Chapter 388 – The Line of Defense

Chapter 388 The Line of Defense

“There is nothing to panic about.
One of the east and west is Yangdong, and the other is the main attack.
In the middle, it will be a tribute.”

As Commander Ezio said.
I agree.
Angela quietly raised her hand.

“It is relatively recent that the demon king’s army crossed the Silcan Valley and built an oak gate under the hills.
No matter how dense the defense facilities such as bastions and fortresses are, it is difficult to be vigilant.
The enemy is a whopping 200,000 units.
If you care about supplies, we cannot rule out the possibility of running towards the Devil Castle in the shortest distance without leaving enemies behind.”

In response, Count Abu Bakr helped.

“Yes.
It’s not going to go into a heavily fortified area, but it’s also a race against time.
If we don’t defeat the Demon Castle before this winter approaches, they may be the ones to fall apart.
Hunger and disease make the playing house of ‘religious war’ a reality.
Like the nickname ‘Shadow of Death’, Alberic’s bravery is high, and the enemy’s morale is full.
Attacking with this momentum will also give the enemy an advantage.”

That’s a reasonable point.

“Prince Camus, where is Alberic now?”

“I erased the traces and disappeared.
Catherine, too, hides her whereabouts, and when she is in the palace, she moves erratically every day.”

Ann quietly raised her hand.

“I don’t know much about military affairs, but I heard that the more the troops are dispersed, the faster the march, and the easier it is to deal with diseases.
Could it be possible to come by all three roads?”

Everyone in the strategy conference room shook their heads.

“If so, this will be a good opportunity to defeat the 200,000-strong army individually.
It’s easier to fight 60,000 or 70,000 people 3 times than to fight 200,000 people.
I hope my enemies do that too, but Marquis John is no fool.
He is a Marquis who has spent his entire life on the battlefield.
The person he fought the most with…”

“Grow.”

Balak crossed his arms.

“Not very meticulous.
It’s exhilarating when you’re in a rush.
We need information.”

“… Are you a berserk?”

“What. Berserkers don’t use their heads?”

Balak smirks at the suspicious eyes of Count Abu Bakr.
Are you okay.
I have a corner to believe in.

“Nothing to worry about.
Because we have a star queen.”

Indeed, Stella’s observation magic and dimensional magic were fraudulent.
Originally, I thought that observation magic would be enough, but just in case, Stella and I set out to scout on our own, mobilizing Sir Devot and an escort.

“The west is the diversionary force.
At night, he put on his helmet and armor on a scarecrow, lit a five-pronged torch, and marched on.
There were too many braziers at the campsite, but very little feces in the bathroom.
The light infantry ran quickly, and some troops encountered Genocider Khan’s 6th Corps.
Are fighting a battle.
The rest are moving north and approaching the border.”

“What is the middle road?”

“I am a tribute.
The siege weapons were dismantled and loaded onto carts, but the Holy Knights are all on horseback.
There aren’t many supporting infantry units.
Among the visible longevity, only a few are famous.
A commander is someone who is good at defense and delay.”

“Then the main attack must be east.”

“Yes.
Enemy Lawguards intercepted our skirmishers and intercepted information.
The seemingly endless stream of flags and cavalry is running.
After that, pilgrims and vagabonds are ubiquitous and are assigned to each legion and are marching.”

“Are you sure?”

“We mobilized spies to complete cross-validation.
Iveric is also secretly riding along the eastern road wearing a hood, hiding the Angelic Alliance.”

Thanks to you, overtime overtime.
He thought he was going to die.
I thought I was going crazy because I missed you.
Since the former chief of intelligence suddenly collapsed and the spies couldn’t take over, it’s difficult to distinguish false information.
With the Four Heavenly Kings lying down, I had to take charge of commanding the joint operation of the 3rd Corps and the 7th Corps.
Since he was the second-in-command, he couldn’t command the combined corps, so he was naturally able to pass it on to Van Dark, the senior corps commander under Nene.

Haa, but I benefited from my long-standing relationship with Nene and my open marriage to the transfer of my espionage officer duties.

“What am I saying, but aren’t you originally in the position of Master’s successor, Kamyu?
Even if it hadn’t broken a hundred years ago, everyone would have thought so.
She got married this time, so it’s good that it’s clear. What is it?”

As Van Dark said, rumors spread so much that spies came running to report to me even before I was entrusted with temporary espionage from Rumika.
Since I was the predecessor, everyone had no objection.
And Nene prepared for this situation.

“Receive.”

