“Enlist…?” Marius Tuban?”
“Yes.”
The oppressive atmosphere caused by the report of Balderra Fortress falling in less than half a day was blown away by Marius’s words.
“That’s very kind of you… but, Marius, if I may be so bold, you said you had no experience in that kind of thing.”
Marius revealed the truth to a bewildered Bernhard III.
“If I don’t have to kill them, then it’s no problem.”
The king tilted his head at the cryptic remark, but Lucas, Nilson, and Emma responded with a sudden realization.
“I see, status effect magic!”
“Yes.”
Marius’s reply caused a great stir. Everyone already knew about his immense magical power.
“I see. Then we can defeat the enemy without killing them.”
“Yes. I’ll have to be careful not to harm our allies, though.”
A small ripple of laughter went through the room as Marius gave a wry smile. Marius received the king’s permit and returned to the campsite via “Teleport.” – No one in Filat knew that this was Asteria’s plan all along.
“Are these… death soldiers…?”
Carnot’s premonition had proven to be correct. The Holdian Soldiers were fighting desperately, charging forward without flinching no matter how many of them were killed. It was early in the battle, and the attackers were already acting like death soldiers.
(Is this why there’s no supply unit!?)
He couldn’t think of any other reason. The invasion was too swift to employ scorched-earth tactics, but even so, it was unlikely that 150,000 troops could have had sufficient meals without any supplies. Even if magic covered for them, regular soldiers would have deserted by now given the harsh conditions. However, if they believed that “they could eat their fill if they captured the fortress,” then even the slave soldiers would fight with their last ounce of strength… that’s exactly what it looked like. The enemy numbers were less than 150,000, as some must have fallen behind, but they still outnumbered his own forces nearly five to one. The pressure of being surrounded on all sides by these fighting-to-the-death soldiers was immense. Despite this, the morale of Carnot’s soldiers, who had experienced numerous hardships, remained high, but there was a reason for their grave struggle.
“Gyaaaaa!”
Intermittent explosions echoed, and allies were also incapacitated along with the enemy. It was a form of self-detonation magic embedded in the slaves’ collars. To make matters worse, it was designed to only attack forward, towards the approaching enemy, so as not to harm allies – a truly diabolical design. Although Filat had killed more enemies, the sheer numbers and the self-detonation magic were clearly widening the disparity.
(This is not good.)
Carnot was a master of defense, and precisely because of that, he understood their current predicament.
“Prepare the giant ballista!”
The giant ballista was a weapon that shot massive spears, requiring dozens of soldiers to operate. It was originally used to destroy castle gates or repel dragons. With only two prepared for Balderra Fortress, Carnot decided to use them for a chance at a comeback.
“The giant ballista is ready.”
“Target the enemy commander!”
Carnot’s strategy was to obliterate the enemy leadership with the giant ballista, thereby disrupting their command structure, or at the very least, crushing the morale of the enemy soldiers. Given their hunger, he reasoned that if he could kill their momentum, they could fight on equal or better footing, and the tide of battle would turn in an instant.
“General, we cannot pinpoint the enemy commander’s location!”
A desperate shout mixed with screams came back. The Holdian army, swarming like a plague of locusts, had no central command post, and it was impossible to know where their great general was. Carnot, who already knew this, surveyed the area below the castle walls and instructed them to aim at his designated locations. He might not be able to find the main general, but he could read the positions of those issuing orders to the individual units. His aim was to cause confusion if their direct superiors or fellow soldiers were blown to pieces before their eyes.
“Fire!”
Following the command, soldiers in the east and west operated the massive weapons, each requiring three men. What would happen if a weapon designed for fortresses and dragons was fired at humans? The answer unfolded before Carnot’s eyes. The launched giant spear whipped up a gale, physically blowing away Holdian soldiers in its path and its vicinity as it flew. Upon impact with the ground, the tip exploded, and a deafening roar swept away the unfortunate individuals nearby with its shockwave. By Carnot’s estimation, over ten thousand casualties were inflicted on each side, east and west, and the sheer destructive power froze the Holdian soldiers attacking from the north and south.
“The giant ballista takes time to reload! Attack and capture the fortress before the next shot, if you don’t want to die!”
His loud, clear voice echoed, and the Holdian soldiers immediately snapped back to attention and charged again.
(What!?)
