Chapter 308

Chapter 308

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 308: Stop Ganging Up On Me! (12)

“Big trouble, Brother Kyuse!”

After taking down the second regional lord and finishing the cleanup, we were holding a small party to relax when Karuti urgently reported the news.

“Oh, my adorable little sister Karuti? What’s the matter?”

“Baron Ogonbrite has crossed the border!”

“What…!”

What on earth is going on?!

This was a bit shocking. He had crossed the border. This meant I couldn’t use my specialty tactic of ambushing from a single path…!

Once past the mountain-bordered border area, the whole territory up to the barony was flatland. Therefore, there was no suitable place for an ambush, nor anywhere to hide soldiers.

It was literally a head-on confrontation.

“Did they move quickly, Karuti?”

“Yes! Among the three barons, he moved the fastest! To interpret the situation, it seems they forced a march to catch up after a late start!”

“Unnecessary effort! Ha, these punks!”

Such troublesome folks!

The situation had turned unusual.

“Haah!”

This was dangerous.

This was a situation I hoped wouldn’t happen… well, whatever. Thinking that the world would turn out exactly as I planned was just arrogance. Let’s cast aside that arrogance.

What was done was done.

So I’ll need to respond. Adapting flexibly to the situation—that will lead me to victory.

“Karuti, how many are there?”

“His force is slightly larger than the first two young lords.”

If I considered them roughly 1.5 times stronger, that meant I’d be facing around 300 soldiers on the open field.

“About 300 soldiers, then.”

Was I to catch these guys on open ground?

Or I might have to defend the village or barony fortress. Either way, this was all new territory. The skill level of my soldiers was lacking. Sending them into an untested battlefield was something to approach cautiously.

“Hm.”

What should I do?

“Brother Kyuse, stay calm. You can definitely overcome this.”

While I was deep in thought, Karuti calmly said that.

“Of course. If I can’t handle this, then I’m unworthy of being a lord. Karuti, I’ve thought it over a bit—if I were to hole up in the fortress, Baron Ogonbrite would surely go around pillaging all the nearby villages and cities, wouldn’t he?”

“If he’s not a fool, that’s what he’d do.”

So there was no avoiding the pillaging, then.

“The domain would be devastated.”

If I went for a defensive hold, that would naturally lead to pillaging. If pillaging occurred, the public’s sentiment toward the Saintess would plummet. Although people would rage against the enemy, they’d see the Saintess as only defending the fortress. That was how the situation would be interpreted.

They paid taxes, but they weren’t protected. Public sentiment would plummet.

And if the domain’s residents lost their property and livelihood, tax revenues would also significantly decrease. Taxes were crucial because war and conquest required funds.

As a Demon King, I must also protect the property of my people. Though I wanted to act wickedly as a Demon King, in the end, protecting my people was the best way to serve myself.

“Alright, abandoning defense.”

Similarly, abandoning the idea of holding up in one village for a siege. Let’s think coolly—coolly. If I holed up in the fortress, I’d achieve neither this nor that.

“We’ll have to engage in battle.”

There’s no choice but to go out and crush them.

I wouldn’t be able to ambush and would have to fight head-on, but I had many proven subordinates. If I properly utilized what I had built up so far, we could win.

“And… there’s also the human army.”

Though numbering less than 100, combined with my forces, we already have the advantage in numbers.

Good.

I’d deploy the human army here. Anna had been drilling them intensively on infantry formation daily, as she reported to me.

Just having soldiers who could form a solid front line would make things easier. We could use them as an anvil, while we struck.

“Karuti, pass on my words to Lumica and the Saintess.”

“Got it!”

“Tell Anna to gather the troops and move out.”

At last, the human army and the monster army will unite.

My heart raced.

Was this anticipation for a new attempt, or anxiety for an untried challenge?

“…”

Suppressing these emotions, I decided to label my feelings as anticipation. After all, who would follow a trembling Demon King?

In the Demon King’s absence, the Saintess managed the Demon King’s fortress.

There were women with seniority over her, but they had no experience in administration. There was no one as skilled in internal affairs as the Saintess.

“Baron Ogonbrite has crossed the border.”

“That’s the situation.”

“Understood.”

Upon hearing the news, the Saintess nodded.

With Baron Ogonbrite crossing the border, the order had been given to send Anna into battle. The Demon King intended to engage in combat, not defense.

“Prepare immediately. The location?”

“Bring out the map.”

The conversation was cold, direct, and stiff. Yet, it was efficient. Karuti and the Saintess laid out their plans, saying only what was necessary as they poured over the map.