“What?”

“Master’s will.
He left it with me when he went to get you.”

A sealed letter from Van Dark.
When you carefully open it, you can see Nene’s unique, elegantly scrawled handwriting.

Sarak.

I start reading the letter.

Flash!

“?!”

[It’s Camus.
If you’re reading this letter right now, you’re saying something happened to me, right?]

Truly a magician.
I made the illusion magic cast on the letter activate in response to my magical power.
Nene’s welcome prepared for me.
The will started calling out to me as if it were natural.
As usual, she wears a wizard’s hat, side-slit dress, and coffee-colored stockings.

[For information security, this illusion is only visible to you.]

Thorough

[The defense of the Boulanger family’s territory is a collateral… Please call and entrust it.
If you suddenly find yourself in charge of espionage, you should contact the following people according to your contingency plan.
When you hear of my downfall, be sure to send a letter to the night elves’ Council of Elders.
Announce that you are my heir and spouse in name and reality, and you must get close to them.
And the relationship with the fairies should be maintained neither far nor close.
If they are too far apart, they will have different ulterior motives, and if they are too close, pure blood fairies and fundamentalists of the ‘Earth Goddess Cult’ will prevail as a reaction.
Respect their independence, but do not allow them to be arrogant in front of you.
There are related materials in the desk drawer in my room, so please refer to them.
The general command of the 3rd and 7th corps should be delegated to Van Dark, and if something happened to Van Dark…]

A plain explanation of the contingency plan.
Military plans, espionage plans, the administration of Boulanger’s estate, and even diplomatic issues with the night elves and fairies.
You’ve got it all set up
Nene’s instructions were meticulous and calm.
As if I had always thought of how to hand over.
No, I would have done that
She is a woman who lost her spouse unexpectedly on the battlefield.

[Lastly, I want you to forget about me and focus on other wives.]

“…”

Calm eyes.
However, it is obvious how anxiously those two hands hidden behind his back are trembling and fidgeting.

[As a woman, I am very happy that you remember and miss me, but you have a long time to live.
I’ve been thinking about you constantly since I started meeting you.
I always want one of them to go first, and the other to live happily ever after.
Especially if that’s you.]

You’re funny
If I die first, you’re going to die as well.
Even after I let you go, forget you and live on?
Do you know if that will work?

[Because I know you well.
I’m afraid you’ll be sad, blame yourself, and think strange thoughts.
I can’t help but worry
Still, fortunately… There are other wives around you who will support you.
They can give you the fruits of love.
Start a family now.
A lot.
And I want you to tidy up my room and burn all my clothes.
Don’t keep me by your side anymore, put it in a corner of your heart.]

“…”

Do not be ridiculous.
Do you think you will forget
Filling me with your color, your scent, and your voice.
While growing up like that.
Even a hilt of a sword, even a line of magic spells are filled with you, and if you come and forget it, will you be able to forget it?
Like a selfish woman…

[I really… I really love you.
It hurts me too much to leave these words.
But I always put your happiness first.
Choose the way of life that is the happiest for you and enjoy the present life.
I hope it’s not a secluded life in memory of me.
If you remember me as a fun time and a beautiful memory and smile and say, ‘It was like that then’, that’s enough.
‘Cause I’m your only Nene forever
Love you.
Hi.]

End of welcome.
She had her signature crescent-moon smile and the tears shed were like a curse.
A curse that will remain in my heart forever.
… Do you mean forget or don’t forget?
I’d rather cry and grab my pants crotch and scream, ‘Don’t forget me, you bastard!’
Such a look.
Compulsive audacity.
There’s no way I can forget you with just those words?

I took the letter and lay down next to you again, soaking her arms with tears.
Promise, and promise again.
Even if I throw away my body, I will save you.

***

“It is very hot.”

A sweltering midsummer.
The enemy’s main attack moves in a wide turn to the east of Ain Castle.
In order to preoccupy the defense base, all but the minimum defense troops led all the troops out of the gate.

“This saint was affectionate.
Right, Marie?”

“Iknow, right.
Several things happened.
Especially when you leave.”

That’s right.
Before leaving, many things happened.

One day, the stress of work was so great that I fell asleep next to Nene, without washing or taking off my armor.

“Yes yes. It was very difficult today.
As for what happened…”

Her ears might be open even when she was in suspended animation, so her routine was to massage her body and whisper the day’s events into your ears.
And I fell asleep while hugging Nene’s legs.
Then, an unexpected sound came.

Click.

