Maoyuu Maou Yuusha - Book 5: Chapter 6, “For your own futures!!”
——– Five Years Ago, a Small Village in the Demon World
The Hero: “……”
The Butler: “…… at this time in the night, where can I find a lady—“
The Hero: “What the hell, old man.”
The Butler: “Ahem, ahem. I can’t breathe…”
The Hero: “Ah, sorry.”
The Butler: “You almost killed me!”
The Hero: “It’s fine isn’t it, you’ve lived long enough already, haven’t you?”
The Butler: “What’s with that relieved expression, are you threatening me!?”
The Hero: “Ah, sorry. Sorry. There was no ill-intent.”
The Butler: “Haha, you need to talk normally from time to time. Hero, you’re really childish.”
The Hero: “Is being childish bad?”
The Butler: “No no, nyohohoho…… Shall we get something to drink? Surely there’s got to be some inn or something to drink in.”
The Hero: “Um, wait, let’s go see the stars.”
The Butler: “Stars?”
The Hero: “Ah, sorry. I was lying.”
The Butler: “As long as you understand. Well then, let’s go outside.”
Wind blows
The Butler: “…… A strong wind…… what beautiful stars.”
The Hero: “Yeah. It’s beautiful.”
The Hero: “……”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “Then.”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “Umm.”
The Butler: “Yeah.”
The Hero: “Let’s go.”
The Butler: “Yeah”
The Hero: “No stopping?”
The Butler: “I’ll think about it.”
The Hero: “……”
The Butler: “We aren’t shackles that are weighing you down you know. To you, you probably feel we’re burdens constraining you. To begin with…… Maybe it’s just because we haven’t asked, but it seems that you don’t even have a reason to save the world.”
The Hero: “……”
The Butler: “Let’s hear it then…… why?”
The Hero: “Because I don’t have anything else to do.”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “That’s it. —- I can do magic, I can do swordsplay. A monster like me would never be accepted in any academy or knight brigade. I would be welcome anywhere, but is there a city or village in which I could actually stay? “We’re really grateful for everything you’ve done, but are you really going to stay here?” is what they always say. Isn’t that what it means to be the Hero?”
The Butler: “Well……”
The Hero: “I’m not really very smart, so maybe I don’t understand—- It’s probably because I’m not human. Humans aren’t kind to me. But when I think about what I am if I’m not human, then I guess I’m the Hero. There’s nothing for it. I was born among humans, and while I don’t understand why they oppose me. It seems humans cannot like anything else but humans.”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “There are lots of weak people. It’s a violent world. Disregarding whether or not it’s the truth that weak people are merely unfortunate, the weak just unite in pointing a finger at the strong and saying, ‘You’re evil.’ If I attempt to challenge them, they simply say, ‘This person is oppressing us, he truly is evil!’ and that just makes them happier. And then comes the violence. What meaning is there in saving a world like this?”
The Butler: “…Yes.”
The Hero: “But I guess, in the end!”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “It wouldn’t make sense to hate all of them.”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “I mean, everyone is really brave. They’re kind, and warm. It’s just, they’re not like that towards me. Fundamentally, all humans are nice people. Gramps, in the end it all balances out, but I guess it balances with me being unhappy. Maybe it just balances out exactly — Everything is like a mosaic, a contrast of black against white. There just isn’t anyone who is completely black, or completely white. This isn’t a set menu where you can only pick ‘I want everything’ or ‘I want nothing’. It took a while, but I finally understand that…… That’s why, despite how unhappy I am, I wish the best for everyone in the world, and I would never do anything to destroy it.”
The Butler: “Hero……”
The Hero: “Being together with you, and the other two.”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “It’s almost like I can feel what it’s like to be human.”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “The Demon King. We’ll start there.”
The Butler: “……Hero.”
The Hero: “I guess I do want to be liked after all.”
The Butler: “Well……”
The Hero: “It’s because I’m a child.”
The Butler: “You are a child.”
The Hero: “Full of hope.”
The Butler: “Well, hope is what makes you young.”
The Hero: “That’s why.”
The Butler: “?”
The Hero: “We’ll do it somehow. Somehow!”
The Butler: “Yes.”
The Hero: “ ‘Become mine’…… Why would she say something like that to me? All I know how to do is to destroy cities or to kill monsters. Maybe she thinks that because I’m not a human, I might be a comrade. That’s how my set menu comes into it I guess. Even though I think I;m a human.”
The Butler: “……”
The Hero: “But I guess I’m still looking forward to it. How stupid I am.”
———- The City of the Gate, an Abandoned Building
Rain falling……
——- Rain
——- How heavy. But my body feels so distant.
——- Is it still night time? How is the battle?
The Hero: “!”
The Demon King: “Have a rest.”
The Hero: “Demon King! ! Oww!”
The Demon King: “Stop moving, you’re injured.”
The Hero: “Where is this? Where is the battle!? Why am I here?”
The Demon King: “Stop panicking. You’re in an abandoned building in the City of the Gate. It’s a rainy night, probably past midnight. As for why you’re here…… Just grit your teeth through the pain.”
The Hero: “How……”
The Demon King: “The Demon Thrush brought you here, shrieking about how his master was dying.”
The Hero: “…… and the battle?”
The Demon King: “Stop.”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “Stop. Neither army can move until the morning. This place is at some distance from the battle command centre, it seems both armies are exhausted, and neither side will be coming here. Right now, you’re okay. That’s why, stop moving.”
The Hero: “Yes……”
The Demon King: “I was worried.”
The Hero: “…… Yes.”
The Demon King: “I thought I would never see you again.”
The Hero: “Don’t say that.”
The Demon King: “But……”
The Hero: “?”
The Demon King: “You came in the end.”
The Hero: “In the end.”
The Demon King: “You should be able to feel it, right? These beating in my chest.”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “There’s something I’ve been hiding from you.”
The Hero: “What is it……”
The Demon King: “What does the end mean to you?”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “…… The end. I’ve always wanted to look beyond the hill. But beyond the hill is just ‘beyond the hill’, it’s not the end. It’s not, as the words suggest, any sort of finality. It doesn’t have that implication. It’s not the end of anything. I believe, maybe, the end of the beginning was when you appeared. When we first met in the Great Hall of the Demon King’s Palace, when you came at me with fire in your eyes…… I suppose that was the end of something.”
The Demon King: “You could have pierced me through my chest right here, and ended my life right there. That was one way it could have ended. That was probably what the Mage wanted. It’s probable that the original ending was for our story to have ended there. But I refused to accept such an ending, I searched for a different tomorrow, together with you.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Demon King: “We’ve done so much…… The agricultural revolution, the introduction of livestock, the invention of compasses, windmills, watermills, and other technological advances. Agricultural advances like the introduction of potatoes, or corn. Creating paper in order to promote education. Spreading ideologies of freedom through the Elder Maid Sister, and vaccines against smallpox through the Mage. We reformed the feudal system through the Discicple Merchant, and the balance of power through the Disciple Nobleman, and militia tactics and defensive strategy through the Disciple Soldier. On top of that, we stabilised and centralised the Kurultai, creating genuine democracy in the Demon World. We established banking, infrastructure and other public works. It has been amazing. This journey…… My heart is just filled with warmth…… Being together with you makes me so happy. Being with you has been so fun.”
