Clash
As soon as the Demon King's army arrived, the United Front forces launched a full-scale attack. The right-wing army led by the Izrim Magic Kingdom attacked the eastern fortress, and the left-wing army of the Lemberg Empire attacked the western fortress. The army of the Luine Kingdom in the center also moved forward to support both wings.
The Demon King's army was standing by in the rear of the left-wing, waiting for the Nord army to attack. No matter how strong the Nord army was, the United Front should be able to overwhelm them in a siege battle holed up in a hastily constructed fortress. In reality, however, the United Front was suddenly stopped from launching an attack.
Stones were raining down on the heads of the United Front forces. The stones were released by trebuchet from both the eastern fortress and the western fortress. Each stone was as big as a man's head, and those who were hit directly were not left with nothing, many of them falling to the ground.
The United Front troops, who had suffered heavy casualties in the initial attack, continued to march forward with their shields up to block the stones. When they did so, the Northern Alliance's attack now began to concentrate on the left-wing forces.
Although they tried to defend themselves with their shields, stones came at them from both the front and the right side. Ordinary shields could not protect them from both directions, and the left-wing forces suffered more casualties.
When the left-wing stopped advancing, the attack was directed toward the right wing. The same was true for the right wing. They were attacked from two directions, from the front, and from the left, and the number of casualties increased.
When the right-wing army also stopped, the attack was now directed toward the center. The United Front was not only in a full-scale attack, but in a disorganized state. The first attack was abandoned.
"Was it the inside of the fortress, not the perimeter, that should have been examined?"
These were the first words of King Luine when the war council began.
"Did you not grasp it?"
"Yeah"
"......You kept it a secret even from your own allies?"
There are traitors in the Northern Alliance. Heinz already knows that. That's what he meant by not getting information from that traitor.
"There's probably a Nord army in the east as well. Without that, they wouldn't have been able to attack so skillfully."
"Certainly."
"The question is, how much stockpile do they have? If possible, I hope they've used it all up."
"If we can shorten the distance a little more, I think we can silence the enemy with magic attacks."
"Is that really the case?"
General Burks of the Izrim Magic Kingdom, who hadn't made any remarks until now, intervened here.
"What do you mean?"
"I have some recollection of the earlier attack."
"What?"
"When we attacked the capital of the Othea Kingdom, we suffered a similar attack."
"Orthea… the country you destroyed."
"That's right"
"Did Orthea also have a large number of trebuchet?"
"Not only the trebuchet, but also the arrows. The number of arrows flying at once was astonishing."
"I see."
"More important than that, the magic barrier in Orthea' royal capital was comparable to, or even surpassing, our country's."
"What did you say!?"
The people around him were all astonished at this. The Lemberg Empire, as well as the Luine Kingdom, are not as good as the Izrim Magic Kingdom when it comes to magic. It is hard to believe that Orthea, a small country, possessed defensive magic comparable to that of the Izrim Magic Kingdom.
"It’s frustrating, but it’s true. I know best the greatness of the magic barrier of the Royal Capital of Orthea."
Furthermore, there is no doubt that Tenniel, the Mage Commander, has approved it. This man cannot lie when it comes to magic. Everyone knew it somehow.
"...Was it originally a Nord magic?"
"That's right. If that's the case, I can understand it. If it's demon's magic, it can't be helped that it's superior to our country."
"If it's the same magic, how long will it take to break it?"
"I have no idea"
"Even Tenniel Mage Division Commander?"
"It's frustrating"
"I will destroy it immediately."
The next person to interrupt the conversation was Mei. Mei could not remain silent when it came to the subject of magic.
"That's impossible"
"What's that?"
"Do you think that the magic barrier is the only defense? If that's the case, Mei-dono is disqualified as a Mage Commander, even though your personal magic is excellent."
"Disqualified? Can you please stop talking nonsense?"
Wrinkles were carved between Mei's eyebrows in response to Tenniel's harsh words. The person in question did a good job of holding back from yelling at him.
Towards Mei who was glaring at her, Commander Tenniel continued speaking without hesitation. This man is not the type to care about other people's moods.