To the utter disbelief of Carnot and the Filat army, none of the Holdian soldiers attempted to flee. In fact, they were fighting even more desperately than before. Carnot’s calculations were completely off. Even the simple slave soldiers, who might seem foolish for not realizing the rashness of this march, should have fled when faced with the fear of death. This was not based on theoretical calculations, but on his past experiences fighting the Holdian army multiple times. The shock to Carnot and his men was immense, but he kept his mind working furiously, even while issuing orders.
(They wouldn’t possibly detonate them even if they tried to escape…? Are they pushed to the brink where their only option is to capture the fortress? Has someone like that appeared to drive them to such measures?)
No matter how indifferent Hordia was to slaves, this was normally unthinkable. They were valuable exports and a fighting force. However, no other explanation fit the current, bizarre situation.
“What brutality! Our allies, doing this to their own kind…!”
Carnot was so moved by righteous indignation that he forgot his own dire straits. Yet, given how perfectly the plan had unfolded, it couldn’t be dismissed as mere brutality or recklessness.
(There is a cold and terrifying strategist at work…)
He had no idea who it was, but he knew he had to break through the encirclement and inform his allies of this. Without anticipating a terrifyingly cold strategist who managed to make a reckless plan succeed, they would surely be defeated. The fall of the fortress was only a matter of time. Since there was no escape route, it was necessary to break through the encirclement.
“I will be the decoy. You escape in the ensuing chaos.”
Carnot rebuked those who urged him to escape and those who wished to die with him, forcing them to accept his orders. In warfare, killing the enemy general was a great achievement, and it would be extremely difficult for Carnot, whose face was known in Hordia, to escape in the current situation. The realistic approach was for him to draw attention while those carrying the information attempted to break through. His plan worked, and he perished in a heroic battle with his subordinates, but the key individuals managed to break through the bloody path and escape.
The news of Balderra Fortress’s fall reached the court, throwing the officials into a panic and intensifying movements to depose Asteria.
“Are they all fools?”
Asteria grumbled, sipping tea in her private chambers. The incursions by the demons, while sporadic, were gradually becoming more frequent. And then there was the appearance of Marius Tuban, a hero-class powerhouse.
(Isn’t this clearly a sign of the Demon Lord’s revival!)
It would be immediately apparent if one consulted historical records, so why did no one else even consider it? They were all preoccupied with power struggles. Three hundred years had passed since Demon King Zagan was sealed, and while the destroyed civilization had not fully recovered, human nations had prospered more than enough. The Taliant Continent had seen many demon lord revivals in the past, but there had never been a case where human nations were annihilated before the demon lord’s return. It was likely that there was some sort of agreement between the demon lord and the demons. Given that the same thing had happened many times before, it was dangerous to dismiss it as a mere coincidence, yet no one believed Asteria’s words, and as a result, she had come to be known as the “Mad Princess,” which now seemed like a distant memory.
(No, there are a few who believe me.)
She cast a glance and saw several maids standing by with neutral expressions. They were the ones who believed her, even when her own family had abandoned her, and remained loyal. Asteria, who was vilified as “unfeeling,” “callous,” and “cold-blooded” for her methods, hesitated to sacrifice even these individuals. However, if her assessment was correct, the demon lord would be revived soon, and the majority of humanity would perish.
(It seems Seraeno alone has some inkling of this…)
Wasn’t that why she was solely focused on improving the soldiers’ skill, rather than reclaiming territory? Her mission was to reduce the possibility of Hordia’s people dying and to make the kingdom prosperous. For that, she could not be swayed by personal feelings.
“Your Majesty, may I intrude?”
“What is it?”
She kindly replied to the inquiry of one of her maids, Mireille. She knew that her loyal maid of the same age was trying to cheer her up.
“I do not understand your objective in this matter. I do not believe you intend to make an enemy of the entire continent for no reason, but please enlighten this ignorant one.”
Mireille’s words made Asteria frown.
“Do not belittle yourself, Mireille… I don’t mind revealing my thoughts to you, but you will understand soon enough. When Marius’s army is defeated.”
None of the maids showed surprise. They knew that Ignatt had been secretly ordered to return.
“I would never have imagined… even if they are slave soldiers, will the loss of 150,000 troops not have repercussions later?”
“It matters not. Marius has no experience killing people, and even seems to despise it. Therefore, he will likely attempt to capture them with status effect magic. Besides, we have replacements.”