The Hero: “Yeah.”
The Demon King: “I said this before, but I think we can almost see that hill I’ve been aiming for. You taught me what it meant to feel warmth in my heart in the Village of Winter. I think we have created new possibilities for Human and Demon co-existence here in the City of the Gate. However, what I really want, is to go beyond this hill, find the next hill, and then go beyond that as well. There is a new tomorrow beyond the hill, and we will need new technologies in that new tomorrow. Technology is what makes people happy, but sometimes…… For example, agricultural technology can lead to increased production of food, allowing a population explosion, but the increased concentration of overflowing wealth leads to more and more greed. Gunpowder technology has only worsened the warlike wrath of the military, and it has led to this horrible Crusade. —— So many have died.”
The Hero: “Yes.”
The Demon King: “But I have no regrets. That’s why I don’t want you to have any either. We said we would do it together. And so we have no regrets…… This pain in my heart, it’s not regret. The first thing we did —- the agricultural revolution, and the introduction of potatoes and corn have really saved so many lives. The vaccinations were good too. We haven’t spread them as fully as we can, but already we have contributed to the lives of so many people. Their smiles and their happiness are the results of our labours. But it’s not just that. We grit our teeth through the worst of it, and despite our techniques and methods designed for good results, in the end we seem to have brought death and destruction. In trying to address the calamity with new technologies, all we did was create even larger calamities. It’s not as if we were doing all this so that they would thank us, but I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve betrayed those whose smiles we promised to protect. —- Why am I so weak? I know, I know you’ll just tell me it’s okay, but……”
The Hero: “Still……”
The Demon King: “Still, all this will end. There is nothing in this world that is without end.”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “That’s why, I have to tell you a secret. This City of the Gate will end. An ancient order lies buried within the hereditary memories of the Demon Kings. —- It is our destiny to descend to a shrine under the City, offer the corpse of the Hero as a sacrifice, and construct a bridge to the heavens.”
——— The Demon World, the Rear Guard of the Holy Crusaders
The Holy Imperial General: “Not much longer till the dawn.”
The Strategist: “Indeed.”
The Holy Imperial General: “What does His Imperial Highness intend to do?”
The Strategist: “……”
The Holy Imperial General: “The structure of the Holy Crusaders may appear to be intact, but on the inside, we are like a massive tree infested with termites. At this rate, we will fall apart into chaos.”
The Strategist: (Indeed……)
The Holy Imperial General: “Ahead of us, we may have broken through the City gates, but resistance continues. To our rear, the Southern Alliance commands an unknown force. In the middle, within this strange land of the Demon World, supplies and logistics lines are no easy feat, and already our men sway as they walk.”
The Strategist: “Yes.”
The Holy Imperial General: “So!”
The Strategist: “But if we were to take any action that gives away our worry about this, we would only hasten the collapse of order.”
The Holy Imperial General: “…… When did it become like this? Weren’t we always proceeding according to plan? Where exactly did we go wrong!?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Stop complaining.”
The Strategist: “Your Imperial Highness.”
The Holy Imperial General: “How was your rest?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “We are on a battlefield, it’s normal to not sleep for a few days. We seem to have gotten into some trouble. Complaining about it is not going to help the situation. That is something I have gotten used to.”
The Strategist: “……”
The Holy Imperial General: “But no matter how you look at it, we are directionless. The command system of the Holy Crusaders has all but fallen apart.”
The Strategist: “Indeed.”
The Holy Imperial General: “We in the rear guard are under your command, so we are completely in control, but the main division has been thrown into complete chaos.”
The Strategist: “……”
The Holy Imperial General: “It is all because of those impunious noblemen and royalty who have betrayed us.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Betrayed……”
The Holy Imperial General: “?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “They are merely acting in accordance with their interests. I’m not entirely sure you could call that betrayal.”
The Strategist: “…… Then the actions of the Church are truly in doubt.”
The Holy Imperial General: “The Church?”
The Strategist: “The one who truly stands to gain regardless of victory or defeat in this campaign, the one who has been consistently egging it on, is the Church, or rather the Primarch.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “……”
The Holy Imperial General: “Maybe you’re rushing to conclusions.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “I am not.”
The Strategist: “Using the unconfirmed legend of this Holy Relic, they’ve managed to turn some would-be converters to the Order of the Lake back to the Church of Light…… To use fanaticism to achieve religious dominance.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Which is why the Hero shuns him.”
The Strategist: “?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: (The Church is adamant on extirpating this new sect championed by the Hero and the Demon King to consolidate their power…… But to what end? The Church already wields more than enough power. But just what is their aim? Given enough time, the Church could easily just swallow up and integrate the Order of the Lake…… Time? Perhaps it is the impatience of an elderly man. Is that your motive, Primarch?)
The Strategist: “Regardless, our first priority is to remove ourselves from the troublesome situation we find ourselves in.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm. As things stand, we cannot allow a single mistake. What we do next will not just decide the battle, but even an unsatisfactory defeat will be equivalent to a major defeat.”
The Strategist: “Yes. We should prepare to formulate plans to leave the Demon World alive.”
The Holy Imperial General: “This is.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “A battle map?”
The Strategist: “Our scouts have just finished drawing this up, it shows the surroundings and fortifications of the City in great detail. Surely this will be necessary to our plans? These are resolute positions, whether the Southern Alliance or the City of the Gate. But of course, there will be a way past them.”
The Holy Imperial General: “But that will come at great sacrifice.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “To the Holy Crusaders, so far within the Demon World, such sacrifices even if they do not amount to annihilation, will easily portend of annihilation.”
The Strategist: “Our maximum allowable casualties are, twenty thousand……”
The Holy Imperial General: “Twenty thousand…… Just 10% of our forces, and this battle is over.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: (Twenty thousand…… The Southern Alliance are armed with the latest muskets, and the City of the Gate is commanded by a stubborn commander. The right and left towers are still intact. How is it that the defenders’ morale remains high despite the destruction of the gate? Do they have a commander that inspires such perseverance? And on top of that, the seeds of doubt have already been sown among our own ranks.”
The Holy Imperial General: “……?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Rather than the battlefield, we have some major strategic decisions to make.”
The Strategist: “Yes.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “We have four problems. Firstly, the resistance in the City of the Gate. Secondly, the Southern Alliance. Thirdly, the low morale among the Holy Crusaders and the chaos among the organisational structure. Fourthly, our communications with the Holy Church have been cut off.”
The Holy Imperial General: “Is the situation with the Church that bad?”
The Strategist: “It’s really difficult to say right now, but our reports would certainly indicate so.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Trying to tackle all four of these problems at the same time to achieve victory, is, I feel completely impossible. We should focus our efforts on attempting to resolve at least two, if not three of these problems. Our main objective is to consolidate our position in the City of the Gate, we should freeze the remaining three issues until we sort that out.”
The Strategist: “I feel the cause of all these problems is the same. The chaos in our organisational structure. If we can decisively centralise command of the Holy Crusaders, we can solve all these issues.”
