. Over time I seem to gain access to more and more of it directly, but the rate is so slow it's barely noticeable, so I might as well use it to name subordinates.”

 

“Alright good, the ogres should be returning any moment now.”

 

My reason for giving Tanya two of the ogres as a named subordinate is more than just giving Tanya control over the military, which is something I’ve intended to do for a while. Rather, I don’t want to take all the subordinates from her. If I make every monster my direct-named subordinate, I worry that Tanya might not feel too comfortable. It’d be one thing if I had named her myself so she could at least fit in, but she was named by Veldora like I was. By giving her some subordinates, I hope that the ‘cult of personality’ that I’ve been unintentionally forming is somewhat given to her as well. It’d be a bit awkward to be working with her when everyone just sings my praises alone all day. It needs to be affirmed that me and Tanya are equals, after all she is just as strong as I am.

 

After a few more moments the ogres all entered the room, lining up in front of me and Tanya. “Since you’re all my subordinates, I will be giving you all names!”

 

They were all shocked to hear this, which since it's so uncommon I suppose I understood, the red ogre muttered “All of us?”

 

“Well having no name makes things tough, doesn’t it? Also not necessarily all of you, I do have an offer for you two specifically.” I said, looking towards the older one and the red one.

 

“Hmm? What is it?” the red one asked, looking curious.

 

“You two seem like the best fighters among your group.” I looked towards the older ogre, “I was hoping to have you help with training our forces to fight the Orcs.” I turned now to the red one, “And you have good leadership qualities, so I was hoping you’d help lead our forces into battle. Of course, I intend to place Tanya here in charge of the military. As such my offer is for you two to become her direct subordinates instead of mine. Of course not much will actually change from a practical standpoint other than the fact it would be her naming you and not me. Since the arrangement was technically you becoming my subordinates, I understand if you do not agree, but the offer is there. I can promise you, you’ll be in good hands with Tanya.”

 

The older ogre smiled, “Hohoho, I have heard quite a bit about your training methods, Tanya, you have quite the reputation among your fighters. There are certainly exceptions but so far it appears your forces are quite trained and disciplined, though they are lacking in swordsmanship.”

 

Tanya sighed, “Unfortunately swordsmanship is not something I’m proficient in as I have told you. Personally I’m not too fond of swords, but even I can recognize that for the time being they are the status quo. I was hoping you could help teach these skills to the village’s soldiers.”

 

The old man bowed, “That I can certainly do, Miss Tanya.”

 

Tanya looked towards the red ogre, “What about you? Would you rather become my or Rimuru’s subordinate? It makes little difference, I don’t intend to separate you from your comrades, and once this is all over you can choose to leave if you wish.”

 

The red ogre bowed slightly, “I have seen your prowess in combat, I would be honored to help lead your forces in battle, though I’m afraid I do not have too much experience in leading a battle.”

 

Tanya shook her head, “You’re a natural leader, I’m certain you’ll learn quickly.”

 

Seeing their conversation complete, I nodded along, “Alright, then we shall name you. Tanya will name you two and I will name the rest of you.”

 

The red ogre nodded, “I understand, we will graciously accept your names.”

 

“Alright then, let's get started.” I walked up to the first ogre, beginning to name them “You are…” In the next second, all was black.

---

Naming the Ogres was surprisingly exhausting. I only named two of them, but since they were the stronger of the bunch I briefly passed out from it. Of course my mana deprivation was nothing compared to Rimuru’s, who had named four of them and will probably be out for several days. He wasn’t completely out of mana, and if he wanted he probably could’ve gotten away with naming all six, but it's likely his body was taking this long rest as a safety precaution.

 

I passed out for only a few hours, mostly likely a natural response to push through the low mana I had. I could’ve forced myself awake, but my mana regenerates faster when I'm asleep. I had just woken up, and after gathering my memories I remember naming the older ogre ‘Hakurou’ and the red-haired one ‘Benimaru’. I can’t really remember why I named them this, but I believe I thought it matched Rimuru’s own names for the others.

 

I looked around to notice I was in an actual bed within the hut that was basically my home until we started building more conventional housing. To my left I noticed the pink-haired ogre handling something, though she looked a lot more humanoid, and by most standards, more attractive than before, though I hardly cared personally. It only took her a few more moments to notice I had sat up in my bed, somewhat startling her as she bowed quickly, “Ah you’re awake Great Tanya, I had assumed you would be asleep for longer.”

