Chapter 207

Chapter 207

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 207: Saintess! (2)

“Karuti! What is the size of the enemy force?”

“About three hundred men! Those soldiers are in hot pursuit!”

“Three hundred…!”

That’s a lot!

That’s three full companies! They outnumbered my troops by more than double!

“But.”

We can win.

We’d be fighting at night anyway, and the enemy knew nothing about me. This battle would reveal my existence… but it’s a risk worth taking. It’s something that has to be done sooner or later. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to gain experience fighting against human armies!

Let’s make it happen now. Don’t worry. I had trained infantry and elite cavalry. Besides, this was my territory. Ambushing the unaware enemy at night in my territory?

We couldn’t lose.

Plus, my soldiers had excellent night vision!

“Karuti! What about the Saintess!”

“She’s lost most of her guards except for a few! It won’t be long before she loses all her forces! She’s practically alone!”

“Good!”

Kidnapping the Saintess would be easy. It seemed the baron’s soldiers had significantly reduced her escort. That’s to our advantage!

“All troops!”

Soon, all my soldiers were fully armed and gathered in the training ground.

“The human army is approaching! We will exterminate them! Understood!”

“Kerrrrr!”

“Rrrrrrr!”

Morale was high.

“Each platoon leader must command their units properly! We move strictly in platoon units! Infantry must stick close to each other without separating! Understood!”

I quickly briefed the assembled troops.

I knew which direction to go.

Just pack up the supplies and start advancing. If they came from that side and we went out from this side, there’s a high chance of battle within two days. Plan for that.

“Juria! This time it’s human hunting! Can you do it?”

“Of course, My Lord. Just leave it to me.”

The role of the cavalry was crucial.

“Serinu! When the unit advances, scatter the pixies for reconnaissance! Got it?”

“Will do!”

“Ruby! The operation is expected to last three to four days, so calculate the supplies accordingly! The guards will move with the dark elves!”

Everyone was familiar with such tasks. We had fought many battles before. As they swiftly followed my orders, we prepared for the march.

“We start night marching from now!”

Let’s go.

The situation was not good.

The baron’s army was in hot pursuit. Sending troops immediately upon contact… She didn’t expect it, but it was too fast.

“Damn…!”

A bitter mistake. There might not be another chance. The guard unit was annihilated while fighting the baron’s forces, leaving only Guard Captain Lea.

“Saintess! Focus on escaping now!”

“I know!”

Cecilia and Lea rushed through the dense jungle alone.

The only fortunate thing was that cavalry couldn’t be used in this uncharted territory. So, it was a situation where they had to run on foot, which favored those with holy power over regular soldiers.

But both the Saintess and the Guard Captain were exhausted.

Holy power would deplete even faster. The increasing number of torches behind amplified their anxiety. In such a situation, erasing traces was impossible. Even if the enemy’s speed was slightly slower, they would inevitably catch up by following the traces.

“Until the pursuit dies down, we have to keep running, Saintess.”

“Do you know where to go?”

“Right now… I can’t decide. We just have to run as far as possible. We can find our way after shaking off the pursuit.”

Lea planned to find a waterway. It would help break their trail.

“Got it. I trust you, Lea.”

“Haha, yes. Just trust me.”

“That smile is quite reassuring.”

Even if they shook off the soldiers, monsters remained. However, if it’s Guard Captain Lea, she could handle monster attacks without issue. Monsters didn’t operate in trained military units.

If they hid well in this jungle, they could shake off the pursuit.

“No matter what, I will get you to safety, Saintess. So stay strong.”

“I always do. Ah, look. The torches are getting farther away. Seems like we chose the right direction.”

“…It seems so.”

Lea’s words of encouragement stirred her emotions, but she continued running without showing it, holding the Saintess’s hand.

There’s no stopping.

There’s a knight with mana over there. He’d use his sharp senses to find them. While he avoided a direct confrontation with her, he continued to lead the pursuit.

‘This is not good.’

Ensuring the Saintess’s survival in this situation, let alone the angelic extermination and the revival of the Goddess Church, seemed unlikely. Lea was skeptical.

Since the descent of the angels, the Goddess Church had completely collapsed.

Perhaps it’s better to abandon the Saintess’s stubbornness and prioritize her survival. As the Guard Captain, Lea had spent a lot of time with the Saintess, knowing her convictions, ambitions, and abilities. She wanted the Saintess to live as she desired.