The Holy Imperial General: “That’s……”
The Strategist: “On top of that, the will of the Church, or rather the Primarch, is uncertain. Look at the fragmented jade* and the collapse of our supply lines. They clearly have no ability to make the realistic and pragmatic decision in the face of battle.”
The Holy Imperial General: “……”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “I agree. Our first priority is to centralise the command system, and bring the Holy Crusaders back under control. That is the most important.”
The Holy Imperial General: “Without the Primarch, that is to say, for Your Imperial Highness to assume full command of the Crusaders. That is good. With Your Imperial Highness in charge, we will surely have enough to accomplish our goals. But how would the Church react to this? To begin with, the Holy Crusaders have always been a religious army. We can’t possibly remove the Church from this completely. Otherwise…… will we have to disband the army in this foreign land!?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “If we completely dissolve the power of the Church, it seems we will.”
The Strategist: “The Church which I hold in high esteem is one which reveres the Holy Spirit, not one which is a personality cult revolving around the Primarch. We have been tasked to maintain order in the Continent, we’re not here for the promotion of the interest of the Church. There is a distinction to be made between the defenders of the faith, and the defenders of the realm. Clearly, the command on the battlefield has been delegated to the defenders of the realm. Those who represent the interests of the Church should acknowledge the distinction.”
The Holy Imperial General: “It may be as you say, but this is the Primarch we’re talking about here. To go against the delegate of the Holy Spirit……”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “We have to acknowledge the truth, don’t we? War is the truth. Hunger leads to death. Even a peasant will fight tooth and nail to prevent himself from starving to death, even if his enemy is his own lord.”
The Strategist: “Precisely.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “The Crimson Scholar —- That girl with those burning eyes. It was painful that we could not secure our supply lines from the Old Lands of the Pale. And that we wasted a week in that territory. That has clearly affected our present situation”
The Strategist: “Indeed. I daresay that was her goal.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Hmm. If so, then she is a real talent.”
The Strategist: “?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “What a waste that such boldness and intelligence were to manifest in a girl. That she was not born in the Central Continent, but rather in the Southern Alliance, has probably changed the fate of the world……”
The Holy Imperial General: “I mean……”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “We must seize the command. We can only leave the Southern Alliance be for now. In this rain, they are doubtlessly at their limit to attack us as well. Of course, we cannot hesitate, but at this point, this is just a risk we are going to have to take. Strengthen our defences, and shift more serfs from the Central Army to guard against the Southern Alliance. This will be a show of force. We will have to believe that our numbers are sufficient. In addition move our elite units to the centre of the Crusader formation, let’s take back command in one stroke. The command centre of the Church, and those under the direct command of the Primarch, we will have to put under temporary arrest. To deal with the nobles, we have to isolate them from communication with the Church and then seek to transfer command to ourselves. We must accomplish all of this within half a day, or we risk being branded heretics ourselves.”
The Holy Imperial General: “This is a strong strategy.”
The Strategist: “We don’t have much choice. Those blood thirsty nobles and royalty are intent on seizing the City of the Gate, and are throwing serfs at it like water. To sort out the chaos on the battlefield, this is probably our only way.”
The Holy Imperial General: “Even I have no way of bringing the dead back to life. Rather than lament that we should have kept them alive, let us do our best to do this without killing anybody. If we can.”
The Strategist: “Indeed.”
The Holy Imperial General: “I will guard our flanks diligently.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “At dawn we will attack the centre. Prepare the units for this attack. We are going to throw all our cavalry into this move. I’m expecting some chaos, so let’s use 2000 muskets as well.”
The Holy Imperial General: “Understood.”
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-————————-
Explanation
Fragmented Jade: To die cleanly, like jade fragmenting. In the Imperial Japanese Army, failure to plan sufficiently often led to the complete annihilation of forces, and these euphemism was often used to describe a terrible defeat. In this case, it describes the pointless deaths of the meat shields who were egged on by the Holy Church’s rhetoric about martyrdom.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
————— The Outskirts of the City of the Gate, the Southern Alliance, the Centre
The Disciple Soldier: “The greatest weapon of the Holy Crusaders is their numbers. On an open plain, they can advance on us in a single line and achieve victory through overwhelming pressure. There is no need to use any sort of delicate strategies, and it also leaves no place for the opponent to employ delicate strategies. It is an army designed to simply crush everything in its path…… I suppose that’s the whole point of massive armies.”
The Lieutenant of Metal: “Rather than saving us, it seems that this rain has caused us a spot of trouble.”
The Seneschal: “Indeed.”
The Fairy Attendant: “You’ve got a difficult expression.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Of course. While the musket is a powerful weapon, it is too powerful. There are too many dead. If we want to avoid being killed, we have to kill massive amounts of enemies. It’s simply a weapon which causes harm to everyone involved…… I am a soldier, so I am prepared for death. In fact, all of us in the Southern Alliance are soldiers. We pledged our lives, on our honour, to fulfil the dreams of our lords, and we are prepared for the reality of battle. But our enemies are no more than serfs with muskets.”
The Lieutenant of Metal: “But they are not enemies we can afford to show mercy to. To begin with, this is not an enemy we have certainty of beating even if we try our hardest.”
The Disciple Soldier: “That’s……”
The Lone Winter King: “Those of us who are alive now have a duty to those who are yet to be born. To show weakness today is betrayal tomorrow.”
The Iron Fist King: “…… mmm.”
The Disciple Soldier: “The Crown Prince Marshal is truly a genius, and a man of excellence. His command of political matters is something I can never hope to match. But he has one fatal weakness.”
The Seneschal: “What sort of weakness does a hero like that have?”
The Iron Fist King: “What is it?”
The Disciple Soldier: “It’s the fact that he is just one man.”
The Lieutenant of Metal: “… What.”
The Seneschal: “That’s obvious isn’t it, how is that a weakness?”
The Disciple Soldier: “He cannot easily command two separate battlefronts. The Crown Prince Marshal has to choose between regaining command of the Crusaders, or doing battle with us the Southern Alliance. I can feel that his will to do battle with us is rather thin…… He has the will to fight, but the will to exterminate us is not strong.”
The Fairy Attendant: “War is scary.”
The Iron Fist King: “Above all, war decides battle through the threat of extermination. This can save us from defeat.”
The Lone Winter King: “However the purpose of this expedition is not the extermination of the enemy.”
The Iron Fist King: “Hmm. How troublesome.”
The Lone Winter King: “Then it is time for me to make my appearance.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Your Majesty……”
The Lone Winter King: “This handwritten letter clearly indicates a desire to meet. It seems that one of the two Demon commanders who saved us back on the Battle of the Plains of Clover is commanding the City of the Gate, no? And this is nostalgic, but this appears to be the seal of the Scholar. She has sent someone. Is that right?”
The Nobleman Disciple: “Yes…… Allow me to introduce you.”
The Disciple Soldier: (Is this……)
The Lone Winter King: “Welcome to our camp. I have heard much about you from the Fairy Queen.”
The Iron Fist King: “Mmm, I hear you are the Right Hand of the Demon King, and the Chairman of the Demon Council the Kurultai.”
