Join the discord: https://discord.gg/e4BJxX6
Chapter 14
Three months after the meeting between Luiza and Seran over in Homirou, the regular meeting amongst the leading figures of humanfolk was held in Rimarze. It had been nine months since the war between them and the demons had begun, the mood in the air was extremely heavy. Of course, the situation had always been dire, but as of late…the demons had changed their strategies whenever they attacked.
“I didn’t think that the demons would rely on such tactics,” cursed Maizer as he glared at the report in his hands.
The majority of the demons’ forces consisted of half-demons like goblins, which were weaker than the average human, but they brought that back with sheer numbers. Up to this point, they would try to push back humanfolk to send in the individual demons and then to absolutely clean house. This was the best method to show the strength that the demons possessed, and it carried plenty of threat to humanfolk. However, over the past month, this strategy has changed. Or rather, it stopped being an actual battle. As soon as the humans moved out, anticipating a strike from the opponent, the demons immediately retreated. On top of that, whereas they would attack once every half a month or so, they now would mobilize pretty much every third day, if not more, but all that would only be a fake.
“To think they would use such foul tactics,” argued Rifuaro with a complex expression.
As an elf who had seen the previous war of the demons, this was utterly unthinkable. That said, as if it was undoubtedly effective, it created this dire situation. All the victories of humanfolk up to this point happened because they were perfectly prepared. If they saw a chance of an attack, they had to head out no matter what, even if they thought that it might be just another bait. And with no victories to take back home, the cooperation and morale of the soldiers had begun to suffer. In a way, it was worse than having suffered a loss. The idea was to keep a defensive war going so that the demons’ forces run dry, yet this now backfired massively.
“But if they have to rely on strategies like these, then that means they don’t have the same sheer numbers as before, and they have to rely on dirty tricks like these…right?”
“Yes, that’s one way to look at it. However, the bigger issue is that we’re going to wear ourselves out at this rate. We have to come up with a strategy, and quick.”
Milena changed her approach to the situation and gave one hypothesis, but Sharidan expected a bit more than just that.
“A strategy…I would say that there is only one thing for us to do…To attack ourselves. What else could we do?”
Just like during a meeting many months ago, Lord Foken from the small duchy of Ristan suggested an attack.
“At this rate, we will only be backed into a corner. To break free from this stalemate, we have to take the first step!” Foken declared.
Before, he would only stay in the background, carefully voicing his opinion, but Foken now showed clear force in his voice.
“As things stand, Lord Foken might be right.
Garadoff wasn’t completely convinced just yet, but he also voiced his support.
“Still, why did the demons suddenly change their approach? It doesn’t feel like them at all… What happened within their ranks?”
“It almost feels like we’re fighting a human opponent…”
Garadoff and Rifuaro discussed this strategy that had been prominent amongst the demons. Yet again, Foken jumped in.
“I don’t think there’s anything to gain from this discussion. All we can do is attack them.”
“…Lord Foken, you seem oddly pro-attack out of nowhere, do you have any reason to be feeling this way?” Milena grew dubious of Foken’s sudden passion and asked him.
He wasn’t really the individual to stand out, and she didn’t remember him ever participating in the discussion this passionately.
“N-No, I wasn’t giving it much thought, is all. If they change their strategy, then we have to adjust. That’s all.”
His comment carried reason, which is why many of the other participants started leaning in the same direction.
“But even if we were to do just that, where would we attack? We still don’t know what’s to be found within the demon territory, nor where to find this supposed Demon Lord. We’re dealing with a crucial lack of information.”
Maizer’s level-headed comment pointed out a major issue. They don’t even know where they would send their forces to attack, and they don’t know the first thing about the demon territory, either. However, that is where Kyle opened his mouth after he had remained quiet the whole time.
“…There is something I must report to all of you. We found out the location of the demons’ capital, as well as the Demon Lord’s castle.”
Because of this bombshell of a statement, noise filled the meeting room. Many reacted to the word Demon Lord alone.
“I-Is that true?!”
“Yes. This is crucial intel we’ve received from my allies who snuck into the demon territory…by risking their lives, of course.”
Kyle made it sound like sacrifices had to be made to grasp information like that, which stopped the other participants from asking further questions. However, the people who knew the truth would probably be in shock at how Kyle could just nonchalantly say such a thing.
“…And there’s no mistaking it?” Maizer asked to confirm one last time, to which Kyle nodded.
He took out a map of the continent. Amidst all of that, the demon territory was mostly just a blank space, but Kyle pointed at its center without hesitation.
“It’s right here. The Demon Lord’s castle, the supposed residence of the Demon Lord, should be right here. Of course, there’s no guarantee if the black…if the Demon Lord is actually present there, but we’re certain that this location is extremely crucial to the demons, and plenty of a worthwhile target.”
