Chapter 16 - Volume 2 (1/2)
“Adjutant Are there no more reports from the reconnaissance team?”
“There are none Our front is coeneral”
My adjutant responded with a delighted face
It wasn’t only my adjutant The soldiers around me were all cheerful as well Soon after, our forces safely arrived at Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle
Initially, ere constantly cautious of our surroundings
It was because after the hilly area, a vast forest was spread before us
Contrary to hills, ambushes were more than possible within a forest You could not eliminate the chances of an enemy ambush To send out a small unit on purpose to be defeated, and then to ai careless…… In simpler terms, a standard deception tactic Even if this was a thousand to one chance, I was not going to overlook the possibility of an ambush
“Indeed, it seems the entirety of Dantalian’s military forces iped out yesterday”
“Yes Although I was doubtful at first, it appears it was a pointless worry”
After passing through the forest, a fairly massive rocky ht was a barren etation was unable to grow on Deical energy that emitted from them It was certain that the mountain before us was Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle
“Our scouts found the entrance to the cave”
“Mm, proceed with the plan”
As we had previously arranged, a detached force entered the cave It was a procedure to confirm whether if there were truly black herbs piled up inside the castle
It was fine if there were actually no herbs This was nothing more than action taken to show toby idly If there were herbs then it was good fortune, if there weren’t then it wasn’t a big deal It was at that level
3 hours later, the detached troops ended their search and returned My adjutant gave me the report with an excited voice
“General, they say that they’ve discovered 6 wagons worth of black herbs!”
“What!?”
It was a surprising result
In utter disbelief, I stood up and walked forward, and sure enough, the detached troops were transporting the black herbs while rejoicing Seeing the detached troops, all 1,500 of my soldiers cheered It felt like it had beco sold for over 10 gold a piece in the eion and old Before I knew it, ape
“Dear Lord God Hades……”
How ons worth of herbs cost? In total, there were probably around 7,000 plants 70,000 gold…… The budget processed by the ile year was about 500,000 gold Thus et required to reatest of success, your lordshi+p!”
My adjutant shouted fervently
“Now the territory of Rosenberg will survive No, it isn’t on the level of just living! The people will venerate your lordshi+p as a saint blessed by the Goddesses!”
“That is so We can save all offrom this ht
How many of my subjects were in pain How many people sent their prayers up to the Goddesses, and how many times did the Goddesses cruelly return to therandchildren died from this illness One of them was a child as only 6-years-old……
My chest throbbed at the randchild’s blackened corpse At that ti in pain A little bit more, if I had invaded this place a little sooner, then hter wouldn’t have had to lose her child……
“Your lordshi+p, what do youall of the citizens?”
My adjutant questioned
“Surely we should sell the this supply to the reat praise from all of your subjects”
“No We shall provide the herb for all of those who are ill for free”
I declared this after lettingfrom my adjutant, all of my company commanders as well looked at me with shocked expressions on their faces
“That’s unthinkable!”
“Good fortune has fallen uponthis expedition The first wasfortunately adjacent to Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle The second was that ere able to divide and conquer the enemy troops before they were able to join forces”
The fact that ere able to obtain the spoils of war today was solely because the Goddess had allowed us to You should not forget that
“If the Goddess has bestowed upon me fortune, then lory froentlemen?”
“……”
My adjutant and colanced at one another
Moments later, my adjutant earnestly lowered one knee and knelt down before iance to your lordshi+p”
The company commanders lowered their heads one by one This wasn’t siesture done by soldiers to show politeness to their sovereign Unrelated to a contractual relationshi+p, this was a sign of respect betarriors I personally raised each and every one of them to stand properly
“Tell this to the rest of our soldiers That every single military personnel here will equally be distributed a herb, and that once we return to our land, I shall treat everyone to pork and beer”
“Understood!”
If a noble such as ift theratitude ords
Words that drifted in ehtest wind could topple it down Loyalty came from money There was no reason to be ashamed to ads, your lordshi+p”
“Mm Do that”
“Yes Transport the barrels!”
The soldiers carefully carried the powder kegs froer of these exploding while being es stuck to them and kept a close eye It was obvious If an accidental explosion were to occur, ould all be dead Even the sence was not allowed
Thethe powder kegs They could have been utilized as Aerial Mage Forces, but thankfully there wasn’t a battle fierce enough that required for them to be sent out
(TL note: I made a mistake in the translation “Aerial Dee Forces” Dees In other words, Aerial Mage Forces, were an incredibly valuable th Only they could dominate the skies It was fortunate that we didn’t lose even a single e in this expedition Truly There were many luxuries that could be considered as fortunate……
“Your lordshi+p, we have placed all the powder kegs within the cave”
“Good Detonate thehest priority”
“Yes! Detonate the explosives!”