—Flap, flap.

With their discussion over, Karuti left.

“Hm.”

The Saintess reviewed the strategy once more. There were no issues. If the troops are sent out, as usual, the Demon King will handle everything.

“Heh.”

And still—destroying the two barons without a scratch. As expected, the Demon King was incredible. Though his forces might be small, his abilities had been proven time and again.

The Saintess was loyal to him.

He was the ultimate, dominant male. In the end, he was destined to conquer all women and lands of this world.

Thinking of this, a warm excitement began to stir within her, filling her lower abdomen. She had once served a goddess, but now she fully understood who she truly needed to serve. The one worthy of her devotion was the Demon King alone.

“Lea, summon Anna.”

“Understood, Saintess.”

Soon, Lea brought Anna into the room.

“Anna, this is the Demon King’s command. Lead the troops to the designated location.”

“Could it be…! Has the enemy invaded?”

“Indeed. Some of the enemy forces have crossed the border, so go and support our troops.”

“Understood!”

Anna, filled with anticipation, responded energetically.

Finally, she would have a chance to prove her abilities. She had trained the soldiers for this day. If she demonstrated her skills, she would earn even greater trust.

Thus, the Saintess and Anna began a strategy meeting in front of the map.

“Move quickly! We’re deploying!”

“March, march! Everyone to your positions!”

The dark elf sergeants barked orders as the soldiers moved hastily. They gathered their combat gear, packed up their equipment, donned their armor, and armed themselves.

—Clank, clank, clank!

Thanks to the many training sessions, there were no major issues. Soon, the soldiers, fully prepared for the march, assembled on the parade ground as Captain Anna shouted.

“It’s war! News has come that the enemy is invading! We will go there and crush them! Understood?!”

“Yes!”

“Understood?!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The soldiers responded reflexively but soon realized what was happening. They were heading into battle. They’d been prepared for this since they signed their contracts, but it was still a sudden event. The startled soldiers tried to speak, wondering what was happening, but couldn’t open their mouths in the tense atmosphere.

“Begin the march! First Platoon, move out!”

—Clank, clank, clank!

The march began, faster than the soldiers’ thoughts could keep up. The First Platoon was the first to move. Were they really going into war now? Some of the soldiers briefly entertained thoughts of running away.

But they knew they couldn’t escape this situation.

“War…!”

With war, they’d be compensated accordingly. They might even claim loot, and if they achieved merit, they could receive rewards.

War was an opportunity.

But the soldiers here had no real combat experience. They had trained hard but were still fearful, lacking the confidence that experience brings.

“Don’t be afraid! The Saintess’s army is already fighting on the front lines! We’re the reserve unit! The main force will handle the direct combat!”

“Ah…!”

The beautiful dark elf sergeant’s shout snapped them back to reality.

“Is anyone still afraid?”

“No, ma’am!”

They were still nervous but also excited. This was a chance to fight for the Saintess. The enemy was surely the wicked faction that followed the angels. In that case, this war would be an act of righteousness.

Just as the Saintess said, they would surely be rewarded in the afterlife.

“Brother Kyuse! Anna has deployed!”

“Good. She’s on her way here, right?”

“Yes!”

Having Karuti around made communication fast. With this, we couldn’t lose. Once Anna arrived, we’d be able to start the battle immediately.

Right now, we were pursuing Baron Ogonbrite. He hadn’t noticed us yet due to the distance we had maintained. They were still on the march, and soon enough, they’d encounter Anna’s infantry unit.

Naturally, they’d be on guard.

And in that moment, if we caught them from behind, they’d be surrounded from both front and back. Their morale would likely drop instantly.

At that point, we’ll use the Fallen Angels to break their formation and the pixies to destroy their cavalry. Then it’ll come down to infantry versus infantry.

In a formation battle, there was no way we’d lose. Besides, we had the Lamia cavalry.

“Serinu, the pixies will have to neutralize the cavalry again this time.”

“Got it! Just leave it to us! We’re more than used to it now!”

So reliable.

“Lilriel, it’s the same for you. Fire the Black Flame Cannons at the enemy infantry formations.”

“Understood.”

Lilriel answered with a confident look.

Alright, then.

Let’s commence the first engagement.

If we took down these guys, that would make five barons I crushed. For a ruler who could topple five barons, wasn’t that rather impressive? When word spread of our victory, the Saintess’s influence would grow even stronger.

This would set the stage for a three-way conflict: angels vs. count vs. the Saintess. With that, we’d weaken the angel and count factions, and ultimately, I would devour everything.