Since it was none other than Kyle himself, a warrior experienced with demons, it was even more convincing.
“Judging from this position…if we were to borrow the power of Rifuaro-dono and the other spirit users, we might make it there within a month.”
“And up till there, we’re looking at a long flat area. It’s perfect to move our army forward. The only issue is that we won’t be able to send reinforcements.”
“Plus, how much manpower are we sending off, too? A hundred or two hundred thousand won’t be enough, but we can’t just send our whole army…”
The kings and nobles all gazed down at the map together, discussing their plans and the possibilities available. With the meeting and its participants actively moving forward again, even Maizer couldn’t ignore this wave.
“…Very well, we will attack the Demon Lord’s castle. This will be our final battle, where we snuff out that damn Demon Lord’s life!”
With Maizer on board, the invasion of the demon territory was decided.
***
That said, even with the decision made, they couldn’t just depart on the very next day. It would take another month until the preparations to ensure absolute victory would be done. During that time, everyone was busy enough that they began seeing stars. The forming of squads contained humans, elves, and dwarves, which reached up to several hundred thousand. And with this many people, it would be the same as a whole country moving to war, which is why they needed the necessary rations. It would take at least one month to march all the way up to the Demon Lord’s castle, and there was a low chance of them being able to stop at a Demon village on the way to stock up. Hence, they couldn’t risk running out of rations on the way, which is why they packed several times the amount of what they deemed necessary. On top of that came other necessities like tents to sleep in, horses to ride, medicine and doctors in case of sickness, weapons, and equipment, as well as specialists in smithing and the like.
“What a headache…”
By the time they reached the stage where they could depart, Seran looked down from the castle walls. Reaching close to 500,000, warriors gathered from all of humanfolk, filling the ground so that you couldn’t even see beyond them in the distance. When the war had just started, they had also gathered numbers similar to these to prepare for the demons, but now they were on the opposite side, preparing to attack themselves. Of course, they could have gathered more, but then it would have slowed the army as a whole, making it harder to supply them on the way. And they also needed warriors and soldiers to protect Rimarze in their absence.
Regular foot soldiers, warriors controlling horses or beasts, priests that could use healing magic, magicians ready to attack from a distance, magic warriors that could strengthen themselves with magic, you lost count of how many there were. Meanwhile, Kyle stood next to Seran, looking down at the army all the same, as he thought about giving his goodbyes to Lieze and others at home.
“Take care, Kyle.”
“Don’t think I need to tell you that, but be careful out there.”
Lieze and Urza saw him off, and despite him possibly fighting his most dangerous battle, they didn’t seem all too worried. Of course, Kyle didn’t mind that at all. He understood that they had absolute trust in him. What he was the happiest about was that they accepted Sakira. Four months ago, when Sakira had just moved in with Kyle and the others, she was definitely acting awkward and unsure, but thanks to Lieze actively involving her, Urza and Minagi opened up to her, too. Not too long after, Seraia had begun seeing her as a genuine daughter, and even Alessa started getting attached to her.
That said, all of that showed Kyle how much he relied on Lieze and the others. It worked out fine this time considering the circumstances, but this couldn’t continue forever. Speaking of Sakira, she was currently offering prayers to the goddess as she waved her hands at the soldiers with a bright smile on her face. The soldiers even began feeling so emotional, that some broke out in tears. Kyle let out a snicker, but Seran retorted immediately.
“…Why are you grinning like that, huh? Feeling proud about your own woman?”
“Wha…A-Are you one to talk?! I heard about your date over in Homirou!”
“How the hell would you call that a date?! And more than anything—”
“Oh, how lively it is over here.”
As the two had begun their usual banter, a delighted voice interrupted them. Turning around, they were greeted by Sharidan, the supreme commander of the mission. This position was given to him because Taihon is known as a militaristic country, and he was always involved in war and strategic fighting. Kyle too saw him as worthy of that position.
“L-Lord Sharidan, I’m sorry you had to see us like that…” Kyle panicked but Sharidan just continued to smile.
Kyle was known as a hero in all of the world, with many expecting him to finally end this war by striking down the Demon Lord, and Sharidan felt the same way. He achieved this level of trust by showing his skill and strength, but in the end, he wasn’t even twenty years old. Engaging in healthy banter with his friends was not something anybody could blame him for, and Sharidan only felt delighted to see him this way.
“Should you really be here? Considering everything that had transpired…” said Sharidan with a bit of a teasing tone as he glanced over at Sakira.
A small group of people knew about the engagement between Kyle and Sakira, which included Sharidan.
“Thinking back on it, you two were already awfully close when you visited our country… And since then, her smile seems a lot more cheerful than before.”