The es aimed at the cave entrance and shot a fire eleic spells was 50 meters The fireballs flew a reasonable distance away and exploded within the cave
Booooooom—
The loud sound of a blast reverberated and shook the rocky mountain
Gunpowderwith those, the barrel contained lu to use in an actual battle, it was useful in bringing down eneholds like this
Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle ca down an entire mountain, so merely the cave entrance had collapsed I was still satisfied with just that
My adjutant let out athe spectacle of the foot of a ”
It was indeed so It was an expedition that was perfect fro to end
Now it should be impossible for Demon Lord Dantalian to make a comeback Not only did he lose all of his troops, but he had lost his stronghold as well Margrave of Rosenberg’s securityele It was obvious that humans would be hostile towards demons Obediently accept your defeat, oh weak Demon Lord
“All troops! Let us return holers, in the excess ofthe refreshi+ng usto Since the as also blowing coolly, it was perfect
Was that it Was it already autumn……
The leaves turned red and the farmers stepped out onto the fields It was the season where all beings harvested their own lives
Indeed, h battlefields and arenas for more than 50 years was the same
I wished to fall in a battlefield
I wished to be laid to rest with the other warriors
But……
‘Thank you, Your Grace Oh Great Gods To allow this unworthybehind for his people within his lifetiave a prayer to the Gods withinmy land, was I then allowed to slowly close my eyes If that was my fate, then that too was not bad Indeed, it was not bad
It would be leaving behind hope for the new age and the new generation
Was it not a reiven to an old man?
“General! The reconnaissance tea hoould split the inheritance to ave a report His voice was rather high For some reason, a perplexed complexion had taken over his face The reconnaissance teaently at this point
“What is it?”
“Enemy forces have appeared! Enemy troops have been spotted up ahead!”
Atair became cold I could sense that the soldiers around us were surprised and staring at the adjutant
I too was shocked, but I had deliberately maintained a calm face If the commander shook with anxiety, then that anxiety would instantly spread to all of the troops In other words, it was a diseasethan the Black Death
Me of ambience was required here
“Be calotten? Our war does not end until we return ho as the battle is not over, the enemy can appear from anywhere! This is obvious What reason is there to start a coies”
Once my adjutant lowered his head, the troops that were about to be unsettled quickly held their breath My adjutant had received the scolding in the other soldiers’ stead This as well, was an adjutant’s crucial role
“Give the report in more details Tell me where the eneth”
“Yes, general The enemy forces are stationed on the hill area, which our troops had passed through yesterday Their numbers reach approximately 3,000!”
“……!”
I was barely able to restrainof blood being drained out of ulfed me The reason why I was able to maintain my composure was solely because I had spent my entire life in battlefields and arenas If I did not have these experiences, then I would have most likely screamed in an unseemly manner
“Did you say 3,000 just now?”
However, I was unable to coency in my voice The mood was bad I could feel the dismay of the soldiers around me I could even see the pale face of a company commander……
“Yes The reconnaissance team had clearly reported that it was 3,000”
Be composed
There was always the chance that the report rong
I had gone through so out the fact that the enehout the whole night, had a th 3 times smaller than our own, all tension in my chest had disappeared A human’s five senses were not always accurate It was still too soon to fall into panic
“Mive an order to all of the troops”
I n a composed attitude These soldiers had no other choice but to live their life looking up to , it was possible to erase anxiety with a coet out of these woods as fast as possible Allin eneral! All soldiers! Advance at maximum speed! Advance forward at h the forest Two hours later, our troops arrived at the hill region and witnessed a sight that was utterly unbelievable On the other side of the hill, there truly were a rank of around 3,000 ene for our arrival
“General……”
My adjutant looked at th was approximately 1,400 Compared to the other side, ere smaller by 2 times Which side would as obvious It was clear for the company commanders, and it was evident for the soldiers as well……
Pull yourself together, Georg Being able to feign ignorance even in this sort of situation is what a commander is They must act as if they do not know the truth which everyone else clearly knows Of course, it was a distressful role But that was the only way I could take responsibility
“Adjutant Why do you think the enemy forces have appeared there?”
“Pardon?”
“If they had the th of 3,000 soldiers, then it would only be appropriate for them to have appeared sooner They had plenty of opportunities to wipe us out However, the eneed and destroyed their stronghold No e of troops”
“That…… is true, general”
“All forces heedmy neck
All of the soldiers turned to look at me at once This moment was important This was the only opportunity I had to prevent their fighting spirit fro move on this
“Those enemy soldiers before us have just now arrived on this battlefield! They desired to block us, but ere a step ahead We had succeeded in bringing down their stronghold!”
