The selection of personnel to accompany us will be left to the instructor. The maximum is three hundred, prioritizing mobility, followed by combat power that also incorporates stealth. Honestly, if it’s just about fighting, the instructor alone is sufficient. Rather than combat power, please select based on the ability to gather information and move without being detected. I believe that would allow the instructor to truly let loose.
“You get it, don’t you? I’ll crush anyone who does something like this.”
Witnessing the instructor become angrier than I was, despite my own indignation at the idea of securing combat power through drugs, I immediately began to channel that anger for the benefit of the Demon Lord’s Army.
If the instructor is accompanying us in terms of combat power, then the rest of the team can specialize in support.
No, it would actually be more convenient to specialize in support, given the premise that this area must not be detected.
“Suella, relay this to the Tree King. Tell her the route the instructor will rampage through and to make it look like the Tree King’s strategy through information warfare.”
“Understood.”
And, at the same time, I will contact our friendly forces.
Damage from this incident is probably unavoidable, but in that case, the intention is to achieve the greatest profit with the least damage.
Originally, our unit’s main function was covert operations, and being discovered so early is not good for the Demon Lord’s Army.
“Do you like this idea, Instructor?”
“Hoh, this time the credit is secondary. Give it to the Tree King, but the one who will rampage is me. Make sure to emphasize that.”
“Yes, I understand. It will actually be convenient for the Tree King to operate freely if she’s not defeated carelessly, so there are benefits. Therefore…”
As the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot. Before the instructor’s patience runs out, I will complete the arrangement of troops, procurement of supplies, and communication with the army.
Particular attention must be paid to the arrangements for cooperation with our friendly forces.
Instructor Fushio would probably show an unspoken understanding that allows them to coordinate even without reporting, but since the other party this time is the Tree King, it will be less troublesome later to maintain close communication.
“Well then, I’ll go choose the people who are coming with me.”
Because I didn’t stop him and pushed him forward, he suppressed his anger.
However, that’s only on the surface.
His expression looks cheerful, but it’s like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
If I leave that unchecked, I really don’t know what he’ll do.
“Messenger.”
“Yes.”
“Issue emergency order zero-five and send this document to the designated location. Prepare the carrier pigeons.”
“Understood!”
My role is to avoid that and make adjustments.
I will contact Ann as well, to ensure she is not harmed, and also notify the other party.
“Are you contacting them too?”
“It’s better to be safe than sorry. If we’re going to undertake military action here, it’s not good to have interference.”
Why does the Demon Lord’s Army, which forms a communication network using magic power and utilizes modern equipment, use an old-fashioned method like carrier pigeons?
Suela, realizing why I had the soldiers prepare them, hands me special paper.
I concisely write the message on it and place it in a special tube.
The addressee is the country with which we are currently negotiating.
They are well aware that we operate in the shadows, but they are not so foolish as to obstruct the military action we have conveyed.
“If all goes well, there’s a possibility we can find a loophole here.”
In the unlikely event that there are interferers, the way this notification is structured will provide a clue as to where the information leaked from.
It will take time to gain their trust.
If possible, I wanted to avoid provoking the instructor, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Once the supplies are secured, pack them into the item bags. Then, prepare the carriages for transportation. We will use magically expanded carriages and disguise them as a caravan.”
“I expected as much, so I’ve already made arrangements. Here, please sign this document.”
“As expected.”
Once I’ve decided to do something, there’s no time for dithering.
It’s just a matter of doing what I can.
I receive the document prepared based on my actions from Suella and affix my seal.
Item Bags are expensive, but we have secured several for military supplies.
The most difficult part of operating an army is transporting food and supplies.
Food is essential for living beings.
The Ogre Tribe, while not particularly discerning in their tastes, tends to place importance on meals and alcohol.
If we’re stingy here, they might resort to plundering in the field.
Especially alcohol.
I want to reprimand them for drinking alcohol during work, but even when Ogres drink, they perform at the same level as when sober, so they end up drinking it like a sports drink.
That’s why Magic Bags, which can transport liquids, are extremely important.
Magically expanded carriages are also available, but they are even more expensive than Magic Bags and are few in number.
There are few people who can create them, and the materials are rare.
Therefore, securing a large number of them is particularly difficult.
These carriages, which appear to be six-seaters, have cheat-like performance that can transport more than ten times the number of people, so every army secures them.
We will use these to carry out a lightning operation to strike the source of the drug.
“Establish a surveillance network to prevent this drug from entering this territory, and allocate personnel for investigating the location. It’s acceptable for construction to be slightly delayed. This is more important. I suspect this drug is not being distributed for free. It’s possible that subsequent distributions will be paid, becoming a source of funds for the national treasury.”
Since becoming involved in the phenomenon of war, I have learned of increasingly dark events.
Although I feel anger at such things, I have learned not to let my aversion dictate my actions.
If I had the unyielding core like the instructor, it would be a different story, but in my mind, alongside aversion and indignation, reason also exists.
This incident can be exploited.
And in a sense, I recognize this as a favorable turn of events.
Drugs, to a greater or lesser extent, evoke aversion.
