Chapter 270

Chapter 270

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 270: This Castle Is Now Mine (9)

“I’ve gathered all the information I can for now. The war with the angels is different from a typical war. While wars between nobles arise from conflicts over interests that can’t be compromised, the war with the angels… is purely about annihilating the enemy.”

That’s right.

Although they were called lords and nobles, they all belonged to the same country.

It’s somewhat like feudalism on Earth, but not exactly the same. The feudal lords of Earth only had a vassal relationship with the king and did not necessarily have to bow down to him.

Of course, they would defer to the king due to the size of his power, but feudal lords were not subject to the king’s orders unless they had a contract with him.

But the lords of this world were a bit different.

They were appointed by the king as lords and were granted autonomy over specific regions. It’s as if the king was saying, “You have enough power, so you can rule here as you see fit.”

Naturally, they paid taxes to the king and pledged loyalty to him. They usually followed the king’s orders without much resistance.

This showed that the king’s authority was strong. However, that didn’t mean the kings always issued orders to their lords. Since this was a world with superhuman powers, the king was the strongest being, but the lords were also powerful.

Naturally, they were recognized for their power.

Thus, since their autonomy was acknowledged, most disputes were left for them to handle. That’s why territorial wars occurred. The important point was that, since they existed within the framework of a state, even if they waged a territorial war, massacres didn’t happen.

Even in war, they didn’t fight to completely destroy the opponent.

But angels were different.

“I’ve heard that angels completely annihilate their enemies. They condemn the opposing forces as evil and commit massacres.”

“Oh… is that so.”

“I’ve also heard that they don’t take prisoners. In such a situation, rebellion is inevitable. Of course, those who have already sided with the angels are completely influenced by their nature.”

In such a situation, the nature of the war inevitably changed.

It’s literally an all-out war.

“I honestly don’t know much about this kind of war. As a knight, I’ve never fought a war like this. A war where the complete destruction and annihilation of the enemy is the goal… it’s hard to believe.”

Vanessa also seemed shocked.

“Well, we’ll just have to learn from now on. We need to establish a strategy, so feel free to share your opinions.”

“Understood.”

And so, Vanessa’s explanation continued.

“A siege battle, huh.”

I also heard an explanation about siege warfare. Originally, holing up inside a castle was a fairly good strategy. As long as you had enough supplies, you could hold out until the enemy collapsed or until reinforcements arrived.

But not anymore, since the angels appeared.

“I’ve heard that angels carry out aerial bombardments. Once the angels take position and start bombing, it’s impossible to hold out inside the castle.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Although angels were slower than pixies and their attack speed was lacking, their attack range was much longer, and their destructive power was extraordinary. In other words, you could think of them as slow-flying howitzers.

“Therefore, defending a castle is no longer a valid strategy… If we are to fight the angelic forces, we have no choice but to adopt an offensive strategy rather than a defensive one. We can’t win by just holding out.”

“Hm. In that case, wouldn’t the angels need to defend as well?”

“No. The angels are obsessively expanding their territory. They keep advancing.”

“Oh. I see.”

To sum it up:

Fighting around a castle had almost become obsolete. The war had shifted to a form where the anti-angel forces actively engage the advancing angelic army.

“Most battles will take place on the roads or in the plains, I assume.”

“Yes. As always, cavalry will play the most significant role. Infantry formations… will be used, but the threat of annihilation is high when angels arrive. I’ve heard that scattered formations are mainly used.”

“But wouldn’t that make them vulnerable to cavalry charges?”

“They’ll just have to deal with it.”

It was clear that the angels had the advantage.

The angels bombarded the formations with artillery-like precision and then crushed them with cavalry charges. With this, attempting to hold a defensive position would be a disaster. The mere presence of angels forced you to fight with the penalty of being unable to form proper formations. In short, there’s no choice but to adopt an aggressive offensive strategy.

We have no choice but to launch an aggressive offensive.

“This is all the information I’ve gathered. The angels are so useful and powerful that it’s difficult to face them on the battlefield. However, I’ve heard that their cruel behavior has caused some defections.”

“So, you’re saying it’s a 50:50 situation?”

“If we look at it comprehensively, that’s about right.”

Vanessa grinned at this point.

“But don’t we have angel killers on our side?”

“Yes, that’s right. If the angels have had fun with their bombardments, well, we’ll enjoy the air battles.”

To be honest, pixies couldn’t do much against heavily armed enemy infantry. They weren’t very efficient, and they had many disadvantages. But when it came to smashing the slow angels, they could perform perfectly.

“I don’t think we need to change our strategy much.”

We would need to verify and analyze more later to make sure, but for now, there didn’t seem to be a need to alter the plan.

“If we can secure air superiority with the pixies, the infantry formations will be safe. And if we can hold off the cavalry, well, from there it’ll just be a matter of brute force.”

“That’s true. Once we secure air superiority, we can deploy Lilriel.”

“The angels will only experience what they’ve been doing to others.”

“Hmph, you’re quite sharp. It hasn’t even been long since you became a lord.”

