Here is the translated text:
New Chapter Starts!
With Instructor Fushio returned, our Demon Lord’s Army has regained stability as if it had taken a breath of fresh air.
The instructor has done well to repair the president’s slightly shaky foundation.
And, as thanks for saving me, they’ve dealt with the interference from the nobles who were meddling with me, making my work much easier.
“To think that work would become this smooth just by removing the nobles’ interference.”
On Dungeon Island, the mansion, a building serving as an office atop the dungeon entrance, is situated at a high point overlooking the island.
In the distance, one can see flickering blue balls of fire. And near those flames, moving effortlessly through the air with a shield and sword, are the Ghost Knights that Instructor Fushio lent us to deter nighttime espionage.
Based on recent information that spies have infiltrated this city, they are conducting nighttime patrols to restrict enemy movements.
Their armor is transparent, you know. But they are quite strong in combat. They excel more in group combat skills than individual ones and are adept at teleportation magic, allowing them to gather quickly at any location where trouble arises. It’s terrifying how quickly they swarm you.
It’s no exaggeration to say that public safety has improved even further thanks to them.
And we’ve managed to capture several suspicious spies. Most of them are connected to some noble through their acquaintance to get hired as workers.
“Still, this problem is unacceptable. Wouldn’t you agree, Muil-sama?”
“Indeed. I thought I had implemented counter-espionage measures, but I never expected Isal’s spies to infiltrate.”
However, there’s no time to celebrate the improvement in public safety, as this newly established dungeon presents its own issues.
Keiri and Muil-san, who are always busy running around. To face the reality that my trusted right and left arms of the Human King’s faction are both concerned about, I turn from the window and pick up a report from the table in the brightly lit office placed on my desk.
“What were the results of the interrogation?”
“The credibility of what they said is uncertain, but it seems that a group of nobles connected to Isal are backing them. They possessed considerable skill.”
The content of the information is meant to investigate this dungeon island. What was investigated was the city district, the front face of the island.
“The real target is the dungeon, I assume.”
“More precisely, it’s the connection between the dungeon and this Earth. People can’t stop rumors. Even though strict martial law is in effect for this dungeon island, rumors still pop up everywhere. It’s impossible to eliminate them completely.”
“Ah, if the Demon Lord’s Army forms friendly relations with another world, the other side wouldn’t be pleased.”
“Exactly. While it’s unavoidable that they found out the base for that connection is here, it’s much faster than we anticipated for them to infiltrate this deeply. Haa, what was all our hard work for?”
“It’s precisely because of that hard work that this is all it amounts to.”
Only a very limited number of individuals can enter the dungeon. Those limited individuals can currently only access the potion farm and processing factory that have begun operation, and the trade facility under construction within the dungeon. Below that is entirely defensive equipment, so the number of people who can enter, including myself, is less than five.
“There’s no sign of anyone entering the dungeon. Knowing that much is fortunate in itself.”
“Yes.”
We had anticipated spies. We assumed noble involvement was a given.
“But it’s faster than I expected. That being the case…”
However, spies related to Isal are here sooner than expected. Considering what that implies, I find myself scratching my head.
“It means war is near.”
“I can’t say it’s regrettable. We are also preparing for war. We are not in a position to deny their preparations.”
Spy activity has intensified. It clearly indicates their intent to gather even a little bit of our information. Is it that they have finished their preparations for war and are now in the final information gathering phase to attack?
“Haa, so it’s finally here.”
“Our dungeon isn’t complete yet. Even the Dungeon Test’s reach point is short of our planned goal. It’s true that Kaido and the others are working very hard, and it’s in a better state than originally, but…”
“Indeed. However, this is our own mistake for misjudging. They were one step ahead of us. That’s all.”
If we are to be attacked, we must defend. The president intends to use the dungeon as a defensive facility against the attacking Isal forces. Its current completion level is far from satisfactory. One might say we’ve been too leisurely, but considerable improvements have been made even so. Compared to the initial dungeon, the difficulty has drastically increased, and the efficiency of magic power has also improved. With newfound breathing room, some generals are even beginning modifications in the deeper levels. It was at that stage that signs of an attack from the other side were observed.
“I thought they would come…”
“I also believed winter would not come. But to attack at this timing means they have also completed their winter preparations.”
There is no declaration of war. From their perspective, it is a holy war to defeat an evil existence. Declarations of war are made between humans, not against the Demon Lord’s Army.
“From now on, we must be vigilant, ready for them to attack at any moment.”
“Might they attack when we’re tired from being too vigilant?”
“Or perhaps they plan to strike when we’re confident, making us underestimate them.”
“The more you think about it, the deeper into a quagmire you fall; perhaps that’s their strategy.”