The Nobleman Disciple: “This is the Fire Dragon Lord.”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “Well met. We Fire Dragons rule over the South of the Land of Dragons, and control the Inferno Mountains. I am the ruling lord, the Fire Dragon Lord. It is a pleasure.”
The Disciple Soldier: (What an indomitable presence. Do all the nobility in the Demon World carry such an atmosphere……)
The Middle-Aged Merchant: “I have been tasked to deliver supplies this time. I am the Middle Aged Merchant.”
The Lone Winter King: “I apologise for being hasty, but we are here today to discuss how to deal with the military threat of this coalition of Central Continent kingdoms known as the Holy Crusaders, is that right?”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “Precisely.”
The Lone Winter King: “To begin with, I want to stress that the Southern Alliance is here on invitation of the Fairy Queen, and have entered this land in peace. At present, we have had no engagements with any Demon forces.”
The Fairy Attendant: “This is true and I can bear witness.”
The Nobleman Disciple: “Well, well.”
The Disciple Soldier: “What are you doing here?”
The Nobleman Disciple: “I am the special envoy of the Southern Alliance.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Special envoy?”
The Nobleman Disciple: “That’s right. I’m on a mission from her Majesty the Queen of Ice and Snow.”
The Disciple Soldier: “But why are you with the Fire Dragon Lord?”
The Nobleman Disciple: “This is a matter for the Demons too, isn’t it?”
The Disciple Soldier: “Well yes.”
The Nobleman Disciple: “This matter will affect all of us without from the Centre or from the South.”
The Disciple Soldier: “…… Well.”
The Nobleman Disciple: “That’s what the Hero said anyway.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Hero……?”
The Nobleman Disciple: “We Disciples.”
The Disciple Soldier: “?”
The Nobleman Disciple: “We are going to have to stop this war.”
The Disciple Soldier: “What.”
The Nobleman Disciple: “It is necessary. You have got to wake up.”
The Disciple Soldier: “I……”
The Nobleman Disciple: “Do you find it weird that spoilt nobleman like myself is saying something like this?”
The Disciple Soldier: “No…… That’s not what I meant.”
The Nobleman Disciple: “I’ve seen it.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Seen what?”
The Nobleman Disciple: “I’ve seen her spread her wings already.”
The Seneschal: “What”
The Lone Winter King: “Then with these supplies…… of wheat.”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “Yes.”
The Middle-Aged Merchant: “To be exact we’ve got here 4,000 carriages of it.”
The Iron Fist King: “Why?”
The Lone Winter King: “What do you want us to do, coming here with all this food?”
The Middle-Aged Merchant: “The Young Merchant”
The Lone Winter King: “That wily fellow.”
The Middle-Aged Merchant: “He needs your help with something he cannot do. Which is why he would like to entrust it to the heroes of the South.”
The Lone Winter King: “……”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “I will assemble the Kurultai of Demons. We will start with the nearby Demon races those hiding in the woods and valleys surrounding the City of the Gate… The Human armies are massive and they have those metal tubes which shoot fire. They are truly to be feared. It seems many lives will be lost.”
The Lone Winter King: “……”
The Fairy Attendant: “How scary.”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “But there is one thing which needs to be known: Whether in this world, both Demons and Humans are important.”
The Middle-Aged Merchant: “That’s!”
The Disciple Soldier: “Absolutely. We can definitely do this together!”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “It means nothing to just think about it. If you haven’t seen it already, all of my people have seen it, you must believe in it, or else there is no mening!”
The Iron Fist King: “!”
The Metal Lieutenant: “That’s……”
The Disciple Nobleman: “To achieve this, your Majesty, you must accept my request.”
The Lone Winter King: “What’s that?”
The Middle-Aged Merchant: “Use these supplies to paralyse the Crusaders.”
The Lone Winter King: “Can it be done?”
The Disciple Soldier: “Well.”
The Disciple Nobleman: “The Crusaders are a massive lion. If you want to restrain a lion, you will need more than just as ingle rope. That is why…”
The Lone Winter King: “I understand. I have been thinking about this as well.”
The Fire Dragon Lord: “Will this be alright then?”
The Disciple Nobleman: “Thank you very much.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Disciple Nobleman, I……”
The Lone Winter King: “Dawn is breaking. This will be a long day.”
The Iron Fist King:” Indeed.”
The Disciple Soldier: “A day longer than any other…… I hope our Master is okay.”
———– The City of the Gate, the Central Pavilion, a Meeting Room at Night
The Fire Dragon Lady: “The cannons have ceased.”
The Young Merchant: “Indeed.”
The Banshee Steward: “It is because their troops have already entered the city.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “How annoying.”
The Young Merchant: “……”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “The Demon King has been escorted out of the City by the Hero. The one in command here is you, Young Merchant. The defence of the City has gone on for a day, what do you have to tell us about it?”
The Banshee Steward: “Yes, the defence lines have been assembled under abnormal circumstances. But you were the one who told the Demon King to “leave it to me”, so why don’t you tell us where this came from?”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “What do you have to say, Demon King?”
The Young Merchant: “——-“
The Fire Dragon Lady: “?”
The Young Merchant: “Don’t call me that.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “The real Demon King isn’t around, so it’s fine, surely.”
The Young Merchant: “I suppose I have no choice.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “In that case, my Lord.”
The Young Merchant: “Ah……”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “That attitude is what hurts the ladies in your life. But above that, tell us how you intend to conduct this battle. I too am interested.”
The Young Merchant: “Indeed. Thinking about the future just makes my head hurt, thinking about the battle is much more relaxing —– Now then, my plan to deal with the Crusaders.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “Yes.”
The Young Merchant: “The map of the City.”
Attendant: “Here it is.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “What sort of plan do you have?”
The Demon Girl: “……”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “First, let’s talk about how we indeed to expel the Crusaders.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Have you thought of something?”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “We have tried fighting them off several times……”
The Young Merchant: “Rather than expelling them, let’s focus on how we are going to end this war. Our responsibility is to follow the baseline set by the Crimson Scholar, to “get both sides to put down their spears, and agree to terms for peace”.”
Attendant: “That is absurd.”
The Young Merchant: “Absurd? I suppose it would be absurd. —— Hey, scribe.”
The Demon Girl: “Ah. Yes.”
The Young Merchant: “Write this down. This is our absurd task. And that is why the rewards for pulling it off will be enormous.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “I would be grateful if you could stop with this sort of bargaining. It makes me uncomfortable.”
The Young Merchant: “This isn’t bargaining, this is just venting.”
The Demon Girl: “Ahh. Ahh.”
The Banshee Attendant: “Have you got some kind of strategy?”
The Young Merchant: “Nothing specific. We’re playing by ear to stop the war.”
Hall Attendant: “That……”
The Young Merchant: “To begin with, we are not at the stage of preparation to make decisions. If we do not carefully assess the information, then it is impossible to say what kind of strategy we can have, right? Actually, whom do you even intend to negotiate these terms of peace with?”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “That’s…… The person in charge of their army?”
The Young Merchant: “There isn’t one single person in charge of the Holy Crusaders.”
