382 – Eastern Front Emergency Committee

A tent large enough to comfortably hold thirty or so people. It was packed with faces that could be considered the empire’s collective strength.

The Violet Magic Tower Master, top students from the Academy, the Pope and Hero of the Goddess Church, the Empire’s next Emperor, a magical girl, and even the First Princess who had successfully defended the Eastern Front until now. And various others besides.

A dazzling spectacle of titles, like stars scattered across the sky. Yet, the one leading the meeting was not any of them, but a single mage from the Violet Magic Tower.

Black hair and red eyes.

A peculiar man who resembled either an ominous raven or a large, black dog. A man who had various connections with everyone gathered here.

The Mad Mage swept his gaze over the players, a wide, proud smile spreading across his face, and grasped his baton. He stepped forward and began to speak.

“Well then… I would like to thank all of the esteemed guests for attending today’s Eastern Front Emergency Committee. I am your beloved, Mad Mage. Applause, please.”

“Yay!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

Only the Pope and Yuri responded with applause. Yuna clapped carefully, but as everyone else settled into silence, she quietly lowered her hands.

Selbier covered his face with both hands in shame. Why must some shame be borne by those nearby?

“Thank you. Thank you.”

Even amidst that atmosphere, the Mad Mage brazenly expressed his gratitude.

Although they didn’t applaud, it wasn’t out of disregard or contempt. Everyone present had no objection to him leading the meeting. They all knew his abilities, and he knew theirs.

If a victory scenario had to be written, it was him who should do it. That conviction was firmly ingrained.

Enough with the atmosphere-lifting jokes. Now, they had to figure out how to successfully break through this hellish landscape and come up with an answer.

The playful atmosphere dissipated, replaced by seriousness.

“Then, shall we get down to business? Eastern Front Commander, Elaine. May I ask a question?”

“Of course, please do.”

The Mad Mage addressed the First Princess, who was smoothing out the shawl on her shoulders.

“So… how have you managed until now? Not that I doubt the Princess’s capabilities, but this Eastern Front. It’s been a goddamn shitshow. Even for the Empire.”

“Three things I can tell you. Firstly, the area where the dimensional rifts summoning the Mazoku open is limited.”

Elaine tapped a point on the map. It was in the middle of a patch of land, colored jet-black, completely conquered by the Mazoku.

“From this point to where the current Eastern Front is established. The Mazoku only appear inside this area. It’s been like this since the war started, without change.”

“Well, if they were popping up all over the Empire, the country would’ve collapsed a long time ago, I suppose. But the range of the dimensional rift is limited, not the Mazoku themselves, right? Once summoned, they can cross over.”

“Correct. That’s the raison d’etre of the Eastern Front. To hold back the wave of Mazoku that accumulate and pile up.”

“Hmm.”

Meaning their respawn point was fixed, making it manageable to defend.

“Secondly, the Mazoku are vulnerable when they first emerge from the rift. Even regular soldiers can barely win against them, and Awakeners can grind them down easily.”

“Ah, I understand the weakness, but… the sheer numbers were considerable.”

“So, for 20 hours a day, we ground them down as soon as the rift opened. We didn’t give them a chance to grow. Even if reclaiming the land occupied by already grown Mazoku is difficult, we could suppress them from expanding further.”

“Oh…”

Elaine twirled the wind in her fist, as if recalling a memory. The Mad Magician still remembered the appearance of her Awakening before it changed.

A storm of blood.

Yes, she’d said she led a tempest that even shredded her own skin, rampaging across the battlefield while receiving healing from the Chaplains.

Even after sessions, she would have led her knight order across the battlefield all day.

In the end, she had managed to hold the line by grinding down people, including herself.

“And lastly. I think you probably understand this too. When the Eastern Front was really on the verge of collapse… the Mazoku ‘coincidentally’ retreated.”

“…I understand perfectly. Thank you for the explanation.”

Indeed.

The Mad Magician organized his thoughts.

—

The Eastern Front existed before the Evil Dragon, our tenant, took up residence in my head. If the Evil Dragon in its prime created it, it sounds a little strange that the dimensional rift’s range has been limited since long ago.

It doesn’t seem likely that a guy with power comparable to a Goddess would have limitations on his range. Even now, the black mages can draw out its authority by fiddling with the Evil God statue, right?

Then there’s only one answer. He was playing with set rules.

Alright, I’ll use the Mazoku as soldiers to invade. But if they pop up all over the place, it’ll end too easily, so I’ll balance things out a little.

The Mazoku will get stronger as they absorb your information over time, but the gates will only open within a certain area, and if things get too difficult, I might even withdraw a move.