Even if it is something bestowed by God, the consequences it causes are proof.
“Also, spread information about this to the Empire as a rumor.”
“To the Empire?”
A country that can accept the outcome as the will of God will not see it as a major problem.
However, the country leading this great war does not approve of that God.
It is common sense to consider whether they would tolerate such unreasonable conscription.
“Ah, the current leading force of the allied army is the Empire. I don’t think the higher-ups are unaware of this information, but I doubt it has reached the lower ranks. They would likely impose information control to avoid discord among friendly forces. Otherwise, their large structure would have to be dismantled in the air. That is something they will absolutely avoid.”
They might tacitly approve and impose a gag order, dividing the army and minimizing damage.
Unlike the Demon Lord’s Army, which is unified as one nation, a multinational coalition will suffer damage in a way that exposes its flaws.
“So, by spreading the information, you intend to undermine them from within?”
“Yes, if they see a creepy group controlling people with drugs and charging into the enemy while chanting God’s name, the soldiers will suddenly know the rumors are true. The effect of that, well, I don’t want to experience it myself.”
Even a double-edged sword is troublesome if the side wielding it is dull and the side facing them is sharp.
It’s questionable whether we can win even with such an obvious tactic.
“…No, is there some other objective?”
Is there some other intention hidden aside from buying time?
It’s a move as if they expect us to notice. No, if they’re securing soldiers with drugs, they can’t hide it.
Even assuming they’ve rounded up all the young, able-bodied workers and there’s no one left, they’re not thinking about the future.
If they win, multiple countries in Isal will be destroyed.
Is there any prospect of a return from doing that? Or is there a reason why they must settle this here?
“Jiro-san?”
I catch myself stopping my actions and getting lost in thought. Suella speaks to me, but I apologize inwardly and ask for a moment to think with a gesture of my hand.
“…”
I apologize for not being able to answer, but she nods and quietly stands there waiting.
In that silent space, let your thoughts run. Think.
Think about the reason why the other party would deploy a strategy that seems to have only risks.
In the first blow, the other side suffered damage, but not enough to prevent them from recovering.
Regions where the working population has decreased and poverty has spread are expanding, but it’s no exaggeration to say that the main army is still intact.
In such a situation, why increase the number of soldiers?
What they need now is not rank-and-file soldiers, but generals, from the opponent’s perspective.
They should prioritize quality over quantity.
“…Could it be that the drug is to compensate for that quality?”
I press my forehead with my hand and, as I think, arrive at one possibility.
“Suella.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Is there a drug that can temporarily, yes, if it’s for several months, or perhaps even shorter, like one month, significantly increase one’s abilities?”
Where unpleasant speculation overlaps with unpleasant imagination.
I initially considered the possibility that they would use desperate soldiers to chip away at our forces.
However, the instructor’s involvement can address that.
And by spreading information, we can also provoke infighting.
It all seems too easy.
That’s why I suspect there’s something more.
“I don’t know if such a thing exists.”
Suella shakes her head, saying she doesn’t know.
That’s true. If by just taking medicine one could become stronger, even temporarily, why not produce a large quantity of it and give it to the soldiers?
“I see. In that case, it seems my worries were unfounded for nothing… Suella?”
“However.”
If my guess was wrong, I would have thought no further. But upon hearing me, Suella dredged up a memory and mentioned something she was familiar with.
“It is a legendary tale, but if one looks through historical records, there are instances where past Demon Lords succeeded in their invasion to the verge of conquering Isal. However, in the end, the Demon Lord was defeated and forced to retreat by a party consisting of a Hero, an Apostle of God, and a Seraph. The Hero at that time was exceptionally short-lived. It is recorded that they fought without regard for their own lives to vanquish the Demon Lord, and eventually died peacefully from exhaustion. And I also heard that the Hero was from a humble farming family.”
A legend that seems to confirm my prediction, which I earnestly hoped would not come true.
“The information gathered is based on the legends of Isal, so it’s almost certainly correct. And those legends of the Hero begin with the tale of a kind-hearted young man who had wielded a hoe but never a sword. And it is said that this young man gained power by drinking a drop from the Holy Grail bestowed by God’s blessing and defeated the Demon Lord.”
“Bingo, bingo, bingo.”
And while it didn’t happen in reality, I know of another way to temporarily burn one’s life to gain immense power.
One can gain power by drinking the drop.
Ridiculous. If such a thing were possible, we wouldn’t be struggling.
“Do you think the current drug is that drop mentioned in the legend, Jiro-san?”
“Or perhaps they are searching for people who have the constitution to drink that drop. The worst-case scenario, in my prediction, is that in the process of searching for suitable individuals through aptitude tests, they are conscripting those who are not suitable as soldiers, buying time, and aiming to create a hero’s army with those who are adaptable.”
However, if there is a God who can make such a ridiculous thing happen, it’s a different story.
Ah, ah, so that’s how it is.
That’s why, back then, Amelia’s classmates were summoned all at once.
“Damn, this is sickening.”
I hate it when my unpleasant premonitions feel so gloomy.
Today’s word:
Communicate swiftly.
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