Almost inaudible, the sound of the door opening.
Was an assassin

… Hooked!

Rurrrr!

The assassin who quietly put a knife into the bed in my room only stabbed the pillow, and after that, he was mentally controlled by me and blew the back.
After that, Marie often slept in my room.
It was dangerous to sleep alone, and my mind was very sharp.

“I owe you a lot, Marie.”

“Ah, what do you do with something like that~
I always wanted to see your condition just in case.
And was it for a while?
Are you indebted to the Queen and Princess Anne? Whoops.”

However, Marie also had a lot of work, such as natural treatment, hygiene, and disease prevention.
So Stella suggested that she keep Nene in her bedroom, always guarded by an escort, since she has a lot to do with her.

“No way.
How can you trust humans?
I’m your lover with big breasts, so it’s okay, but…
No, wives are so jealous of each other and check each other, so do you think about putting Master next to other wives?
I know you’re sharp with this raid, but I’d rather leave it to the hypnotic gun soldiers.
There is no guarantee that all the humans there are on our side.”

Although Van Dark was against it, he was able to entrust Nene to him thanks to an unexpected helper.

“I will take care of you.
I have a lot of time.
Because she is a princess who left her homeland.
My maternal grandfather is in charge of the military administration, and Stella also vacates his seat with magic, right?”

Ann has no fixed job and always has a leisurely schedule while recovering her body and mind.
Stella took care of Nene while she was away.
From time to time, I, Marie, and Van Dark took turns visiting Nene, and I made sure to go to Stella’s bedroom and sleep together.

“That’s right.
I owe you a lot
Every time I see you, I always say thank you.”

Thanks to that, I express my gratitude every time I see the Little Queen.
With a cock, of course.
In particular, Stella, who says that she entertains me every night and changes her bunny girl outfit by color every day, such as black, white, pink, and mint, is so cute that I die.

“Hey, hey!
Hey, why do you keep burying your face there?!”

“By burying my face in the chubby duck bottom, it healed like that.
Ah, vomit…”

“You really… !”

Artifacts.

“Comfortable… Sleep…”

“Ugh, really…”

A swaying ass.
His face was buried in the flesh of his buttocks and he shook.

“… Shall we just put it in once and sleep?”

“Ugh, I can’t stop”

Big! I owe you a lot!!

“How about setting up camp here?
There is a castle along the lower part of the Hidas River, and there are castles on the way to the upper and lower parts of the river, so you can prevent the enemy from crossing.
In addition, during the rainy season, the flow rate increases, so it will be good for defense.”

“Let it be.
Instead, it would be better to set up the supply route to the rear like this, so that His Majesty and the second party can arrive quickly later.
Set up watchtowers in between.
It would be good to build a fort here and here.”

Commander Ezio was strong on details.
A person more like an administrator than a hero or tactician.
Thanks to that, he had meticulous logistical skills, so he was a person who shined the more he was in charge of the large army.

“Oh.
The forces led by the Four Heavenly Kings, Desdymona, haven’t joined yet.
I hear you are staying in the middle ground.”

“Yes?!
Why?
What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.
Are you looking at it, or are you having a different mind…
Needless to say, there is no Kan ball at this time.”

“We decided to send 3rd Corps Commander Van Dark as a special envoy, so let’s watch.”

“It’s a very sensitive situation because there’s also the Kaltz mutiny.
Something big could happen.
Be it betrayal, neglect, or sabotage.
I will also tell His Majesty.”

That’s how Van Dark went to the Death Demon Army, and his enemies gradually appeared.

“It’s gloomy.”

“Iknow, right.
It seems that not too many troops were taken out on the western road.”

Zach has become an adjutant in name and reality, and he follows me like an limb.

“I don’t think there are many because there are spaces.
There is also a cursed land, so it is difficult to fight magic and recover, so the risk is high.
The central road is impregnable.
It is a place that has been trained a lot during the last long war, so preparations are thorough.
It’s too narrow to manage a large army.
Marquis John’s choice of the eastern path is probably a set procedure.
The problem is different.”

Yes.
Marquis John would not have thought that we would fall prey to such a deception.
For 200,000 troops to come eastward, it will be discovered anyway.
What Marquis John was aiming for was something else.

“Gong Camu. Let’s talk for a minute.”

“Speak, Duke Dupre.”

The Duke’s face was very dark.

“Do you often communicate with the Demon King?”

“?
No.
I have been overworked for the past few weeks, so I haven’t been able to contact you.”

