Chapter 454 – Infighting

Chapter 454: Infighting

“Hmm.”

Normally, Rumika would cross her legs, but her stomach is so bloated that she can’t.
Even in a dress, her figure shows through because Rumika doesn’t like looking too fat.
A wine-colored dress with rubies shining on it.
Paired with a necklace studded with red diamonds, it is truly elegant.
A silver tiara with five large diamonds and large and small diamonds sparkled on her red hair.

“Your Majesty the Demon King.”

Stella was the first to speak.

“While His Majesty was absent, something truly unfortunate happened.”

Rumika glanced over the command center.
Marie, who always stood beside me or a little bit behind me, is now standing by Stella’s side.

“…”

Rumika turned her head slightly and looked back at me.
And even Angela, who was standing next to my chair.

“Hmm…”

She turned around with a look of interest on her face, then opened her mouth as she looked at the army command posts lined up left and right.

“Tell me.”

“The general ordered the slaughter of prisoners only with the consent of the commanders of the Demon King’s army.
The corpses on display outside are proof of that.”

“So?”

Rumika asked back as if she had heard about today’s lunch menu.
Stella opened and closed her fists.

“We, Amitie-kun, cannot help but express serious concerns about this.
It is because the general ordered the slaughter even though he opposed the slaughter of prisoners as an ally.”

“Okay… ?”

Rumika glanced at me again.
I only looked at the front.

“Yes.
This is a violation of the Basic Terms of the Alliance.
The reason we were against the massacre of prisoners of war was as follows.
First, the captives are also the people of Amitie…”

Lips dry up.

“Second, it is an action that may increase opposition to the return of the true royal family and the union of the generals of the demons when entering Amity…”

Stella also improved her speech.
It seems like yesterday when she went to rescue Ann from Nuba Kane, she was crying and whining.

“Third, the execution of those who surrendered strengthens the will to resist in the future.
Prince Fernando of Ariandel crossed the border with his praetorian guard.
It is not an advantageous move in a situation where it is expected to actively participate in this war.”

… Unlike yesterday, I could see Ann standing behind Stella with her dark eyes.

“Okay.
I heard you.”

“Since Your Majesty has come, I expect a wiser judgment.”

“You have to listen to both sides of the story.
First of all, there must have been people who actively suggested execution to the general.
Who?
I want to hear what you claim.”

Ballack and Adolf raised their hands and took turns talking about yesterday’s argument.

“Didn’t Your Majesty come all the way here and see the corpses of many people?!
After the 1st War to Defend the Fatherland, the Demon King’s Army invaded again!
As the general said in his speech at the National Cemetery!
We need revenge, Your Majesty!
If only interests were taken into account in punishing the invaders, who would devote themselves to fighting?
When profit precedes the cause, everyone will see us as mercantile!
We are an army!
Not a merchant!”

The Demon King’s Army is a tribal union maintained by the Demon King’s charisma.
If each tribe and village didn’t avenge what was done to them, no one would follow.
Balak, who came from a mountain tribe in the highlands, knows this structure better than anyone else.
The same is true of Adolf, who is also from a tribe of beasts scattered by animals such as kangaroos, dogs, wolves, and lions.

“General Balak is right.
To deter war, it takes more fear than gain.
Even though the 1st War for Defense of the Fatherland ended with our victory, isn’t the 2nd invasion easy because no one was condemned except for the participants?! (Isn’t the 2nd invasion easier?!)
Eh, now let us know the cost of carelessness to humans! (Let us know!)”

For some reason, since it was in front of Rumika, the tone of the two became more sophisticated than yesterday.
Ballack, Adolph, and Rumika are cautious in front of each other.

But the message is clear.

If you don’t protect it, you won’t follow it.
If you don’t retaliate, you won’t follow.
No need for a boss like that.

That’s the devil army

“Excuse me…”

When Mari opened her mouth, Rumika blocked it.

“I will give you a chance to speak later.
First of all, the priority is to review what happened yesterday.
General.
So, I would like to hear what logic you came to and what conclusion you came to.”

I answered.

“As you can see from the outside, everyone has been ordered to be executed.”

“The grounds?”

“First, the captives are not innocent civilians, but invaders who remained in the Demon King’s territory.
Second, I made a promise in Mawangseong.
If you couldn’t protect it, it’s the Demon King’s duty to take revenge.”

“It was careless to change the content of the speech.”

“I will correct it.”

The sudden remark was not Rumika’s will.

“Well, but it was a good speech to arouse fighting spirit.
Continue, General.”