Hall Attendant: “Eh?”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Eh……?”
The Young Merchant: “That’s the kind of organisation the Holy Crusaders are.”
The Banshee Attendant: “Then how does the command structure function?”
The Young Merchant: “It’s messy.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “How do they act if it’s such chaos?”
The Young Merchant: “Roughly speaking, their military power comes in four forms.”
The Demon Girl: “Firstly, military power has its source in the Church of Light. They are the representative of the divine on the Earth. The Church takes action for the sake of boosting the power of the Church. Almost all the Humans who join that army are adherents of the Church. That is why the voice of the Church is truly powerful. The slogan they chant is to ‘Take back the Holy Relic of the Spirit from the evil Demons.’”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “I’ve never even heard of this Relic.”
The Young Merchant: “The leaders of these followers are the kingdoms with the Holy Imperial Kingdom and the Holy Imperial family at its core. In particular, the person right at the centre of it all, the Crown Prince Marsha;. The greatest political and military talent among the Holy Crusaders. There are those who say he is the greatest hero on the Surface World.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Greater than the Black Knight — I mean the Hero?”
The Young Merchant: “If we’re going by individual combat ability, he is probably just 1% of the Hero, but by political prowess, he outclasses the Hero a hundred times over. The Crown Prince Marshal has the trust of the faithful, and his forces number more than 10,000. 10,000 out of 200,000 may seem like a small force, but these 10,000 have unparalleled morale. A force of 10,000 which will not permit the existence of another authority. They are not a small force.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “That is correct. Next are the Nobles and the Noble armies. They are the nobility of the Surface World, smaller in stature than the monarchs. They have joined this war for their own reasons. Like vultures circling carrion, their goal is the rich lands of the Demon World. With desires such as this, they are not the most formidable opponents. They have none of the wisdom of the Humans. Rather, they were the first to sense profit, and will be the first to escape when they sense otherwise.”
Hall Attendant: “There are Tribes like these in the Demon World too. The Eight Great Tribes would not, but there are smaller ones who would certainly act in the same fashion.”
The Young Merchant: “The last group are the people. You could also call them the Serfs. They are the peasants who live on the Surface World. They themselves are not proponents of this war…… But their spirits are followers of the Church, and their bodies live on the lands owned by the royalty and nobility. Because of their subordinate status to the others, they now join this war. 90% of the army, and all of those who fight with muskets, are composed of these serfs.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Hmm…… So who leads the serfs?”
The Young Merchant: “Essentially there is a command structure made of the knights. One of these are the regular units wielded by the Church, the Paladins. Depending on time and circumstances, the nobility may also lead the serfs as musketeers. The command structure is truly hazy.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Indeed.”
The Young Merchant: “If we are aiming for peace…… Then the Crown Prince Marsha is the one we need to speak to.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “What is the reason?”
The Young Merchant: “The power of the Church is tied up in religion, and there is no room for negotiation. The Nobility cannot be trusted. The serfs are not a united polity with which we can negotiate. Rather than choosing the Crown Prince Marshal, by process of elimination, we are left with him.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Hmm……”
The Young Merchant: “But there are several problems with attempting to negotiate a ceasefire with the Crown Prince Marshal. First, is the present state of the war. The Crusaders have breached the City of the Gate, they have the advantage in this war. Under such circumstances, they are probably not interested in negotiation. They would probably rather continue fighting.”
The Demon Girl: “That’s”
The Young Merchant: “Secondly, even if we solve that problem, if we induce the Crusaders to give up the fight, the Crown Prince Marshal still does not have the authority to negotiate with us on his own.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “He doesn’t!?”
The Young Merchant: “As I said before, power is divided. Even if the Crown Prince Marshal agreed to back the peace, there would definitely be elements who oppose it, and would create chaos. The power of the Crown Prince Marshal is not small, but given that the Church has the ability to directly influence the serfs, it is not powerful enough to unilaterally command the Crusaders either.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “……”
The Young Merchant: “By understanding the situation, we can also understand the priorities of this war. To overcome these two problems, what we need to do is to fracture the Holy Crusaders.”
Hall Attendant: “Fracture? What do you mean?”
The Young Merchant: “To begin with, the Crusaders were never any kind of unified force. Split among four different goals and sources of power, they are nothing more than a marriage of convenience. Once we tear apart their similar aims, they become independent, and we can deal with them one by one. In other words, we have to force the choice onto the Crown Prince Marshal – strip them down and force him to negotiate.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “Oh?”
The Young Merchant: “The first step to fracturing the Holy Crusaders – is to remove whatever advantage the Crusaders have in the war. If we break the glue which binds the four powers together in mutual understanding, then they will lose their will to continue fighting. At the same time we also solve the authority problem of the Crown Prince Marshal. If we fracture the power of those who would challenge the Crown Prince Marshal, then we also weaken their voices.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “That sounds like a good plan.”
The Young Merchant: “Unfortunately, on my own, success is highly improbable. The probability of success is probably less than 10%.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “So it’s impossible!”
The Young Merchant: “No. I am the Demon King now. Things which the Young Merchant could not achieve are now possible.”
Hall Attendant: “……”
The Young Merchant: “We must look beyond simple cost-benefit analysis.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Sorry I’m late.”
The Disciple Engineer: “Yes.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “How is the defence going?”
The East Fortress Commander: “The rains and darkness arrived at the right time, alleviating the situation somewhat. But when night ends, they will attack again.”
The Disciple Engineer: “The Wall and South Gate are largely destroyed. It’s not impossible to repair, but we would have to take back the surrounding areas first. If we recklessly clash with the Human armies pouring through, I fear sacrifices will only mount.”
The Young Merchant: “Let’s give up on taking it back for now.”
The East Fortress Commander: “And this is?”
The Disciple Engineer: “How is my master?”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “The Demon King has something she needs to take care of. This is the temporary substitute she left behind.”
The Young Merchant: “I am a merchant of the Union.”
The East Fortress Commander: “The Union……I see.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “They are famous then?”
The Young Merchant: “As long as we are not notorious.”
The East Fortress Commander: “No, I’ve known that the Union have maintained a trade post in the City, particularly for the import of salt. More than half of all the trade in the City was controlled by the Union.”
The Young Merchant: “How terrifying.”
The Disciple Engineer: “A union of merchants?”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “I have also been working on efforts to supply the City of the Gate together with the Young Merchant.”
The East Fortress Commander: “I see…… And that is why our supply lines have not been cut…… So this will be a war of attrition then?”
The Young Merchant: “No, not exactly.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “Let’s hear it.”
The Young Merchant: “The north of the City is filled with citizens and merchants who have tied their lives to the City. We must protect them. Our supplies stem from this district as well, so they must be defended. — Can we shore up the defences for this specific purpose?”
The Disciple Engineer: “Well…… If the enemy cannons and…… those damn unknown projectile weapons didn’t exist then we could hold them for a while.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Their goal is to break through the South Gate and then ravage the interior. That’s the standard practice for any siege. When daylight breaks, they will press through the South Gate with several times the force of yesterday’s. I don’t know why, but it seems they themselves were surprised by the collapse of the South Gate. Tomorrow we will not have that advantage.”