“But what if he has the disposition to kill everyone he doesn’t recognize as an ally?”
Asteria replied with a laugh to Isabella’s question, not Mireille’s.
“Even if that were the case, it would be good to see his true nature and power. There is no downside no matter how it turns out.”
“But what if Marius is a sharp fellow and sees through all of Your Majesty’s plans?”
“In that case, I will reveal my true intentions. If he is that astute, he will likely agree with my objective, even if he disagrees with my methods.”
“What if he says, ‘I will absolutely not forgive this for the sake of Filat’?”
“There is always the option of offering myself to beg for forgiveness. That is, if he is within my sphere of influence.”
“Perhaps Your Majesty should have a little more confidence in yourself.”
“What good is a king’s beauty?”
Asteria shrugged.
“What if even offering yourself does not earn forgiveness?”
“Then I have no choice but to die. In fact, that is what I am most concerned about. If he is merely a puppet of Filat, then it is not a problem. But if he is a sharp individual merely utilizing Filat’s power and has a strong attachment to Filat, it will become very troublesome.”
“Even Your Majesty’s plans have their flaws.”
“There are likely no plans without flaws. Not for a human, at least, not for a god.”
Asteria paused and took a sip of her tea.
“However, now that I am king, I must do everything I can. At the very least, we must cultivate our nation and military so that we can repel the demons.”
Although Mireille’s questions were ultimately dodged, she felt no dissatisfaction. It could be considered a success that her master, who was called mad but was actually deeply responsible, had stopped wearing such a sullen expression.
“Speaking of which, Lord Ignatt is truly remarkable. Not only did he succeed, but he also left behind 50,000 troops.”
“Indeed. That was an unexpected, but pleasant, miscalculation. I had considered it a success if he had left 20,000.”
Asteria said something ruthless matter-of-factly to Mireille. Isabella tilted her head at her master’s words.
“Was the explosive magic I created so useless?”
“No, not at all. Besides, that magic will serve as a good lure.”
Isabella’s confusion deepened.
“Since that’s a ‘useless’ magic, I don’t mind if it spreads to other countries. Won’t the leakage of this magic to other countries be a loss?”
“That is precisely why it will be a lure.”
As Asteria smiled meaningfully, and Isabella was about to ask another question, Vanessa, who had remained silent until then, suddenly spoke sharply.
“Your Majesty, Mireille, Isabella.”
Hearing this, Mireille and Isabella moved to shield Asteria. Immediately after, multiple black shadows flew through the window, aiming for Asteria. Vanessa, who had moved with incredible speed imperceptible to anyone else in the room, struck them all down. Several daggers stuck into the floor.
“Enemies, I presume. I wonder who they are.”
Asteria gave a wry smile at Isabella’s muttering.
“There are too many to narrow it down.”
She trusted the abilities of the maids guarding her, and if they failed, she was prepared to accept her fate. As Asteria’s smile faded, four black masses plunged into the room. Vanessa threw the daggers she had hidden all at once towards them. They flew much faster than the daggers and people who had flown in from outside the window, attacking the shadows. Two of the shadows reacted and deflected the attack, but the other two were pierced in the throat and fell on the spot. Then, Vanessa moved in front of one of the surviving shadows and slit its throat with a dagger. The remaining shadow, surprised and shaken by the instant defeat of three of its companions, was targeted by Isabella. Although it narrowly avoided the dagger strike, it was quickly dispatched by Vanessa plunging her dagger into its neck. Meanwhile, Mireille had been constantly watching the outside of the window.
“Too weak… for Mireille not to have had a chance to participate.”
Vanessa said with an amazed voice as she wiped her dagger with a cloth. The maids had repeatedly eliminated assassins who had targeted Asteria. There had even been a fierce warrior who had given the strongest, Vanessa, a hard time, but the fact that the attackers had become weaker recently suggested two possibilities.
“Perhaps they didn’t know your strength, or they ran out of skilled assassins.”
Asteria considered the possibility that this was a diversion, but quickly dismissed it upon seeing Vanessa, who had let her guard down. Given the frequency of the attacks, the latter possibility was far more likely, but there was insufficient evidence to make a definitive conclusion.
“Oh well. Let’s use their corpses as a bargaining chip with ‘them’.”
“As you wish.”
Such was the daily life for the Queen of Hordia and her maids.