“Yes.
We needed an opportunity to relieve the anger of the countless people of the Demon King’s army who suffered massacres and human experiments.”

Marie sighed through her fine mouth.

“Third, it was to instill fear in the enemy and facilitate future advances.
That is all.”

“So you think the enemy is scared?
Or do you feel united?”

When Mari intervened, Rumika gave her a chance as promised.

“Calm your emotions and tell me, court physician.
However, remember that you are not originally in a position to speak carelessly here.”

It means to be careful with your words and not to be reckless.

Marianne is not a saint in the demon lord army.
Even if she protected everyone from combat helicopters, ballistic missiles, and Gods of Destruction.
Still, the reason she was able to participate in her command team meeting was because of her consideration for me and her performance.

“Your majesty.
I’ll start by giving you a principled statement.
Because I am a priest.
Life is precious.
Blood cannot be washed away.”

“You can do it carefully.”

“General Balak.
Do not interrupt the speech.”

“…”

Balak kept his mouth shut, but still full of displeasure.
The generals of the Demon King’s Army behind him all had similar expressions.

“Miss Marianne, please continue.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.
Now, if revenge becomes a virtue in society as a whole, Amitie will also consider it a virtue, and this will apply to Ariandel, who is scheduled to participate in the war, and to people from all over the world.
In the end, revenge will end with the annihilation of either side!”

“Ha, do you know that this is the time for morality and ethics?”

“Stop.
Don’t be dumbfounded
Jim is listening.”

“Yes…”

Adolf heard a murmuring sound.

“The only one who can talk about ethical and moral content like that right now, as a full-fledged priest, is the only one.
I don’t know if it’s outside, but in this place, no one will talk from that point of view.
She is doing what she has to say, leaving only her interests behind.
It is a law that requires evocation of this point of view.
First of all, Jim is listening, so don’t interrupt.”

Rumika pressed it down, but the generals of the Demon King’s army were all excited and their faces were red.

“… And that’s not all.
As I said, this will be used by the Cathedral and the Templars to encourage additional participation in the Crusade!
‘Here, look at this Demon Lord Army, they are coming to kill us’!
Then, after this, are you going to kill everyone, even those who come out to defend it?!”

In the end, Marie was infuriated first.

“Stop.
So, has no one offered a different opinion on this matter?”

When I turned my attention, Corps Commander Blucher quietly raised his hand.

“I proposed that the women be sold as slaves and the men serve as oarsmen in the navy.”

“However?”

“Cheonghaejin is at war, and he said that if you sell it to human merchants, it is tantamount to giving him a ransom and letting him live.”

If I return alive, I will take up arms again.
Whose blood will be on that weapon?

“General?”

I replied to Rumika who looked back at me.

“There are other reasons too.”

“Something?”

“If the number of slaves increases, the middle-class peasantry may collapse after the war.
Most of the slaves would be bought by the great nobles, and the unpaid labor of the slaves would lead to a drop in food prices as agricultural production skyrocketed.
Middle-class farmers in the Demon King’s Army will not be able to afford this competition.”

“It shouldn’t matter since there are a lot of food consumers, right?”

“After establishing a monopoly, the price may skyrocket.”

“It’s complicated.
Talk about that later
So, is that why you opposed enslavement anyway?”

“Yes.”

“After the war, he would have opposed enslavement because it hindered national integration…
So?
More prisoners have gathered, what are you going to do?”

It was then.

Tring-.

[Quest has arrived to the player!]

The first type of message you see after becoming a player.

[Quest: Punish the prisoners!]

What… ?

[Content: Show your dignity by executing criminals.
Your enemies will be afraid of your dignity and strength, and your servants and people will obey!]

Uh?

“General?”

[Reward: For every 10 POWs executed, random stat +1]

Huge rewards.
There are well over 50,000 prisoners!

“General?
What do you see?”

[Penalty for non-compliance: All stats -20, Elder Dragon Crimson Hellkite’s participation in hostile forces and summoning the current dimension.]

The hidden boss given as a penalty upon becoming Player 2, the ancient dragon Crimson Hellkite.
Already hostile to me
The only ability I have over 100 is charm, so -20 is a huge decrease.

There is a lot of profit if you do, and a lot of loss if you don’t.
There is no reason not to.
I guess I want to make you think that way.

But aside from that,

“I intend to deal with it in the same way.”

“No!”

Marie spits out as if screaming.
Rumika raised her hand to restrain it.

Then Anne, who had been standing quietly, stepped out.

“May I dare to say something?”

“You?
Hmm…
Speak.”