It didn’t or into oal……
“Rather, return to thehter instead We have succeeded and they have failed And above all, we have had sufficient rest so our stamina is firm But since they have only now arrived on this battlefield, they are still tired! If we attack now then victory will be within our grasp!”
The soldiers stirred for a moment before eventually, their expressions started to beco spirit was returning to their eyes Let us go, my northern soldiers The people await our return!
“Kick those stubby dwarf bastards on their rears! Beat their buttocks and abuse thes whenShould us humans not kindly teach those livestock what true men are!?”
The soldiers responded with a roar Instead of so justifications, it was more effective at times to plainly hurl abuses at the eneor
“Blow the horns of Folles!”
Buuuuuu—
h the vast hills It was the noise that syo That was so The people of our land had won through 700 long years of history and were now here We will not be defeated easily
“All cavalry, charge!”
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▯Weakest Demon Lord, Rank 71st, Dantalian
Empire Calendar: Year 1505, Month 9, Day 17
Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle vicinity
5 minutes had passed since the start of the battle
Although temporary, the current situation of the battle was neck and neck The spirit of the enemy soldiers was rather i else that was a bit more impressive It was Laura De Farnese’s current condition
“Miss Farnese, are you okay?”
“I’ lady”
“But you’re sweating quite a lot……”
Laura De Farnese has been sweating a treo I orried that she was nervous, but thankfully that wasn’t the case It was a type of head heat According to her, ‘This always happens when this young lady strains her brain’, is what she told ih”
“A foolish choice It would have been better if they had atteh they would suffer losses during the chase, at least 30 percent of therinned
Her ses of herAnd yet, somehow it felt like that smile expressed Laura De Farnese
“But the ene to do, they engaged in battle Do you know the reason behind this, lord?”
“Probably because of the black herb”
“That is correct If they are able to return with the black herb, then they’ll be able to save their land It would even be possible to receive praise from the people The enemy forces are so ensnared in this delusion that they are unable to abandon their wagons”
When before a te bait, a fish could by all means run away at any time, but they latched onto it anyway
Was this not quite the splendid ability?
Miss Farnese had used the fantasy known as the black herbs as a way to pressure the enemy into combat The enemy forces most likely did not even realize that they were fooled They had literally beco with theh up to here is remarkable, the enemy forces’ morale can not be trifled with How do you plan to deal with this situation?”
“Sih is because they are on the offensive But this young lady is rather egocentric This young lady cannot allow thee”
Miss Farnese gripped the clay doll in her hand
“—I shall slowly pressure them into a distressful role”
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▯The Northern Guardian, Margrave of Rosenberg, Georg von Rosenberg
Empire Calendar: Year 1505, Month 9, Day 17
Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle vicinity
“General! The eneazed at the other wing of the battlefield My adjutant was right A unit of the ene a roundabout way around the hill and approaching us I made a bitter face
“Another foolish tactic…… If they had more cavalry in their reserve forces, then it would only be appropriate to have made them participate in the battle i like a flank assault?”
There was no doubt that the eneinner in tactics
Currently, a fierce battle between our and the ene poere considerably balanced
If the enemy were to utilize their reserve forces in this situation, then ten to one ould lose Our mounted troops would be annihilated, followed by our infantry Our forces would be utterly defeated Despite that, their commander had foolishly chosen to use their reserve troops like a detached force
“M the flow of battle……?”
In rateful If their forces rushed our flanks, then all we had to do wasour spears would be enough to keep their cavalry at bay
Although it was still going to be a tense battle, it was fine Victory was still within our grasp We had the ability to come out victorious The Goddesses have not abandoned us!
“Infantry co Ready your spears and spread an anti-cavalry wall Show those men of reckless valor hell and……”
At thatcaons The wagons loaded to the bri for that!? Were theythe battle immediately?
The eneeous to be obsessed with rabbed us by the ankle……
I strongly bit th to the right-wing”
“General, then our forces will be thin on both sides!”
My adjutant was startled
“The eneh Please reconsider!”
“Adjutant They are aions We cannot allow the herbs to be taken here”
“……!”
Those herbs were the future of our land The life of our children The hope to cure parents fro Like we’d let these be taken back so easily!
“Quickly now If the wagons are assaulted then everything will be over”
“Yes, general! As you conal was sent, our soldiers shi+fted their focus onto the right-wing With this, the enee the wagons Do not focus your eyes on so like loot and come at us fairly
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