The Young Merchant: “The ones leading the breakthrough are the nobility.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “What do you mean?”
The East Fortress Commander: “The forlorn hope then.”
The Disciple Engineer: “Forlorn hope?”
The Young Merchant: “This is an invasion. The nobles who have joined it hope to be rewarded for their efforts. For this purpose, they must do something worthy in the name of the Church. Tomorrow, even if they have to whip their soldiers through it, they will force their way into the City.”
The Demon Girl: “Many are coming then?”
The East Fortress Commander: “Well.”
The Young Merchant: “They may be the forlorn hope, but that’s not going to suffice.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “What are you aiming at?”
The Young Merchant: “The Serfs. They are the real core of the Holy Crusaders, we will get them to revolt.”
Hall Attendant: “How would we do that?”
The Young Merchant: “Ordinarily it would be difficult…… The charisma of the Crown Prince Marshal is massive, and the Church does not lightly forgive those who turn against it. But the Serfs on this Crusade are exhausted, and most are somewhat torn between the conflict between the Southern Alliance and the Central Kingdoms…… And then the Southern Alliance itself appears behind the Holy Crusaders.”
The East Fortress Commander: “So we will have them defect.”
The Young Merchant: “Well. In a manner of speaking…… If we are able to properly control events. However, there is still one more thing which needs taking care of.”
The East Fortress Commander: “The nobility.” P197
The Disciple Engineer: “What do you mean?”
The Young Merchant: “It is just as we said. The Nobility are anxious for glory. In order to gain it, they would whip the Serfs into the City if they had to. It seems we will have to annihilate the both of them together.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “…”
The Young Merchant: “The Demon King has placed me in a difficult situation. To fulfil this order… we have to be as merciless as possible, and must exterminate them without hesitation. Do you have a plan? Commander?”
The East Fortress Commander: “…”
The Disciple Engineer: “…”
The East Fortress Commander: “If I may use the City, then yes.”
The Disciple Engineer: “We will use the South path.”
The Fire Dragon Lady: “What do you mean?”
The Disciple Engineer: “This City is constructed from wide boulevards which radiate in concentric circles from the Temple. Because the South Gate has fallen, that region has been invaded by the enemy, but…”
The East Fortress Commander: “We can use the City itself as bait, amidst the battle, it would be possible to launch a counterattack. Milady. Of course, if we adopt such a strategy, there will be casualties. However, with the terrain advantage, we should be able to take on an enemy force five times our own.”
The Witch-Queen of Banshees: “I’ll leave it to you.”
The East Fortress Commander: “But this is a relatively bad strategy. Even if we break an enemy five times our own, we will suffer heavy casualties. On top of that, the enemy outnumber us ten to one. If we have to repeat this continuously, we will quickly reach our limit…… So, my lord the Young Merchant, you should really consider the necessity of this.”
The Young Merchant: “Indeed…… I have seen that the gunpowder stocks of the Holy Crusaders cannot last too long. Three days…… No, if we endure for one or two days, we will exhaust their firepower. Then at this time, we can liberate the serfs. To achieve this, we need them to believe that being an invader in the City of the Gate is a cruel existence. If you stick your hand in carelessly, you may get burned. We need them to fear death in this foreign and appalling hell.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Truly not something the Hero or the Demon King could say.”
The Young Merchant: “Can it be done?”
The East Fortress Commander: “Hmm…… One or two days?”
The Young Merchant: “As the commander of the City, I give you full powers.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Fine. It’s just my bad luck to be in this City as the Crusaders come for it… But since they’re here, I’m happy to put my life on the line. I will undertake this battle.”
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Explanation
Daybreak: Since before the Middle Ages, conducting battle in the night-time was seen as a reckless and suicidal manner of destroying one’s own forces. Of course, there have been repeated uses of night-time ambushes, but outside of small bands which can be easily commanded, this was very much an exception to the norm. Particularly in an age without wireless communication, coordinating troop movements at night was largely impossible. This is why the City of the Gate was given some reprieve due to nightfall.
Forlorn Hope: The valour and achievements of the first troops to rush through a breach in a siege were often well rewarded. As a result, the honour of being the first to claim this glory was often contested among the soldiers. Within this, those who followed the immediate first charge were often recognised as well.
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
———– The City of the Gate, an Abandoned House Strewn with Tiles
Rain falls
The Demon King: “That’s why I have to tell you a secret. The City of the Gate has an end. It is an ancient order passed down through the collective memories of the Demon Kings. —- We have to offer the body of the Hero as sacrifice in the underground temple beneath the City, and create a bridge to the Sky. The ancient order states”
The Hero: “Those who first crossed this bridge were the primeval people. Bearing wishes in their hearts, they walked towards the light.”
The Demon King: “Hero…”
Rain falls
The Hero: “I am the Hero, so I know this as well. If the two of us do not fight, the “Legend” will have no end.”
The Demon King: “So… you know.”
The Hero: “But, I have no intention to fight.”
The Demon King: “I also have no intention to fight.”
The Hero: “But I have every intention to put my life on the line.”
The Demon King: “Me too.”
The Hero: “You have to climb the tower.”
The Demon King: “And you have to meet the Spirit.”
The Hero: “You stupid person.”
The Demon King: “No you’re the — ah fine, wait. I’m getting all mixed up. The problem at hand is the Holy Crusaders surrounding the City of the Gate.”
“…… No.”
The Hero: “Mage?”
The Demon King: “That was the Mage’s voice.”
“That’s wrong.”
The Hero: “What’s wrong?”
“…… the Crusaders surrounding the City of the Gate are a problem. But that is not the Demon King’s problem. The relationship between the Demons and the Humans”
The Demon King: “But I’m the Demon King, I’m directly involved!”
The Hero: “That’s right.”
“…… that is to say it is a problem transcending singular people. Carrying the entire load and attempting to resolve it on your own is a mistake.”
Flash
The Mage: “……”
The Hero: “That’s a valid theory I suppose.”
The Demon King: “What do you mean then.”
The Mage: “… A long time ago, there was a girl.”
The Hero: “?”
The Demon King: “?”
The Mage: “…… The girl was a hardworking girl, so she worked hard. She worked really hard. She’s still working really hard. If she stopped working hard, there would be no tomorrow. So in order that it would not end, nobody could allow her to stop. —- A shame.”
The Hero: “Huh?”
The Mage: “……”
The Hero: “Don’t fall asleep, I don’t understand.”
The Demon King: “That’s…… the Legend….”
The Mage: “…… Should we really save it? Should we save the world over and over again? What is this heartless world if not a miniature garden with no power nor free will, that without our saving would be exterminated.”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “What do you mean?”
The Mage: “…… Should we save them or not? I suppose it is not my place to decide this. But why is it that I am also among those who have to save the world time after time. Why can’t the Demons or the Humans save themselves from crisis at this point? Or is it just that the cries of anguish from the world would be too loud? …… But I too have questions. Is it “We should not save the world” or “They are guilty, and this is their punishment”. —- Did she not destroy our freedom, and take away our opportunities to grow? But she is kind and warm. Exactly like the Demon King. That’s why the Demon King must choose. And the Hero must also choose.”
