#087. The Demon Lord Subjugation Party is Too Kind (1)

#087. The Demon Lord Subjugation Party is Too Kind (1)

The Northern Front.

Originally, the relationships built up in Parts 1, 2, and 3 significantly affected the size of the force the player sent to the barren North.

How much did the main adventurers of the guild have?

How many followed the famous adventurer clans?

How much support do local armed groups and influential figures provide?

The final battle, waged with all the power accumulated from previous plays, is the Northern Front of Part Four.

‘A vista unlike any I’ve seen before.’

Ian, along with a multitude unseen in any playthrough of Part Four, began his advance north. A grand army of no less than one hundred thousand.

And that was only counting the Beastmen Legion. Including the two hundred thousand of the Westwood Front Army, the force totaled no less than three hundred thousand.

Unprecedented.

Even with the mobilization of such a vast army, there was no room for complacency.

As the mobilized army grew, the Empire’s vigilance rose at a terrifying rate, turning to outright hostility. Even that was escalating fiercely due to Theresa’s uncompromising stance.

If they failed to conquer swiftly, the kingdom would fall.

But if they succeeded in a swift conquest…

If everyone charged without fear of danger…

Part Four’s boss: the Demon King.

By achieving the long-cherished desire to defeat the Demon King, the kingdom would be safe.

The Seditionist’s fervent wish to save Sodom would finally be fulfilled.

‘The fires of war never ceased.’

Instead of scrimping on firewood for meager bonfires, as they had once done on the grim frontlines, countless fires blazed, flaunting the size of their encampment.

Ian’s gaze drifted from the bright allied camps banishing the darkness to memories of the wretched encampments he’d once endured.

* * *

Benevolent Saintess Kasha, saintess of the Revolutionary Order, was the last support sent by the Order to the Northern Front.

“I regret to inform those of you who have traveled so far that the front is on the verge of collapse.”

“…!”

“You may look at me that way, but it cannot be helped. Manpower is scarce, and time is even scarcer. With the insufficient size of this reinforcement, the collapse of the front is unavoidable.”

By the time the player reinforcements arrived, the Northern Front was already in dire straits, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Naturally, any countermeasures the players could offer would be reckless and unreasonable.

“You’ll do your best to send the Hero Party ahead to face the Demon King? There’s no way enough people will volunteer for such a foolhardy operation!”

“…”

“I don’t understand… Why are you adventurers, who set out for personal gain, risking your lives to defend a battlefield even the kingdom’s nobles have abandoned?”

“…”

“I see… That brazen attitude of simply doing what needs to be done. Perhaps the Northern Front has gained another worthy of being called a hero.”

Benevolent Saintess Kasha finally made a difficult decision.

“Very well. Let us all work together to help the Hero Party reach the Demon King.”

If they had numbers, could prepare strategies, and had enough time, the Demon King Subjugation Force could crush every enemy they encountered and advance toward the enemy camp without hesitation whenever a situation arose.

But in most cases, the Subjugation Force was outnumbered, had to rely on clever tactics, and was short on time.

To make up for the lack of time and power, they had to gamble by deploying part of the subjugation force as expendable pieces in operations with low survival rates.

━━━

[Situation]

A march of suicide bombers aiming to destroy the Northern Fortress has been detected.

While the explosion risks exposing the Demon King Subjugation Force to the enemy, abandoning the fortress would cause the Northern Front to fall faster and demoralize the Subjugation Force with the thought of losing their homelands.

[Choices]

① Risk discovery and trigger a massive explosion. (Requires combat mages of level 6 or higher, 80% chance of the Demon Lord subjugation party being discovered)

② Leave behind guerrilla troops to slow the march. (10 subjugation party members specializing in scouting and skirmishing defect)

③ Ignore the suicide bomber ranks and focus on infiltrating to subjugate the Demon Lord. (Demon Lord subjugation party morale plummets, 60% chance of some party members defecting)

━━━

Those lacking in power were forced to accept tragedy, and those lacking in talent were forced to lose a large number of scouts or skirmishers.

Like clothes soaked by a drizzle, these choices repeat until reaching the Demon Lord, and before long, the Demon Lord subjugation party collapses before ever reaching their destination.

Even when finding lucky hidden civilians, the heartbreaking reality of using them as bait or brainwashing them to persuade them repeats.

A crisis that tests humanity.

Such moments arise endlessly.

Because all that is possessed is humanity, and all that can be lost is humanity.

Naturally, as one draws closer to the end, the random encounters and the subjugation party’s status that the player faces become more miserable.

Party members break down, their minds shattered, making proper combat impossible.

Using the power of ＜Brainwashing＞, he forcibly maintains the combat strength of everyone, striving to leave even one more person alive or to arrive even a day sooner before the Demon Lord.