Rumika had only heard about it from me, but she hadn’t talked to Ann much.
The longest conversation is a love triangle with Prince Fernando… It was a conversation about the same thing.
I hope they see it positively, but is it my greed?

“With Your Majesty’s hard work and successive great victories, the war has now entered a new phase.”

Natural attention.

“Now, almost all of the original territory of the Demon King’s Army has been recovered, and it is time to switch to an offensive.
Instead, Prince Fernando’s royal guard, as well as Ariandel and neighboring small countries and city-states, will also participate in the war.”

“So?
Be brief.”

“Isn’t that the reason why Your Majesty made an alliance with us despite some objections from the demon king’s ministers before officially ascending the throne, because that’s the wisest way?”

“It was then.”

“Simple strikes prolong the war.
War spending is high, and conscripts are unable to farm.
No matter how you get through this winter, there is no guarantee that you will get through the next winter and the next winter.”

Ann carefully placed the palm of her hand on my chest.

“In addition to the principle that the saintess said, I dare to say it.
The shortest way to her victory is to put the true queen, Queen Stella, at the forefront and gain the support of humans.
If a great cause takes the lead, a small cause follows.
Let us lead the way.
In the name of the Star Queen, I will accept surrender and lead them.
If they take up arms for us, Your Majesty will be of great help.”

“Okay?
Wouldn’t the Stella army alone become an army that would accept surrender?”

“… That’s right.
I need help.”

“If you carry us on your back, will the humans surrender…”

Rumika hand twisting her hair.
Evidence of distress

The appearance of her was not liked by the generals of the Demon King’s Army.
Other corps commanders scrambled to petition.

“Your majesty!
The Demon King’s Army is an honorable group!
Didn’t the former demon king die at the hands of evil humans?!
It’s also a despicable assassination!”

Flinch.

Stella pursed her lips, Angela’s lake-like eyes quivered, and Marie squeezed her eyes shut.

“Yes, Your Majesty!
If we go through this and forgive, the enemy will look down on us!”

“You have to show the example!
There are tens of thousands of people of the Demon King who were slaughtered, and I can’t even figure out how many were captured as slaves and subjected to biological experiments!
You will have to pay them back a thousand or ten thousand times what they did!
Our tribesmen responded to the conscription for that!”

Even Nene stepped forward and helped with a word.

“There is a point in what the chiefs say.
Punishment against aggressors is neither excessive nor unreasonable.
Rather, letting go is an overkill.”

Nene said nothing and stood in front of the demon generals, holding a staff.
The generals of the Demon King’s army standing behind him are beastmen, vampires, and clamor without cover.
The war was long, and the conflict was deep.

Rumika looked back at me.

“What do you think, General?”

“Anyone with a sword must have been prepared to be stabbed.”

The number of Stella-kun is now less than 10,000.
The number of soldiers is far greater than the Demon King’s army, so the number of generals is bound to be the same.

“Right!”

“That’s right!
After all, the general!”

“” “Iron mask! Iron mask! Iron mask! Iron Mask!”””

The voices of the generals of the Demon King’s Army filled the large field barracks.
They all agree to be executed.
Going against this is a huge political burden for Rumika and me as well.

As the tent turned into a commotion, Duke Dupre exclaimed indignantly:

“This is a violation of the Alliance Agreement!
Think of the future, Your Majesty!”

Then, Devot, the captain of Stella’s guard, also opened his mouth heavily.

“Slaughter is against chivalry.
Your Majesty, do you want to rule by killing rather than Tao?
The demon lord may follow that way, but the proud human knights do not.”

Those words were the beginning of a fuse.

“Pride?
Then, why are our demon lord army commanders long like dogs because they have no pride?!”

“Not really?
Looking for a strong protector is what puppies and street janitors do!”

“What?!
That bastard is an ally!
Aren’t you guys one of them too?!”

“Is it okay to kill all humans?
After we win, we will kill you too!”

“Humans, after all, have the same thoughts!
I didn’t like being allied with human pups in the first place!”

“You bastards, are you satisfied with blood on your hands after all?
Only 30,000 prisoners were killed in the Hydas River!
100,000 people were killed under Samnyeonsanseong Fortress!
Is it still not enough?”

“In the Hydas River Battle, I was busy retreating, so I couldn’t help it!
Did we experiment with living things like humans do?
The massacre was done by the human scumbags first!
Tens of thousands of them too!
Why can’t we?!
Everyone is self-employed!”

They raised their voices and pointed at each other.

“Stop!!!
What disrespect is this in front of Your Majesty!
What’s the benefit of splitting sides between allies and races?!”