Vanessa smiled and nodded as if she was pleased. Discussing military strategies like this was actually pretty enjoyable.

“Hahaha, that’s my talent.”

Vanessa and I continued our military discussion in that manner.

“What we desperately need, though, is a human army to handle the heavy fighting. Honestly, I don’t want to throw the residents of the Demon King’s castle into a battlefield like that.”

We still needed someone to take the brunt of the attacks. While I had decided to act more like a human lord, I was still a demon.

And, of course, my people were more important than other humans. My army would also go to war, but the damage must always be minimized.

Let the humans bear the brunt of the damage.

“You don’t want to sacrifice your own people… In that case, it’s best to sacrifice the allied forces instead.”

Vanessa said exactly what I was thinking.

“That’s exactly it.”

“If we can show that the pixies are highly effective against the angels, an army will gather. Whether you can use them… that will depend entirely on your ability.”

I nodded as I looked into Vanessa’s eyes.

“Of course. My ability is precisely to achieve that.”

“I trust you. But I’d advise you to be careful not to get devoured by the allied forces that gather.”

“Don’t worry about that.”

I had a plan.

“The saintess mentioned that there are many ambitious young ladies. With a woman as the military commander, the situation is already in our favor. I’ll take it all and swallow up the entire army.”

By swallowing up the ambitions of those young ladies, I would be reborn as the Demon King.

“You perverted bastard! If you think you can achieve everything through sex, you’re mistaken!”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t be so naive.”

I’d use the saintess as bait to gather the army led by those ambitious young women. Once I brought them in, I’d violate them and make them mine. After increasing my forces, I’d extend my influence to other military commanders.

“Demon King! Good news!”

While I was working, Lilriel came to me with those words.

“What’s the matter?”

“Refugees have arrived!”

“Refugees?”

“They are people who fled from the tyranny of the angels! Nuns from the Goddess Church, some stragglers, and other people!”

“Oh! Immediately inform the Saintess! Tell her to make use of their vivid testimonies!”

This was a great opportunity! Survivors who suffered significant damage from the angels! If they stood on the platform and spoke, it would captivate the public even more!

“Ah, the Saintess actually sent me to inform you of this.”

“As expected of the Saintess!”

She was quite sharp!

Good. With this, it would become even clearer how terrifying the angels truly were. And nuns were here too? Excellent. As more refugees gathered, the likelihood of the armies led by the ambitious young ladies showing up increased.

Once I had seized control of those young ladies’ armies, I could use the human soldiers as a force for direct combat.

“Very good. Things are going well.”

You had to win before you fought, win before. We’re in the frontier, a place difficult for the enemy to attack. We needed to take advantage of this geographical benefit to accumulate power.

We had to plan carefully.

By actively utilizing our strengths and weapons, we would secure victory.

“They, they did! Ugh! The angels…! Those disgusting devils with white wings! They trampled and burned our village! They even blew up the Goddess Church! We barely escaped!”

“Don’t be fooled by their beautiful appearance! They didn’t even take prisoners! Just because we sided with the Goddess Church, they executed us all!”

“The angels’ goal is to kill every human who doesn’t follow them!”

The refugees continued their vivid testimonies.

— Oh, oh…!

— Horrible!

— So terrifying!

The people gathered in the square were greatly frightened by the angels. Good. This was a very good sign. Fear made it easier to control them.

“You’ve all been through so much…! Sob!”

The Saintess held the hands of the refugees as she shed tears.

“People gathered here! Listen well! If the angels come… we must fight back!”

Look at that charisma. She’s a born agitator.

“However! There might be those who think it wouldn’t be so bad to swear obedience to the angels rather than fight!”

— Who would do that!

— Boo!

— Crazy fools!

“But that would mean becoming slaves! If you don’t want to become slaves, you must fight! Isn’t that right? Aren’t you all brave men and women? It’s better to fight than to become someone’s slave!”

At the Saintess’s words:

— Waaaaahhh!

A loud cheer erupted.

“We must use any means necessary! We must strengthen ourselves to face the angels!”

With that, today’s assembly came to an end.

As soon as the Saintess returned to the castle and saw me, she ran up to me like a puppy and hugged me.

“Did you see?”

“Yes.”

“Hehehe, how was it? Didn’t I do well?”

Just moments ago, she had been stirring up the crowd, and now she was acting all cute in my arms. What a drastic difference. Anyway, I patted her head and said:

“You did very well. At this rate, we can naturally bring up the topic of the ‘Alliance of Other Races,’ can’t we?”

“Of course! I’ve already set the stage for it!”

If that’s resolved, everything would be in place.

From what I had heard, it seemed even the Elven Kingdom was debating whether to get involved in matters concerning the angels. Let’s ride that wave.

Our first move would be the Dark Elves.

I’d bring up the idea of the Dark Elf Alliance and lead it into a discussion about the Dark Elves’ monster slave army.

The picture of the other races lending their strength to overthrow the evil angels… How beautiful.