"The operation of magic is not considered at all. You can't command the Mage Order."
"Operation?"
"You can't even understand unless I explain everything. Who is in the Nord army?"
"……Ah"
Having said that much, Mei finally understood. That the Nord army has Shizuku.
"The Nord army has a saint who possesses the absolute defense magic [Wings of Compassion]. Moreover, isn't the amount of magic of the saint not inferior to that of Mei-dono?"
Tenniel, as the head of the Magic Division, is saying this in a very reserved manner. In terms of the skills possessed alone, Shizuku also has the same magic correction as Mei. It is possible that they are well in line.
"The continuous use of magic barrier and Shizuru's magic."
"It seems that she calls herself Shizuku now."
"...Whichever is fine"
"I call her Saint because it is troublesome. I can't answer that question unless I know the magic of the saint."
"Yes. That's right."
In fact, Mei doesn't know the extent of Shizuku's [Wings of Compassion]. However, it is unthinkable that Shizuku's magic is inferior to Kazuki's in terms of blessings. Mei's attack magic was completely blocked by Kazuki's magic, which should have been inferior. Mei also had no choice but to admit to Tenniel's evaluation.
In this place, the two best mages acknowledged the difficulty of attacking. Realizing the difficulty of the upcoming battle, the atmosphere of the war council becomes even darker.
"Nonsense."
A voice interrupted them unexpectedly. Many eyes turned toward the voice, and the atmosphere at that moment suddenly turned tense.
Standing at the entrance of the tent was a silver-haired man dressed in a black knight's outfit and a black cloak. A man of unknown gender with a beautiful, somewhat doll-like face was standing there.
Although he looked like a woman, people recognized him as a man because of the atmosphere he wore.
The people were overwhelmed by the aura that the man emitted.
"......Who are you?"
If there was anyone who could oppose the man's aura in this place, it was King Luine.
"Demon King."
"Hmm. You."
"Are you King Luine?"
"Ah, yes. King Lance Gordon Luine."
"Demon King Sed Vlad Drunkel."
Although the two had introduced themselves, the atmosphere was not very friendly. King Luine is exuding an air of supremacy that is almost as strong as that of the Demon King.
A clash of supreme aura. It is an unbearable situation for those who are caught in the middle of it.
"...What do you want?"
It was King Luine who broke the silence first. King Luine did not intend to win or lose in such matters. It was enough for him to keep the rivalry alive to the extent that he would not be underestimated.
"…It was a very pathetic way of fighting."
"Unfortunately, I cannot argue against that."
"With that state, no matter how much time passes, it's unlikely that you'll be able to draw him out."
"So?"
"We can't leave it to the humans. We will attack."
"Well. Can you say that after seeing the attack of the enemy?"
"It's strange to be confused by an attack of that level."
"Is that what you mean? Can I believe those words?"
"It doesn't matter if you believe it or not. That attack doesn't work on us. The magic barrier is the same."
"...I see. Then, let me see if those words are true."
It doesn't matter to King Luine whether the Demon King's words are true.
If they can fight, there is nothing to be thankful for. If possible, it would be even better if the Nord army and the Demon King army crushed each other.
"Hmph. You talk big. But that's fine. You will be reminded of the strength of the demons."
"Then I'll leave it to you."
"Yes. You'll see."
With an exaggerated brushing of his cloak and a turn of his back, the Demon King left the tent. Once the Demon King was out of sight, an atmosphere of relief settled over the place. Even though most of the people knew they were on their side, there was still some resistance to being in the same room with the Demon King.
"...Is it as expected?"
"No. I never thought that the Demon King himself would show up."
"I see. It seems that even if it happened as it did, it turned out well."
"Yes. But..."
"Was the power of the demons greater than you had imagined?"
"I can't judge it unless I actually see it. However, the Demon King seems to have confidence."
"Yes"
I heard that there are a thousand demons brought by the Demon King. With that number, the 200,000 United Front troops were to defeat an enemy that they had failed to finish. It was a surprise not only to the King of Luine, but also to the people here.
Didn't they underestimate the demons led by the Demon King too much? Some people feel that way. King Luine and Heinz are among them.