Ran raises his voice, but a remark that crosses the line jumps out.

“Joy!
If it was the Lion General Calz, I would have pushed him away!”

“That’s right!
At least if only Khan was alive…”

“Since when did the demon king start paying attention to humans?
Give it to me like an idiot and explode, do I even have to pay attention?!”

The chieftains whispered.
Doubts about Rumika’s charisma.

Ran was furious before Rumika.

“Who made a statement in defense of the traitor just now?!”

Sreung!

A ceremonial weapon like the symbol of the rank and file.
A longsword with a black blade.
A dark sword made of black iron appeared.

“You guys are crossing the line!”

Rumika said calmly.

“Sir Lan.
I’ll put the knife in.”

“Kuh… !”

Chuck!

The bayonet Ran burst into exasperation.

“The Black Sun, the founder Angmar, and the demon king who liberated the minority from humans!
Even though he established the Demon King’s army by force, he did not say that killing was a virtue!
It seems that the Words are becoming more and more like those berserkers!”

“What?
Do you look like you’re slaughtering my tribesmen out of boredom?!”

“Isn’t it because you lead the agitation!”

“Are you siding with humans now?”

“What Princess Anne just said isn’t so wrong, what!”

“Think of your family being sacrificed!”

You probably don’t know that Ran is an orphan, but Balak seems to be running out of words because his head is heating up.

“Is this a matter of feeling?
Allies are also human, so we should consider the human issue!”

Ran, too, is naturally spitting out nonsensical words.

Then Adolf spoke softly.

“You haven’t lost the people around you yet, are you talking like it’s too much work?

“Aren’t comrades-in-arms people around you?”

“Then, Gab, who has half-human blood mixed in, takes the side of humans?”

Adolph’s mockery.

“Inoooooum!
I apply for the trial of the beginning!”

Ran’s 2nd Rage.
Ran lowered her head and stared,

“Do you have confidence?!”

Adolph raising his chin and provoking.

Friends touching each other to the point of rebellion.

Kku-gung-!

Pajijijijijik!

“”Ahhhhh!!””

I couldn’t get out
At my mind suppressing magic, their heads flew sparks.

“What kind of insolence is this in front of Your Majesty?!
Aren’t you ashamed to see your allies?”

“Kuh… !”

“Get out, both of you!
If you collide outside, you will be severely punished!
Blucher!
Keep an eye on these bastards!”

“Yes.”

Before the incident escalated further, I had to step in.
Because Rumika’s eyes started to glimmer.

In particular, the guy that Carlz said something about earlier must bow to Ran for the rest of his life.
You should consider yourself lucky that Rumika didn’t crush your head in her hands.

“I am annoyed by the noise.”

Rumika resting her arm on her armrest and resting her chin on it.

“Keep talking.
How funny would Jim be?
Is it not?”

“” “So, I apologize, Your Majesty…”””

“Everyone seems to be very emotional today, so we will discuss it tomorrow as well.
Let everyone go back and think.”

Rumika shook her hand and stood up.
And then she quietly let out her words.

“What do you think of my brother?”

“There is no change.”

“Isn’t your brother on the human side?”

“It wasn’t on the side of the invaders.”

“I see.
I thought it was simple, but it’s more difficult than the purge.”

“It’s not complicated.”

“Have you thought of any alternatives other than execution?”

“Is there a way to convince the generals of the Demon King’s Army without being executed?”

Supporting her Rumika as she rises, I saw her waddle away.
The chiefs still remained in their seats without dispersing, chatting with each other in a lively manner.
… It would be better if we had a war of words.
As if someone had drawn a line on the floor, the humans were divided into the left and the Demon Lords to the right, whispering among themselves.

***

Flutter.

“Would you like a drink?
… You are already doing it.”

Balak was drinking with Adolf in his barracks.
Most of the chiefs of the Demon King’s army were also bursting with anger, telling them to gather here, pour it, and drink it.
A lot more than human longevity.
They all agree to be executed.
They recovered territory through mobile warfare, and witnessed the scene of murder, rape, looting, and arson committed by humans in the southern area of ​​the Demon King’s Army.
Enough of that too.
No wonder he’s burning with revenge.

“Have a drink.”

The liquor poured from the hand of the mixed-race giant.
What kind of treat is my cup?

Gulp, gulp!

Emptied at once
I was upset.
This time I followed.
To another guy.

“Adolph.”

“Wow (why).”

“Release Ran and come.”

“…”

“It was a bit harsh.”

“… Graze (yes).”

The alcohol that day was strong and bitter.
Strangely, it felt that way.