The Hero: “……”
The Mage: “Whether to give to the Demon World or Human World.”
The Hero: “Freedom?”
The Mage: “Opportunity.”
The Hero: “How could anyone do such a thing. People are dying!? In front of your eyes! Lots of people are dying! Of course we have to help! I’m the Hero. The Hero is a person who saves people!”
The Demon King: “……”
The Mage: “I fear not.”
The Hero: “Why!”
The Mage: “I am reminded of the words of the Demon King, Hero. Your combat power may well be high enough to ignite conflict. In saving as many people as you can, you have increased the desires of the lords and the priests and the kings, and called forth new wars…… Just like the Demon King with gunpowder. Your combat ability is at that level. Between the Demons and the Humans, which ever side you choose to be an ally of, many people will die.”
The Hero: “Then I will not be an ally of either side. I’ll bind both sides together in peace. That’s what my power is force. Mage, you have to just stop and listen. I am somewhat exhausted, but I will be back immediately.”
The Mage: “I exist for the Hero. That is why if that is what you truly hope for then fine. But it is wrong. And you will regret it.”
The Hero: “Regret!?”
The Mage: “You will. Then you will have to confiscate the Light from the Humans. — No matter how difficult or bitter it might be, you will have to do it. Even if you hurt yourself, you have to do the right thing. That is freedom. As that girl said, it is what makes you different from an insect…… Hero. Do you want to make her an insect? Will you pull off her wings?”
The Hero: “…… That’s.”
The Mage: “…… Will you take it from her?”
The Demon King: “Have you already made your move?”
The Mage: “……”
The Demon King: “I mean.”
The Mage: “……”
The Hero: “Hey—!”
The Mage: “I know. I know the Hero has always felt this way, and I know the Demon King has always felt this way. I know that.”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “……”
The Mage: “That feeling is called loneliness.”
Rain falls
The Mage: “That is probably a feeling worse than death. To know that you are useless to the other. But. That is all. Understand. That is all.”
The Demon King: “No.”
The Mage: “……”
The Demon King: “Can’t we stay here……”
The Mage: “……”
The Demon King: “I really like everyone. I can’t put it in words well, but I really do…… The Maid Sisters are really cute. They gave me a present last new year. The soldiers of the Dragon Tribes, and the craftsmen of the Banshees, are all good people. The Fairies, so small, yet they’re doing their best. The voices of the Dryads are clear and kind as always, bringing tears to my eyes. I like the Elder of the Village of Winter too. I can hear their drunk voices singing in the wind. The acolytes, training seriously in the Holy Order. I can see the people planting the saplings during the planting season. The Female Paladin, the Mage, the Young Merchant, the Lone Winter King, the Chief Maid, the Fire Dragon Lord, the Fairy Queen, the Witch-Queen of Banshees, the Silver Tiger Lord……”
The Mage: “……”
The Demon King: “Can’t the Hero and I stay in this world?”
The Mage: “Do you want to make the mistake she made?”
The Demon King: “……”
The Mage: “……”
The Hero: “Teach us then, Mage. You say you know right? Don’t you have something you can do? Isn’t there something we can do to even out the speed of expansion and contraction?”
The Mage: “Well.”
The Demon King: “Expansion and contraction……?”
The Mage: “The force of stability and maintenance in this world. That’s what it is. Because of the Demon King’s attempts to expand the world, a powerful reactionary force has arisen in response, so the world is on the brink of collapse.”
The Demon King: “What…….”
The Hero: “It’s about time to teach us the method to deal with this.”
The Mage: “…… It is impossible to make everyone perfectly happy.”
The Hero: “That’s fine. Or rather, that’s to be expected.”
The Mage: “…… There are many reactionary factors. Leave them all alone for now. We have a different problem to deal with.”
The Hero: “Which is?”
The Mage: “We need to access the source, and stop the generation of this reactionary force. This source is “Her”. “She” wants to save the world, to achieve peace, even in her endless light slumber, even as time slips past slowly, she has been wishing for the world to be restored to the lush, green pastoral state. This very wish itself is the source of the convergence of factors.”
The Hero: “…… The Spirit. As I thought, she is still waiting.”
The Demon King: “The Catfish of Fire (Translator note: I have no idea what this is, from what I can tell it’s a Dragon Quest reference). There is such a legend.”
The Mage: “That is Her wish. She’s thrown away her love to pursue this future. However, if She were to continue straight down this path, She would surely make the same mistake as the Hero and the Demon King. Surely the “One Who Would Defend the World by Saving It” cannot convince the “One Who Would Defend the World by Maintaining It”. That’s right. Now — the time to make a choice has come.”
The Hero: “……”
The Demon King: “……”
The Mage: “On one hand, we have the Eternal World. That is a world undergoing an eternal light slumber. Of course, this is not total peace. There is war, and the Humans and Demons are on the path to exterminating each other. But to some this may well be the ideal situation. Countless Demon Kings and countless Heroes arise over time, and their battles become the stuff of legend. But this is the background of such a world. The number of ordinary villagers who lose their lives are relatively few. Looking back into the past, most people live their days in exactly the same unchanging way.”
The Hero: “Unchanging……”
The Mage: “People did not invent new technologies, kings were kings, and peasants were peasants. That was to be expected. There was an eternity to the “Happiness of Stability”. That was eternal. The sadness and suffering was fixed, the happiness and prosperity was fixed…… Like the unceasing waves of the sea, they carry the daily grievances and joys of daily life. This world which She loves is fated to carry on in endless cycles.”
Rain falls
The Mage: “On the other hand, we have the Liberated World. Behind the curtain of darkness, like a traveller with no light, this world forces itself onto an unknown journey. A frightful war arises. With new technologies being discovered, the world expands, and changes persist. Industrial and economic development may improve the lives of a great number of people, but at the same time, a great number of people will also have their present fortunes disrupted. I am but a scholar, so I am not completely certain of this, but the chance of exterminating all opposing elements is slim. But the way forward is surely to attempt their extermination.”
The Demon King: “Extermination……”
The Mage: “If the Demon King or Hero were never born, then this “legend” involving the extirpation of all beautiful things, the destruction of all lovely memories, would never happen, and history would just be one of war. Perhaps the world is not meant to be saved. But there is every possible seed of possibility. People bear the wish to be happy within their hearts. When unrest and uncertainty fall into their hands, then a light of hope arises in their hearts. Then, because they have no certainty of the future, people live with all their efforts. They hope for a today which is different from yesterday, and a tomorrow which is different from today. A new world no one has ever seen…… a new tomorrow.”
Rain falls
The Mage: “If you pick the former, it’s simple. Kill someone or the other, and ascend the Tower. No, you don’t even need to do so much. The strong reactionary force from the Church is sufficient to push the current towards the former as long as you do nothing. —- But if you pick the latter option.”
The Demon King: “Then we have to ascend the Tower and attempt to convince Her.”
The Mage: “…… Exactly. But this will not be easy. She has already seen tens of Demon Kings and Heroes come visit her.”
