Chapter 215 – The Northern Front 4 (1/2)

Due to the daily battles, part of the wall barrier was torn down, and the internal facilities were also in poor condition.

Additionally, due to the harsh cold climate, the physical strength of the soldiers had reached its limit.

Many wounded soldiers eventually died without being able to recover.

However, such an extreme condition completely reversed once Woohyuk arrived with his army.

He was a Hero King who defeated several Demon Kings and prevented a great catastrophe.

In addition, the fact that he was engaged to Emperor Eleonora was widely known throughout the lands, so everyone naturally viewed him as the next Emperor.

“Hero King, please save us from this hell!”

“Please burn Alice the Queen of Thorns and punish the Devil King Alliance!” begged the soldiers from all over the fortress camp.

Ibn Rusud, who saw this scene, stuck his tongue out at the exasperatedly stated,

“This is almost like fanatics who came to see their savior.”

“It means that he’s accomplished an amazing feat. Thanks to that, we’re also treated like VIPs,” Brynhildr replied while she looked around with a satisfied expression.

Inside the fortress was not only the imperial people but also the Elven races.

The fierce battles that often occurred in the other parts of the fortress consolidated the remaining people in this central area.

However, seeing that they were not working together in any meaningful way, there seemed to have been some conflict between the races.

“The Elves seem to have no power. Is it because of the epidemic that is spreading these days?”

“Perhaps that’s the case, Helena. Why don’t you go and check their condition?”

Helena was a Saintess so her healing powers were considerable.

Though, in the Lydia Kingdom, when making a cure for an infectious disease, she had unwittingly used amanita mushrooms, which had almost killed all the patients.

“Very well. If I can help, I’ll do it,” Helena stated while she stepped toward the Elves.

Woohyuk placed his other allies in a suitable place and went to the fortress’ commander’s office.

“The situation is very bad.”

“Honestly, it’s amazing that we’ve endured this much. If the supply line was cut off, we would have been wiped out.”

Hugo agreed with Woohyuk’s assessment that this was their limit.

He was considering leaving this fortress and withdrawing before he heard that Woohyuk was planning to come. With the Hero King, there was a sense of anticipation that something would become possible despite such difficulties.

“We need to repair the internal facilities first. I’ve heard that there’s a considerable number of enemy troops that come to the front at night,” stated Woohyuk.

Hugo respected Woohyuk’s judgment.

He was also very tired from the constant, ongoing battles.

There was no way to do anything about it as a Paladin leader.

“Which one of the Demon Kings is currently aiming for this fortress?”

“It is Paimon in terms of frequency. As it turns out, he’s also the one with the highest rank.”

“Paimon?”

He was the 9th ranked Demon King.

This was different from the prior information that the Demon King Alliance was made up of low-ranking Demon Kings.

However, Hugo nodded and pointed to the map on his desk.

“Since he only recently showed up, not many people know of Paimon’s existence. I guess it seems that the scale of the Demon King Alliance is gradually increasing as those who recently woke up are starting to join.”

“… So, that’s how it is.”

It seemed that Paimon thought it was dangerous to go around by himself when even Demon Kings with a much higher rank than himself were in danger.

While looking at the map, Woohyuk received a report about the history of the Demon King Alliance from Hugo.

“For now, you can see that there are six Demon Kings who are ranked above 50th, three in the ranks between 20th to 49th, and one inside the top 20. Furthermore, if we throw in Alice the Queen of Thorns here, the overall scale is huge.”

“A member of Lilith’s family and ten Demon Kings. Except for Paimon, it’s the same information I heard before coming here.”

As Hugo said, there were many enemies, but it wasn’t at a level that was insurmountable. Woohyuk was relatively confident because he already had seven Demon Kings and capable vassals on his side.

The main problem was that the enemy leaders weren’t appearing.

‘We need to make the Demon Kings gather together in one place.’

In this way, he could effectively utilize Black Demolition to subdue them altogether.

Woohyuk thought about this problem for a while and then took out the Lemegeton.

Saaaah~

Black energy leaked from Lemegeton and the seven Demon Kings appeared.

Hugo stepped back in surprise.

“Th-This, this is…”

“You must have heard the rumors already, right? I can have Demon Kings sealed using Lemegeton.”

Unlike before, Woohyuk was now able to show off his power in public with confidence.

Empress Eleonora and Pope Ignatius were on his side, so who would dare trouble him?

He no longer had to hide his identity and make excuses.

“Of course, Hero King… actually seeing it, I can’t help but put my trust in you. Actually, the rumors have been so vague and outlandish these days that I was half in belief and half dubious.”

“What rumors have you heard?”

“For starters, the Hero King is said to heal the blind and cure those suffering from incurable diseases…”

Hugo reported all the rumors he had heard.

After listening to his words, Woohyuk made a satisfied expression.

‘Once, my existence has definitely taken hold in the Eeth Continent people’s minds.’

Although his public reputation was temporary and unreliable, it had its own benefits.

For one, it made one less suspicious.

Thanks to this, he could now actively mobilize pseudo-gods, like Bailey and Hong Yuri.

Dantalion spoke while Woohyuk was imagining the fraudulent plans he hoped to implement soon,

“Master, I have a good idea.”

The sealed Demon Kings were trained to always call Woohyuk ‘Master’ when there were outsiders present.

Woohyuk nodded and allowed Dantalion’s request to speak,

“Speak.”

“It seems that Alice the Queen of Thorns has also been away from this battlefield due to the invasion of the Principality of Croix. Our strength alone is enough to deal with the Demon King Alliance.”

The fortress position could last several weeks even if only the additional troops brought this time were incorporated into the main forces.

Even if they weren’t totally successful in taking over an empty nest, their attacks should be enough to make the Demon King Alliance wary of their presence.

Hearing Dantalion’s suggestion, Woohyuk fell into thought.