A harrowing challenge.

Even the Benevolent Saintess Kasha, with whom the player has built the deepest bond during the long journey, has countless route branching points where she ultimately dies.

“You possess a cruel ability. But abilities depend on how they are used. Brainwasher. I don’t think of you as an evil person.”

“…”

“Thank you. For relieving everyone’s suffering. For making the most difficult decisions on our behalf. So, that mercy, please bestow it upon me this time.”

The half-paralyzed Saintess prays.

“Please, with your brainwashing, grant me the peace of a painless death.”

“…”

“There is no room to grant her wish. Your brainwashing must be conserved. Even for the greater battles ahead.”

In the end, even the use of brainwashing becomes a mercy to alleviate the pain of death.

And even that use of brainwashing is spared, trapped in a predicament where it cannot be easily used because it is needed to brainwash and increase the fighting power of the hero party.

The moment when the power of self-hypnosis-like battle augmentation using brainwashing is insufficient, and the party collapses before the Demon Lord due to a lack of power.

The player obtains it.

The opportunity to return all time and challenge the ‘next round.’

To save more allies.

Lesser choices.

Or to commit choices that are more ruthlessly pragmatic.

It is also possible to anticipate the enemy’s schemes and defuse the very situations that force a choice.

But even such things had clear limits.

The movement of a large army is an act that provokes the Empire.

An incorrect answer that should not be taken to avoid a bad ending.

* * *

“The Holy Army has been raised! The largest Holy Army in the north! 300,000, a full 300,000 soldiers filling the front lines and gaining the opportunity to counterattack! A large-scale operation is being planned to defeat the Demon Lord immediately!”

The Benevolent Saintess Kasha, who was begging for death with a haggard face, repeatedly preached with an excited expression about how great the scale of the Holy Army was.

“Looking at the tactical map, I’ve never felt so secure. With this much power, even the hero can break free to lead the attack, instead of needing to be on the defense to protect us.”

“Finding the Demon Lord’s location would have originally taken considerable effort, but by slaughtering many enemies, the Demon Lord is bound to show himself. We only need to seize that opportunity and subjugate the Demon Lord.”

“There’s no need to rely on stratagems. In a war where we can win by employing only tactics that are favorable to our allies, there’s no reason to deploy stratagems that put everyone in a precarious situation.”

Many were thrilled by the perceived invincibility of humanity.

Even the Hero Party was not exempt from this sentiment.

“Are you family of Lonoa?”

The long-haired swordswoman possessed an unsettling aura, akin to witnessing a living corpse.

Teresa recognized it from the swordsmanship naturally emanating from her.

“So, you are the Hero who received ‘my thing.’ Has it been fun playing Hero with someone else’s talent and swordsmanship?”

Teresa’s scathing remark caused the core members of the Hero Party to bristle, but they suppressed their anger, watching the two intently at the Hero’s command.

Ian, too, watched their confrontation with a nervous heart.

“A Hero’s calling is not one that necessarily leads to enjoyment.”

“Then why didn’t you return it? If such power brings no joy, you should have given it back to its rightful owner.”

The Hero spoke in a dry, metallic voice, without a hint of a smile.

“Because I needed it. To defend the precarious front lines, I had to be willing to sacrifice anyone. I had to become stronger, no matter what. So I kept the source of my power a secret from everyone, and dirtied my own hands.”

The Hero of this era spoke with utter loneliness.

As a player endures the role of a necessary evil, so too did he embrace it.

“Your time is over. Humanity will no longer pour all its resources into a single, artificial Hero Party. This army of three hundred thousand is the collective will of the kingdom.”

“You are greenhorns, newly arrived on the front lines. Holding command of the army does not place you above us.”

“Then, what course of action would your esteemed Hero Party take in this situation?”

The Hero replied:

“Use the great army as bait to draw out the main force of the Demon King’s army, and in that gap, the Hero Party will subjugate the Demon King.”

“That’s your limit.”

“…Limit?”

“Hero Party. You cannot sacrifice a single soul within this army. The correct answer you should have given is to overcome all adversity that demands sacrifice with the power of the entire army.”

The Mind Controller was skilled in coercion bordering on brainwashing, even towards her own mother.

“So, do not meddle with military command again. You are not qualified to bear the lives of these people.”

A sight unknown to Ian.

It wasn’t just the army of 300,000.

A strategy that moved forward on the premise of sacrifice.

Her mother’s declaration, rejecting that from the start.

A total war effort with the full strength of the army.

A completely new strategy.

This too, was a sight Ian had never seen before.

“To you, the Hero Party is merely a party of five, but to us, the Hero Party is an army of three hundred thousand.”