 

I stretched as I pushed myself to sit on the side of the bed, “What gave you that idea?”

 

She finished messing with some of the items in my room and turned fully towards me, “I was told by the goblins in the village that last time Rimuru had named them he was out for three days, we assumed you’d be the same.”

 

I shook my head, “Nah, I didn’t use up as much magicules as Rimuru did. Don’t worry about him too much, he’ll be fine, that slime’s more resilient than he looks. He did name everyone right? Apologies but I can’t really remember anyone’s names besides those I named myself.”

 

She nodded, “I see, he gave me the name Shuna. Would there be anything you need, Great Tanya?”

 

I finally sat up, looking down to see my uniform was still on. As a demon I could actually change my clothes at will, but this was as comfortable and as formal as anything. Confirming everything was right, I looked up again, “Not necessarily, but if you don’t mind, the whole ‘great’ part isn’t really necessary when referring to me.”

 

She bowed, “I will tell the others, then, Miss Tanya.”

 

“That's… eh it’ll do.” I shrugged, it's likely they wanted to refer to us formally as we’re their superiors, however as I don’t have a proper rank many have defaulted to using ‘great’ like they do with Rimuru. I have shut it down most of the time as I don’t quite like the sound of it, but if they insist, then ‘Miss’ is good enough.

 

“I take it Rimuru’s asleep then?” I asked, gathering my weapons that had been placed on a table at the edge of the room.

 

“Yes, if the goblins are right, then he won’t be up for some time.”

 

“Do you know where Hakurou and Benimaru are?” I asked her.

 

“I believe they’re out in the town, I don’t think they’re doing anything specifically. Me and Shion have taken over caring for you two, or rather just Rimuru now.”

 

“Shion would be the… purple-haired one, correct?”

 

“Yes, that is Shion. If you’ll excuse me though, Miss Tanya, it is almost my turn to take over for her in watching Great Rimuru.”

 

“I understand, don’t let me stall you, I’ll go find the others.”

 

Setting out into the village, it wasn’t hard to find the red-haired ogre in the sea of green-skinned goblins. Heading over to where him and Hakurou were standing, they both seemed shocked to see me, getting onto their knees as I approached, “Great Tanya, we hadn’t known you were awake so soon.”

 

I waved my hand, “It's fine, I just woke up. Raise your hands, you can stand up.” Formalities and order were fine, but they were a waste of time right now, especially when I was still slightly tired from sleeping.

 

Looking down at the two, there was a clear difference. They both looked younger and farmore human, with their skins matching that of one, though their hair and horns remained much the same, albeit better looking. While they both looked smaller, it was clear that their strength and magicules were off the charts compared to before. They both seemed to have evolved into Kijin rather than being mere Ogres. I don’t know much about Kijin, but since they evolved, they’re certainly stronger.

 

The pair stood up as I continued to speak again, “We’re not sure how much time until the Orcs become an actual problem, so I was hoping to start training some of our forces in swordsmanship if you don’t mind, Hakurou.”

 

Hakurou bowed respectfully, “I will teach them well.”

 

I nodded and turned to Benimaru, “You and I will discuss strategy and organization. I have no doubts in your leadership, but I need to see how much you know about leading a well-structured conventional army. Since you’re now one of the strongest here, and you have your own personal reasons, I intend to have you fighting with everyone, but you still need to be able to lead and command your forces while fighting in battle yourself.”

 

“You sound like you have a lot of experience, Great Tanya.”

 

“If you must refer to me formally, I’d prefer something like ‘Miss Tanya’ if you don’t mind. Also yes, I’ve had to fight in the middle of a chaotic war while still leading my battalion to victory. Any smart buffoon can lead an army from the backline, but it takes a different kind of leadership and strategy to fight with your soldiers while leading them. It’s difficult, but if you pull it off, you will earn their respect.”

 

It's a tried and true strategy, fight with your soldiers and they will respect you. If you wanted to look at examples, Napoleon’s the prime one. He fought with his soldiers and because of it, they respected him enough to go through with some of even more crazy strategies, many of which ended up working. Had I wanted to, I could’ve easily sat a bit off from the battle when commanding the 203rd in my past life, but that would make them lose respect for me as a leader. Benimaru is strong, I cannot afford to leave such a powerful card in the back of the deck.

 

Benimaru nodded and bowed, “I will do my best to learn what I can from you, Miss Tanya.”

 

“Good. Now then, we don’t have time to waste, let's get started.”