144 [3-1] 3,000 character theater. (2/2)

It's the Temple Knights who are carrying the banner with only the holy seal, right?　I'd say there were about five thousand of them.

I don't know if there are that many Temple Knights in the headquarters. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

I'm not sure if the Temple Knights will be that much of a presence at the headquarters.

It seems that the story of the battle that took out Noa Curio's supply troops has been passed down.

I don't know if Noahcurio told them or if Diretta overheard it on her own.

”That's tough. Even if you can't get all of them to have accessories, if there are a certain number of sacred magic users left, the charm will be broken.

The number of adventurers and mercenaries is a little less. I think there were about a thousand in total.

Hmm. The Direttas and the Temple Knights would have the advantage in a battle against the undead, so they decided that adding more meat shields would only make them material for the undead. ......

The problem is the breakdown. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

”Whoa, whoa, Diretta. Are you sure this is profitable?

The scribe, a skeleton, writes Tracy's report on the chalkboard one after another.

Evelisse was holding her head in her hands, ruffling her obscene purple hair.

”'The Shiro Axe Brigade'?

”It's a famous mercenary group that operates around Diretta.

They have a reputation for being greedy with money, but one man can do the work of five soldiers.

Rene's question was answered by Tracy.

The difference between a mercenary and an adventurer is a bit vague, but generally speaking, a mercenary is someone who fights against people or armies. Since small customers hire adventurers, mercenaries inevitably seek out large customers and become a large group.

Those who do not belong to the adventurer's guild and accept adventurer-like requests sometimes call themselves ”free mercenaries,” but sooner or later these people will be noticed by the adventurer's guild, and they will face less-than-pleasant consequences.

In the case of a battle between two small countries, the winner could be determined by who has the stronger mercenary group.

A famous mercenary group is more of a threat than an army.

So, ...... to the point, Tracy. How many Moon Eaters were there?

”Hmm, I went a little deeper to determine the number. Compliment, compliment.

Evelisse says, and Tracy responds, ”That's 23 fighters.

”Twenty-three combatants. Twenty-three of them are 'Sai-sha'?　I don't know.　I'm sure you've heard of them.

Silence filled the conference room.

Only the sound of the scribe's skeleton's merciless chalk echoed in the room like the needle of a time bomb.

”Tell me your analysis, Everis. Can you ...... win?

”Well, ...... you can't. They're not careless and they're not arrogant. It's like they've come out with a lineup that can destroy us three times over.

It's just that they've come out with a lineup that can destroy us three times over,” Everis asserted with a hint of regret.

I'm not sure what to say. If we were to go head to head with our current strength, ten Moon Eater fighters would be enough to annihilate us. If there are twice that many, there is a limit to how much you can fool them. As long as they're a powerful individual force, they can't be manipulated by the military.

Moreover, they will not come alone. They will probably come as part of a powerful army, aiming at the princesses, Udanosuke, and others who are too strong to be controlled by numbers.

If that happens, there's no way to stop the enemy army.

Rene did not have any particular material to refute Everis' analysis.

They are overwhelmingly inferior in both numbers and quality of troops. In the event of a siege, an undead army with no regard for morale or supply will have an advantage, but if the opponent has an overwhelming number of soldiers and siege weapons, they will eventually be pushed out.

The number of airborne cavalry is also too different. If you lose the air battle, you will be exposed to constant attacks from above, and the siege itself will become difficult.

Even more alarming is the ”Moon Eaters”. Rene himself knows firsthand the horror of the Moon Eater's inner workings, the Stigma of Battle. You can't expect to be able to take on that many people at once, no matter how much Rene has tried to strengthen himself.

He will lose in a military-to-military battle, and he will lose in an elite to elite battle. That means...

”Princess, I would like to make a suggestion to fulfill my responsibility as your chief of staff.

”Don't tell everyone, Everis. I know.

”Don't tell the others, Everith. I know.” Rene interrupted Everith and made a decision.

”The exiled nation of Ciel-Teira abandons its capital city of Teiralea.