◇◇◇
Concerns about the strength of the Demon King's army. It became a reality in a different sense from what they had initially thought.
There is no doubt that they underestimated it. However, it was not the strength of the individual demons, but their mobilization power. The Demon King led a thousand demons. However, it was not a thousand that appeared on the battlefield.
The United Front forces had retreated from the front line and were forming a line of battle. What appeared on the empty battlefield was a swarm of demons that appeared out of nowhere. Goblins, orcs, and other humanoid monsters were gathering one after another, and their number easily exceeded 30,000.
The sound of their cries, which were different from those of beasts, echoed across the battlefield. For the United Front forces watching from the rear, it was nothing but discomfort. In the main camp, which was moved forward to watch the battle of the Demon King's army, King Luine and the other people had clouded expressions on their faces.
"I heard you said a thousand?"
"It is a thousand."
The one who answered King Luine's question was Baat, who was in the main camp as the representative of the demons.
"But there are 30,000 troops in front of us."
"...What? You can't even tell the difference between demons and low-level monsters."
"Monsters... they're certainly called monsters."
For humans, monsters are a derogatory term for demons. For King Luine, he thought he would call them demons out of consideration, but...
"Humans' knowledge is not good. Goblins and orcs are not demons."
"Is it a matter of intelligence?"
"No. Orcs are still only interested in eating and breeding, such as goblins. That's the opposite nature of demons."
Goblins act in such a way that it is safe to say that they are only interested in satisfying their appetites and increasing their race. They are less intelligent and not so strong individually, but they are a troublesome opponent that aggressively attacks humans for the sake of those two desires. The most troublesome is the fact that goblins are able to procreate with human females. The tragedy of a village attacked by a goblin horde is too terrible to even speak of.
"Fumu."
"They are an existence close to humans. It's the result of a human affected by evil demons."
"...No way?"
"Well, it doesn't matter."
The information is astonishing to the people of the human race, but it is of no importance to Baat, a demon, who is the one who spoke it. He kept his mouth shut without giving a detailed explanation.
"...Where did those monsters come from?"
King Luine didn't pursue it either. King Luine, who remembered the nature of the goblin in Baat's words, had something more to worry about.
"Where did they come from… from various places?"
"What about your rations?"
"I don't know?"
"...No way, on the way"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean..."
The fact that you don't know means that the demon army has not arranged for any food. Thinking of the misfortunes of the towns and villages that were on the way of the 30,000 demons, King Luine's spirits fell at once. He had thought he was prepared for notoriety, but this situation did not seem to be a matter of personal infamy.
"Now, it's finally starting."
Baat, showing no concern for King Luine's words, sounded buoyant.
As Baat said, the monsters began to move. The movement was merely toward the fort in a disorderly manner.
Stones rained down on the head of the attacking monster. Many monsters fall to the ground after receiving a direct hit. The situation is similar to that of the United Front.
However, what is different from the United Front army is that the hordes of monsters are pushing forward toward the fort without any concern for how many of their comrades will fall or how many stones will shake them.
They are 30,000 monsters. There was no way they would be defeated with trebuchet and arrows. They were getting closer and closer to the fort, with a lot of casualties.
"That was too much sacrifice."
Seeing the way they fought, King Luine muttered a little. he thought they were sacrificing monsters to exhaust them.
"What does it matter? Those things will attack, even if they are the last ones left."
"...I see."
A fighting style that no human can imitate. In fact, there is no doubt that they will reach the fort without being the last one. And even if the survivors are half as many as 20,000, and even if they are one-third as many as 10,000. If they reach the walls of the fort, it will be a troublesome situation for the defenders.
Knowing this, there was only one course of action.
"There it is."
The gates of the Nord fortress opened, and from within, cavalrymen came running out. It was not only the western fortress. Almost the same number of cavalrymen also marched out from the eastern fortress. The cavalry, each with about 5,000 cavalrymen, cut their way into the hordes of monsters attacking the fortress.
"……Fumu."
Baat looked a little unhappy, even though he had drawn out the Nord army as planned.