To Sharidan and Taihon as a whole, Kyle had done a great deed for them. For that reason, he wanted to congratulate this marriage.
“Thank you very much…”
Kyle also felt happy hearing Sakira be praised. Although, Sharidan was a bit worried about all the rumors regarding women that floated around Kyle. Out of all the heroic stories that involved him and made the rounds, many of them involved women and romance. How he saved a maiden from a hydra that then fell in love with him, how he participated in a martial arts festival and beat a crossdressing female warrior, how he struck down a dragon with the help of a female adventurer, how he traveled the world to convince the other kings and rulers to receive the hand of the holy maiden in marriage and many more…
Some were even more odd, like how he defeated a demon who snuck into a human settlement and won over a handsome young man working there as a magic engineer… and as one would expect, this story was especially popular with the women. Of course, many knew that these were nothing but stories and rumors, but the sheer amount of them existing in the first place did earn Kyle a few odd nicknames. It certainly didn’t help that a few of the allies he traveled with were women. That said, having met Kyle directly, Sheridan knew that Kyle wasn’t that kind of playboy.
He’s not a playboy, but it’s only a matter of time until people think that when the news of his marriage with Princess Sakira spreads…The fate of a hero, I guess you could say.
Imagining Kyle’s impending future, Sharidan then cleared his throat and showed a more serious expression.
“Kyle-dono, I am not telling you this in the context of our positions, but simply as someone with more experience in life than you, and as a friend… But assuming it’s not a major incident, it’s best to leave everything to your women,” he declared with confidence.
As the king of a major country, Sheridan had many wives, so his word carried weight.
“I will keep that in mind, thank you very much,” Kyle deeply bowed and voiced his gratitude.
After that, they engaged in a bit of friendly banter until Sharidan went on his way again. He must be busy as the supreme commander, right before the departure of the army, yet he made time to go and see Kyle. That just showed how much he cared for him.
“You done? Then let’s go.”
Seran had no interest in talking with the big players, so he just waited until Kyle was done. Many of the soldiers had already hopped on their horses, prepared for departure. Kyle was also meant to join them on a horse, but there was something else he had to prioritize. Instead, the two headed for Gazas’ forge, surrounded by the violent banging of metal.
“Kyle-san, Seran-san!”
Spotting the two in front of the forge, Gou jogged over while waving his hand.
“How are things?”
“Just doing the finishing touches. He wants to make sure everything fits,” Gou answered Seran’s question. “Also, I’m perfectly fine myself. Just bring them out,” Gou said to Kyle with absolute confidence. “Please do your best, Kyle-san. It pains me that I cannot help you right now, but still…”
The reason he was full of such regret is because the golems aren’t of use for them during their journey to the Demon Lord’s castle. They may be strong, but extremely limited in terms of mobility, and with no professional there to help keep them working, it was decided to be impossible.
“Well, you can help out plenty in other ways…” said Kyle but was interrupted by Gou giving him a wink and placing his index finger on his mouth.
Right at that time, the sound of metal being hammered stopped. As the three looked at each other, Gazas walked out of the building. He looked visibly exhausted, but when he saw Seran, he showed joy.
“I finished what you asked for. Take it from me, it’s good.”
“Oh, you made it in time, huh? I knew I could put my trust in ya…I’ll cause a party with this now,” said Seran with a gleeful tone, which allowed Gazas to show relief.
Kyle was equally relieved, but when he saw the person following after Gazas, that quickly turned into surprise.
“Miranda-san? Why are you here?”
Appearing from the forge was the ambassador for Zilgus who had been staying in the mining city of Callan, Miranda. She is also, at least on paper, the close aide for the mayor Gazas, and someone that could be trusted. She should be the same age as Kyle’s mother Seraia, and yet she looked as young as a woman in her late twenties.
“I’m here on official business. And starting today, I will be staying here,” she walked up next to Gazas and exclaimed so.
Gazas showed a troubled but also somewhat happy expression, looking away.
“Um…Congratulations.”
Kyle genuinely felt that way. It’ll help prove their relationship like that. Gou didn’t object, either, and Gazas didn’t seem aggressively bothered by it. Although Seran kept wondering what she saw in him.
“Also, Kyle-san, Milena-sama asked to see you once before you depart.”
Apparently, it was supposed to be Milena’s final order. Since Miranda is the one relaying this message, it is clear that Milena knew Kyle would come over here. Kyle didn’t know what this was about, but he knew he had no choice.
“Rest assured, she may be my former employer, but I don’t intend to sell out my family… Although, please don’t do anything you’ll regret.”
“…Everything is necessary until the war with the demons is over.”
Miranda urged Kyle not to get her family wrapped up in this, but Kyle couldn’t promise much.
CClaw Translations 