But if that’s not possible… As the Guard Captain, what should she choose? Should she prioritize her life? Or should she faithfully support her even at the cost of her life?

In the darkness, Lea pondered.

Marching, resting, and scouting were repeated.

At the end of the night march, dawn broke, and after resting, we marched again until nightfall. After resting and scouting, we marched again.

Thus, the third night march began.

“War is just a series of marches.”

Although tired, no one complained. We were starting to sense the impending battle.

“My Lord. I still can’t sense it.”

“Really? Thanks for your hard work, Sharan.”

“Shaah.”

We lowered the marching speed, maintaining a state of alertness to form ranks at any time as we moved through the darkness.

With them coming and us going, considering the time, there would definitely be a battle in this darkness tonight. The thought of it made my heart feel like it would burst.

“My Lord. Don’t worry. Sharan will protect you.”

“My Lord. I’m here too. Right by your side, remember?”

Sharan and Lumica’s encouragement.

“Hahaha, yes. Having both of you watching over me is reassuring.”

Behind me were the guards and dark elves. Although I hadn’t yet used the dark elves in battle, for now, they were armed. They should have enough willpower to fight the incoming humans.

“So, when the Saintess arrives, we’ll capture her, right?”

“Yes. Lady Reika, please capture her well.”

“Well, it’s better than letting her die at the hands of the angels. That’s what we must do.”

“Oh, do you like the Saintess?”

“I’ve never seen her, only heard of her, idiot. I just don’t want to see the Saintess I believed in die…”

Despite that, she worried a lot. She’s a kind-hearted type. When told that the angels intended to kill the Saintess, she became enraged.

As we slowly marched, talking like this.

—Buuuuuung!

Serinu flew in.

And she looked rather urgent.

“Hey…! I found it! I can see torches in the distance!”

“Alright! They finally appeared! Serinu! Gather the pixies!”

“Okay!”

Serinu immediately flew off, and one by one, the pixies began to gather. I gave the gathered pixies orders.

“Guys, it’s flight formation!”

“Flight formation!”

“Flight formation!”

“Grab him!”

The pixies swarmed and clung to me.

And then.

—Buuuung.

All at once, they flapped their wings and took off. As they did, my body floated and slowly rose.

Flying using the pixies!

This was what we called flight formation!

“Ooh…!”

As the altitude increased, I could see the scenery in the distance.

—…

A group of torches visible from the other side.

Humans needed light sources to move at night. Coincidentally, today was the worst moonlight night. A pitch-black night. Unlike us, who relied on fireflies, those torches stood out too much.

Good.

Their position was roughly pinpointed.

All that’s left was to hit their flanks and rear.

“Lower me down.”

“Ugh…!”

After quickly landing, I gathered the platoon leaders and gave orders.

“We’ve found the human army ahead. Now we’ll make a slight detour to hit their flanks and rear. Imsoong.”

“Yes, My Lord!”

“You and the Hobgoblins will sneak around to the rear of the human army. Your goal is to attack from behind. The imps will set fires, and the hobgoblins will kill some humans. In other words, it’s a rear disruption. Can you do it, Imsoong?”

“I can do it! Imps are good at arson and escape!”

“Hahaha, very reliable! Then I’ll send pixies with you!”

For rear disruption, it’s imps and hobgoblins.

“Lady Juria. It’s time for human hunting.”

“Hahaha, yes. I’m looking forward to it.”

“It’s an enjoyable time. Sweep them all away.”

Juria smiled like a snake. She must already be excited at the thought of spilling blood. Lamias are natural hunters, after all.

“This time it’s night, so instead of splitting up, let’s attack all together. Move to the human army’s flank. When I give the order, we’ll charge together. Then tear them all apart.”

“Understood. But the order?”

“I will give a very loud command from the sky.”

For the strike force, it’s the Lamia cavalry.

“The rest will advance in formation as is.”

“Understood, My Lord!”

The goblin formation is supported by kobolds and lizardmen.

“And the guards will protect me. We will search for the Saintess during this.”

I just needed to give orders from behind the formation and find the Saintess. Anyway, I gave detailed orders like that.

“Then to battle positions!”

—Papapap!

The units moved immediately.

Now it’s time for the clash.

My heart was racing.