"The number of troops in both units was about 10,000. Either they had reinforcements, or it was cavalry from another country."
King Luine thought that Baat's confusion was due to the increase in the number of Nord troops, but he was wrong.
"Is that the entire Nord army?"
"I think so."
"……Really?"
"Even if you ask me, I can't say for sure. All I can say is that the Nord army, which was originally 5,000, has doubled."
"Fumu"
"...What are you worried about?"
"There are no demons."
"What?"
"Not at all. It's the princess running behind the Nord Emperor. It's a problem."
"What are you saying?"
"There is only one demon, the princess. The rest are human. Well, for the humans, there seem to be a number of people who are not normal."
"...Are the demons really not participating?"
"There's no way I would mistake a demon for a human."
"I see……"
If what Baat is saying is true, it would be a big miscalculation for King Luine. The Nord army's unusual strength was thought to be the strength of the demons. If it is not so, but due to the training of the human army, then it is a threat.
That is still good. The problem is that their army would lose its cause to fight together with the demons. Since the Nord army has allowed the demons to participate in the war, they have welcomed the demons who are friendly to the humans as allies as a counterbalance to the Nord army. Ostensibly, this is what is happening.
"It's fairly strong, but there's a slight difference between the two units. After all, the unit led by the Nord Emperor is strong."
It seems that Baat also has a good sense of not putting likes and dislikes into the evaluation of ability. The cavalry, led by Ren, runs freely across the battlefield. From a distance, you can clearly see the difference in movement from the cavalry that sortied from the eastern fortress.
"W-why... with that..."
He heard a voice muttering in a trembling voice from behind him.
The man who muttered it was the sorcerer. It seems that it is not only his voice that is trembling, and he is trying to suppress the trembling in his body with his arms.
"What's wrong?"
"What... is that..."
King Luine asked him about it, but the answer he received was not clear.
"What's the matter with you? I told you so. It would be a fool to lay a hand on His Majesty the Nord Emperor."
Towards the trembling sorcerer, the necromancer standing next to him complained in amazement.
However, King Luine did not overlook the fact that the necromancer's body was also trembling slightly.
"What do you mean? Explain it so that we can understand."
"You won't understand even if I explain it with my mouth"
"If you don't explain it, I won't understand more."
"...I can see His Majesty the Nord Emperor dragging a thousand spirits with him."
"The curse, huh?"
"Exactly. I'm surprised he's still alive after being possessed by so many spirits. Let alone fight."
"……I see."
As the necromancer said, the explanation did not make sense to King Luine. King Luine could only see Ren leading a cavalry unit and wielding a sword.
"So what? Cursed or not, the Nord Emperor is about to die."
"What?"
"The Demon King has arrived. It's time."
A group of people on foot ran straight toward the cavalry led by Ren. The speed of the group was no different from that of the cavalry.
Behind them, followed by a group of giants that made you wonder how they had been hiding until now.
"...It seems that there are various demons out there."
"The bull-headed, human-bodied demons are the Alishion tribe. Running behind them are the demons on the Giant Tribe. All of them are excellent in combat, and they are called the elite."
"I see."
"Your reaction is dull. Then, how about saying this? Among them are the killers of the labyrinth."
"What did you say?"
"The Alishion tribe is a demon tribe that lives in the deep caves to the west of the Luine Kingdom. They were feared in the Luine Kingdom."
"Did they really exist?"
It is true that King Luine also knows about the demons known as the killers of the labyrinth. However, the basic policy of humans is to stay out of the way of strong demons unless they are harmful. Normally, they have not defeated demons for generations, and this was the case even in King Luine's generation.
Many of the demons with two names have become semi-legend.
"...I really don't like the reaction. That's fine. Now, let's remind everyone of the terror of the demons in this battle. Watch the battle carefully."
Even without being told by Baat, no one thinks to look away from the battle. How will the Nord army fight against the demons? Everyone was staring at the battlefield with strong interest.
The Nord army has noticed the approach of the Demon King's army, and has already stopped attacking the monsters and arranged their formation.
The Nord army and the Demon King army were about to clash.
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