Because of such common sense, the custom of striking first being advantageous has taken root here.
“Then, the son-in-law will also be called to the war council?”
“Ah, I believe Evia mentioned something of that sort.”
If there is a war, we must prepare as a nation to meet it. If each faction were to decide its own approach, it would result in a disorganized army. A war council is a special event, not issued unless in a state of war, to decide the nation’s overall policy. The last time this happened before I became a general was probably when the angels attacked. This time, I will be participating there as a general.
“Should I gather information on faction relationships, available resources, and other necessary documents?”
“Indeed. We cannot deploy troops ourselves, so it would be best to promise that kind of support.”
“The main focus will be on food. During wartime, food consumption becomes sickeningly heavy. We have established import routes for food from Earth, so as long as we don’t do anything foolish, it should be substantial support.”
What needs to be done there is to clarify my role during the war. My combat strength, including myself, is considerably less than that of other generals. As an individual combatant, I may be formidable, but that’s where it ends. Therefore, to clarify what I can do, I need to create documents detailing the current quality of potions, production capacity, transportation costs, and so on.
“That’s right. Let’s also start stockpiling. Kirie-san… and I’ll ask Mother as well to establish food procurement routes. We’ll need to be extremely careful not to let the governments of other countries know. ”
“In parallel with that, we need to flush out spies. We don’t know how many rats are lurking, but it can’t be just that many.”
“Then, I’ll calculate how much we can stockpile. We can’t allocate the entire budget to it, after all.”
“Please do. Muil-san, try not to push yourself too hard.”
“Understood.”
Will war break out in the year I became a general? Honestly, you never know how life will turn out. When I joined, the testers had a contract not to participate in wars. However, as things progressed, I have now become a general on the front lines of the war between Isal and the Demon Lord’s Army. With everyone’s tasks clearly defined, Keiri and Muil-san left the room, and I too began to work on the report for the war council on the PC set up in the office.
“My current dungeon’s combat strength…”
When I think of combat strength, the first thing that comes to mind is purely martial power for fighting. I’ve heard that in modern Earth warfare, head-on clashes between forces are rare. These are what are called skirmishes. Most wars involve stealth operations based on strategy, followed by subjugation. However, our wars mainly consist of these rare skirmishes. It might sound good to call it archaic, but frankly, a war that grinds away lives forces excessive bloodshed. Even a dungeon, a defensive facility where forces can be endlessly reinforced with magic power, is forced into this. Isn’t that something that absolutely must be avoided?
“Formulating strategies isn’t exactly my main job, though I’ve only been in the Demon Lord’s Army for a short time, I am genuinely one of their comrades.”
“Abandoning the possibility of saving others’ lives simply because I’ve never done it before feels wrong.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
Considering what can be done in this dungeon and what forces the enemy might bring, I ponder what I can achieve. “Securing the supply lines should be entirely my responsibility. It would be more efficient. So, should I focus on finding ways to make supply efficient and safe…?”
Among the various species, food, weapons, and medicines are essential supplies for any faction. Without them being in perfect order, lives will be lost. “And perhaps it would be better to move to gather information efficiently?”
Furthermore, having information about the enemy’s forces would be useful as a fighting strength. After all, “if you know your enemy and yourself…”
“However, all of these are obvious, and everyone is already doing them. Emphasizing them now would just make me seem like a war novice. Therefore, I need to find something that no one has done before, yet is still beneficial…”
What could it be? While diligently working on the documents, I simultaneously ponder the war. I’ve learned a lot about war from Evia. I’ve even studied military knowledge from a teacher she introduced me to. I’ve learned everything from basic to advanced concepts, but this is merely the foundation a general should possess. Compared to Instructor Kio, who gained experience in actual combat, or Instructor Fushio, who had it before becoming immortal, my knowledge is child’s play. What I can offer is versatility using modern knowledge. However, if I say that this kind of versatility will work against the Demon Lord’s Army, which has thoroughly absorbed modern knowledge, I would be wrong. After all, Earth is a treasure trove of knowledge. Do you think the members of the Demon Lord’s Army would just observe that and do nothing? The answer is no, absolutely no. The common trope of modern knowledge being invincible doesn’t work against this Demon Lord’s Army.
“The target should be the aspects hidden by common sense itself.”
However, not everything is like that. After all, what has been cultivated through life cannot be reset by any means. The things taken for granted, the things assumed to be the same. These could play a significant role for the Demon Lord’s Army. “But, when it comes to gathering information about the enemy and the Demon Lord’s Army bringing in modern warfare, how much can they really do?”
Although there are dark clouds gathering even on that front, I must do everything I can.
Today’s word:
There are times when you sense that something is about to begin.
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