“In that case, it would be better to contact them right away and look at the dynamics of the demon castle.”

“What are you doing?”

“Think about it.
Didn’t Michelle and Carlz’s rebellion happen just a while ago, and hadn’t Michelle’s members of the Berthier family been pointed out as being behind the recent demon lord attack?
You have dark blood, but you publicized it and didn’t get it recognized.
You are not in a position to support the position of the Demon King.
However, enemies appeared in the west and center, and the mere fact that no additional troops were sent there is justification for impeachment.”

“Yes?
The existing defense forces remain there, so they will hold out somehow.
A large enemy army is coming this way, so how can you disperse your main force?”

“Militarily, yes.
But politically it is not.
There will probably be voices coming out of the nobility meeting, citing the irresponsibility of the field headquarters and calling for a change of command.”

“!!!”

After that, a messenger arrived from the Devil’s Castle, and it was indeed as Duke Dupre said.

“‘The commander of the field command, Ezio, and the deputy commander, Camu, are neglecting their duties while negligently blocking the enemy’s attack…’
What are you talking about?!
Is this really an appeal to His Majesty at the Noble Assembly?”

“Yes.
The situation is that all four of the Four Heavenly Kings are away.
It seems that the small and medium nobles who have been suppressed so far are coming to the fore, and the great families are helping.
They perceive the massacre of the Berthier family, to which Michelle belonged, as a crisis for the entire great aristocracy.”

Commander Ezio stroked his unshaven chin with a mixed look on his face.

“It happened as expected.
Did you send a Black Wyvern messenger to the Devil Castle?”

Duke Dupre turned to me.

“Yes.
I reminded the noble council once again that the enemy’s chabong was destroyed, the red dragon Kubydov was captured, and the high priest Philip, who declared war, was slain.
I thought the atmosphere wasn’t bad, but to hear these documents flying around…”

“Don’t be shaken.
Originally, the voices of those who are exceptionally trembling are loud, but there are not many votes.
Since the demon lord is guarding the castle, opinions will be divided even at the noble meeting.
Aren’t there military gongs?”

“The next sentence is the problem.
‘Commoner Kamyu is rumored to have dark blood and is suspected of committing treason, so he must be investigated, and he started discussing an alliance with human troops in the field without the consent of the noble council…’
Ha… You’re trying to shake it somehow.”

It is more difficult because it is not a very unfounded statement.
Very little truth.
A lie fleshed out there.
It’s a time-honored method of misleading public opinion.

“This is what Marquis John was aiming for.
It’s about building defenses and pushing them politically to prevent delays.
They’re trying to set the stage so that they have no choice but to fight for military power.
Rotating with a large number of troops is what they want.”

Duke Dupre’s point was very poignant.

“It is best not to do what the enemy wants.
Among those captured after fighting to the end, I will cut off some of the heads of those who refuse to convert and send them to the Devil Castle.”

“It’s trying to appease public opinion with supply and demand.”

“Yes. Time is short for us.
The more you delay, the more you bite the enemy from all sides, and the conscripts from each province can gather.
Above all, summer is over now.
The end of summer will soon pass, and soon it will be autumn.
Those who complain that there is no manpower to harvest will come out one by one from the enemy camp.
Above all, there is no way they can afford the maintenance cost of 5 dragons for a long time.
As long as there are nomadic cavalry in the east, navy and land forces in the south, and khans and berserker units in the west, we cannot collect taxes, let alone conscripts from each region.”

There was also unexpected internal resistance.

“Camyu-nim, please reconsider the execution of prisoners.”

“I’m sorry, Marie.
It is necessary.”

It was unkind, but it was clear what had to be done.

“Leave the execution to me.”

Tueok!! Kwajik! Chin!

The berserker’s ax was ruthless, and the human throat was easily cut.

“Send them to the demon castle.”

“Yes.”

“This will buy me time.
Will the enemy be impatient?”

“… Due to the characteristics of religious wars, long-term wars are difficult.
If they show any reluctance to attack, radical pilgrims and supporters of the temple will take down the command at any moment.”

Marie confirmed my words with a confused expression.
Indeed, as Marie had said, the crossing of the river became noisy.

“What’s going on?”

“Inspiration.
Alberic is provoking from across the river.”

“What?”

As I climbed to the highest tower and looked down across the river, Alberic’s magically amplified voice resounded.

“You cowardly horned bastards!!
Is there anyone who can compete with me?!
If there is someone who dares to raise his head stiffly in front of me, let’s come out and fight!!!”