So let’s play for a long, long time.

A playground constantly generating tragedy with the benevolence of an evil god. That was the true nature of the Eastern Front. But it probably isn’t like that anymore. Now the story is different.

Because I’ve stolen its soul.

Wasn’t he the one who pulled all sorts of tricks, even a tug-of-war, trying to escape my head? If he’d had the power to freely manipulate those fiends called the Mazoku, he should have marked the Violet Magic Tower with an attack order while I was researching in the Azure Tower.

If he could have, he should have blasted open dimensional rifts inside the Azure Tower, exterminating everyone inside.

Of course, our Yuna was firmly entrenched as a deadly hard counter to those Mazoku fellows, but wouldn’t giving them time to grow have been a better choice than what he did?

And then, he would have cracked open my infant skull and achieved complete resurrection.

He couldn’t. The current Evil Dragon lacks a heart, a soul, just about everything. So, it’s safe to assume that with only a dragon’s body, the influence he can exert is about that of a pixie.

Thinking about it the other way, he’s actually trapped.

The dragon’s body is stuck here, unable to move, and all he can do is steadily produce Mazoku and pressure us.

Alright, then.

“The analysis of these Mazoku, these troublesome information entities, is complete.”

This malicious virus is a monstrosity possessing traits of both information and physicality, with a design slightly different from that of a succubus. Succubi move between the two, while these fellows exist in-between.

Therefore, if they fall prey to mind magic, they gnaw at a person’s mind and can materialize from within. And if they physically parasitize a person, they can use mind magic based on that.

Furthermore, they even grow stronger over time due to their adaptability. At first glance, they seem like an unstoppable, overpowered virus created for the end of humanity.

But having the advantages of both sides also means simultaneously bearing the disadvantages of both. The Mazoku are capable of striking with both physicality and information.

I clapped lightly. In response, Aisha pulled a large cart into the barracks from outside.

Removing the cloth covering the cart reveals it to be densely packed with parchment scrolls and glass vials.

“Enchantments based on illusion magic, and holy water prepared by the Theocracy. Applying these when attacking will send the Mazoku into raptures of agony.”

“…Illusion magic enchantments? That’s insane. I’ve never heard of such magic.”

“Yes. Because it’s utterly useless, it never existed.”

Nobody uses illusion magic enchantments. Nobody would even think of it.

If fire or wind comes out of a longsword, it’s deadly, but what good is it if it emits light or smells like marshmallows? However, if what you’re hitting is an information entity, the story changes.

I had unilaterally loaded the parchment scrolls with malicious information—chunks of dummy data designed to slow down processing speed. It’s similar in principle to hitting Aisha.

If you smear a human with a mass of 01011101, they’ll just think you’re being weird, but since the Mazoku are information entities, they can’t avoid reading it. They even had their firewalls wide open to use their ‘adaptability.’

If you opened it, you have to take a hit.

“First, we will arm our soldiers with this. We’ll also administer ‘antibiotics’ for mental defense. Then, we’ll push back the Mazoku in three phases and assault the depths they occupy.”

I organize the abilities of all the players and create a plan. The necessary power is already in my grasp. A clear curve of victory is neatly drawn in my head.

The first step is the step of debilitation.

“We will apply a debuff to the entire Mazoku population. A selected advance team capable of information-based attacks will spread malicious information over as wide an area as possible, weakening the Mazoku.”

The roster is as follows:

Aisha, Vecchio, Finn, Roderus, Envers, Gordius (Meteor), and myself.

And primarily, we will organize around the Theocracy’s forces. Priests who have learned offensive application of divine power from the Pope should be able to play a similar role.

Roderus raised a hand as the personnel were announced. Dressed in a uniform befitting a Duke, he spoke with a sharp glint in his eyes.

“I understand the need for troops to escort the information warfare specialists. That colossal robot will make an excellent shield and bodyguard. And the demonkin’s… that ‘adaptation’ won’t work on it. But I am ill-suited to escort duty. Wouldn’t it be better to deploy the Shadow Warriors instead?”

“Ah, but you *are* the information warfare element.”

“?”

The ultimate goal was to inject bizarre data, to confuse these creatures about what they should even *do*. In that sense, Roderus was a living, breathing malignant information totem.

Especially when a delicate, flowing-haired magical girl was the one cracking their skulls.

The demonkin would see the magical girl and assume that the appearance of a beautiful maiden was what made her powerful, mimicking the girl’s form. Thinking that was the powerful shape.

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

The players’ gazes turned toward Roderus. It seemed that the perpetually irritable Redburn Duke, in fact, was a magical girl was a fact they were remembering anew.

Oh Dae-su’s scalding stare tried to incinerate me, but, alas, he lacked ignition capability.

After softening the demonkin like that, the next to be deployed was the massive hammer, ready to smash them to pieces in a single blow. The spearhead of this operation.

The second step was the step of annihilation.

“You will follow close behind the vanguard. In fact, you will almost be moving in tandem. Your role is to carve a path straight through, obliterating the demonkin and reaching the depths of the Eastern Front.”

The roster is as follows:

Elaine, Kim Ruru, Selbier, Snow White. Plus, unofficially, Cissel.

And the formation will be centered around the Academy friends and the Capital Knights. Subdivided into area-of-effect and single-target specialists, mixed and matched, but in the end, it all boils down to smashing things.

Once the demonkin cleanse is complete, all that remains is to drag out the source of all this and deal with it.

The third step is the step of seeking.

“It is suspected that the Dragon Body is located somewhere beyond the Dimensional Gate. Similar to the ‘Nest’ created by the Succubus Queen, it would have established a lair in the reverse side of the world. This unit is responsible for tracking down and dragging out that wyrm.”

The roster is as follows:

My love Yuna, My love Yuri, the Bennett Party.

And a force primarily composed of Empire soldiers and members of the Violet Magic Tower will be organized to occupy and stabilize the cleansed lands ahead. Getting blindsided while fighting the wyrm would be a thrill no one wanted.

Once the Dragon Body’s location is pinpointed, it will be an all-out war.

“Everyone but the elite troops will hold back at a distance, and our players will step forward and pummel it together. I will deal with the Evil Dragon’s illusion magic, so just turn it into mincemeat.”

That’s the broad outline of the operation.

Of course, I don’t think the wyrm will end with just this. I suspect there will be something more. We’ll have to make a judgment call on the scene then.

We refined the plan, ironing out the details and clarifying the specifics. And it was during one of those discussions that this happened.

“Your Highness, is the Sword Saint not participating? I have a debt to collect from that old geezer.”

“⋯⋯We’ve lost contact with him. He’s often away on extended trips, so it’s not entirely unusual. But this absence feels… unnatural.”

“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”

This, I should remember.

—

Preparation complete, time to begin the scenario. I rotated my neck, peering beyond the distant horizon.

Dawn is breaking. We will finish everything while the sun is high in the sky.

Each player steeled themselves in their own way. I captured the scene in my eyes, cherishing it. May they all, at the end of this tale, find happiness.

“I’ll see you later, Mima.”

*Smack.*

Yuri left a kiss on my cheek and coolly walked towards the rear.

Seeing this, Yuna seemed to want one too, but the height difference made the attempt awkward; she hopped up and down in place. So I lowered my head.

And then.

*Smack.* Something that landed was on my lips, not my cheek.

Yuna’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she flapped her arms as she earnestly requested of me:

“…S-see you later! You mustn’t, mustn’t get hurt!”

“…Of course. I won’t get so much as a scratch.”

“Promise! Promise!”

*Po-ro-rong.* Yuna fluttered off.

Yes, I know. These aren’t empty words.

If I were to pick the person who needs the most attention on this battlefield, it would be me. I have an evil dragon in my head; a true calamity will occur the moment it’s released.

Even if a player is in danger, I must prioritize my own life first. That is, ironically, what’s best for everyone. I will be careful. I won’t let my guard down.

I will sharpen every nerve, and I won’t hold back my hand. If necessary, I’ll unleash 100% of my power from the start. I won’t go down without even using the power I possess.

Aisha, standing side-by-side beside me, glanced at me.

“The seal, it was done with a name, wasn’t it.”

“That’s right.”

“You already know, and have prepared for it, but… absolutely do not think of its name. Papa. If the name is released, it will be released too. Well… releasing it also releases a 100% insane magician as well, though. If we’re already doing this, it’d be good if we could take it easy, right?”

Yes.

“I know. My daughter. Everything will work out, so think about what you’ll do when this is over.”

“Already counting chickens? Well. Hmm, yeah. It’s not a losing fight, that’s true. Then… maybe I’ll go on a trip. To a kingdom, or something.”

“Already thinking about staying out overnight? Your father can’t allow it.”

“What, if I bring back some male and shack up with him, would you foam at the mouth? *Heh heh.*”

Aisha chuckled, then walked forward first. *Charrreuk, charrreuk,* the sound of ebony dragon scales rubbing together. She seemed quite delighted at the moment.

Okay.

Let’s go. Let’s just go.

Let’s see about starting a war.