The Hero: “Then it is something only we can do.”
The Demon King: “Indeed.”
The Mage: “…… And your choice is?”
The Hero: “Have we made preparations for it?”
The Demon King: “To reach the other side of the hill, it seems we must go to the Tower.”
The Mage: “The people of the world will probably bear a grudge against you. At the moment when they needed you the most, you did not save them. They will likely think of the Demon King and the Hero as traitors, and it will likely be said that you intended to destroy the world.”
Rain falls
The Hero: “That is unpleasant, but”
The Demon King: “There is a chance that we might destroy everything in the world, but there is also a chance we might save everything right? History may record that gunpowder removed a hundred thousand lives from the world, but it will also record that vaccinations saved a hundred thousand lives as well.”
The Hero: “Everything is a mosaic. Like a bottle with many differently coloured candies in it. We can’t pick a bottle with just red or just green candies. Of course, it would be great to have just happy candies, but if you were to ignore all the other candies, then that would certainly poil your enjoyment of the happy ones. I believe in balancing the books.”
The Mage: “I see……”
The Hero: “And we will have to deal with the others separately.”
The Demon King: “I’m sure the Hero would be able to deal with it.”
The Mage: “However, if this is your choice, then there is more to consider. What if because of some disruption, the ritual fails? What if due to reactionary forces, you are unable to climb the Tower? What if you are unable to convince Her? What then? Then you will surely be throwing one of your lives away for nothing.”
The Demon King: “Not one of our lives, but mine. Mine specifically. To begin with, this was my journey. My life was saved by the Hero in that Great Hall. You could say that the life which was my own ended right there. And if it’s the Hero, I’m sure he can convince Her.”
The Hero: “If this is the journey of the Demon King, then I will follow you to the end! I will get you to the Tower, but I’m not certain I can convince Her. To begin with, convincing people isn’t my strong suit.”
The Demon King: “Under my circumstances, I have no intention of sacrificing the Hero!”
The Hero: “Don’t bring in your circumstances!”
The Mage: “…… I understand. Then I will uphold our original promise.”
The Hero: “Promise……?”
The Mage: “Don’t worry. Hero and Demon King…… This is not our final goal.”
———— The City of the Gate, the South Gate, Near a Large Avenue
Militia Bowman: “It’s bright……”
Human Builder: “It’s dawn.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Alright then, it’s the fated day.”
The Young Merchant: “So it would appear.”
The East Fortress Commander: “You’re awfully brave about it.”
The Young Merchant: “No, no. That’s not true. But I wouldn’t want our subordinates to see any unpleasant expressions I have.”
The East Fortress Commander: “You’re really serious about this then.”
The Young Merchant: “I suppose it’s absurd.”
The East Fortress Commander: “A normal general would not do that much.”
The Young Merchant: “I guess not.”
The East Fortress Commander: “But I have also become the leader of an entire Tribe, so I have been asking myself if turtling up here and protecting the City is the way to victory. Sometimes I even ask myself if this opponent is one we should be attempting to win against, it really gives me a headache. It’s not really that I’m a Human, though that is true. Rather, somehow or another I’ve been entrusted with this City, it’s like a dream.”
The Young Merchant: “A dream?”
The East Fortress Commander: “Even though we argue, we have managed to achieve something together.”
The Young Merchant: “If you mean that we could all live together in harmony, that was clear to me from the first moment.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Really?”
The Young Merchant: “Yes, I knew it from the moment we met.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Sure would be nice if those guys got it too. Alright then, it’s about time isn’t it!?”
The Young Merchant: “Please.”
The East Fortress Commander: “Okay, light the fires! Draw your swords! Start fires near the gate to create chaos, and when the confused Crusaders send in their vanguard, that’s when we strike! Light the fire arrows! Light up the skies! It’s time for chaos!”
The Young Merchant: “Lure the nobles into the South Gate! When they shift their focus, the encirclement on the North Gate will break. This battle will change the entire situation.”
———– The City of the Gate, the South Avenue, the Camp of the Holy Crusaders
Sentry: “My lord!”
Noble Lord: “I see it, damn those guys! Wake everyone up!”
Sentry: “Yes!”
Fires blaze
Retinue Captain: “What’s this fire!?”
Proud Knight: “Alright, this is coming from those damn grunts in the Kingdom of the Mist.”
Noble Lord: “If this continues, they’re going to take the first strike from us. Those damn serfs are attacking the Gate. Alright then, Knights! Rally! We can’t trust those damn serfs.”
Retinue Captain: “Understood! Form up! Form up!”
Proud Knight: “What a feeling, my lord.”
Noble Lord: “Hmph. Let’s show those Demons the undefeatable might of our Kingdom.”
Proud Knight: “Hahaha! Leave it to us, we’ll level everything in sight!”
Sentry: “The fires are getting stronger! Soldiers from the Kingdom of Mist and Kingdom of the Lake as well as the mercenary divisions have all mobilised! The battle has begun near the Gate, what a sound!”
Noble Lord: “We’d best join it then.”
Proud Knight: “The sun is still rising, and the battlefield is darkness! Today we will wipe those irritating Demons off the face of the world.”
Scout: “Attack! Do not wait for daybreak, attack now!”
Messenger: “Break down that gate!”
——– Near the City of the Gate, the Southern Alliance
The Seneschal: “Movement from the South Gate! A fire has erupted!”
The Disciple Soldier: “And so it begins.”
The Metal Lieutenant: “Yes!”
The Lone Winter King: “What bandits we are.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Hahahaha.”
The Seneschal: “Your Majesty! Such comments are unbecoming.”
The Lone Winter King: “Is it not true? We stole these soldiers from the Crusaders.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Precisely.”
The Iron Fist King: “No doubt about it.”
The Metal Lieutenant: “Cavalry, form up!”
The Disciple Soldier: “Let’s go.”
Horse neighs
The Disciple Soldier: “Cavalry!”
Cavalry: “Yes!”
The Disciple Soldier: “Form penetration ranks! The enemy rear is formed from light infantry. They have some muskets, but those will be few in number! We can smash them in one blow. Their morale is weak! For this battle, our primary objective is to rout the enemy right flank. Once we have created sufficient chaos, retreat upon the sound of two blasts of the horn!”
Cavalry Captain: “Repeating your order! Form penetration ranks, attack the right wing, and retreat upon two blasts of the horn!”
The Disciple Soldier: “Got it! Your commander is the Metal Lieutenant.”
The Metal Lieutenant: “Leave it to me!”
The Disciple Soldier: “Our present aim is to sow chaos among the enemy leadership. We’re lucky that they seem to be in disarray already. There is no need to pursue them deeply! In this battle, we can win without killing!”
The Metal Lieutenant: “Understood!”
The Seneschal: “What about us infantry?”
The Disciple Soldier: “Advance steadily. Gradually envelope the enemy while approaching the City of the Gate. —- After that, act as the guard the supply train as it approaches the enemy formation and then retreat.”
The Seneschal: “Understood.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Form a defensive formation using armoured wagons and rifles. But let’s not act in an overhanded manner. That unit has no commander right now! The last thing they want is to fight us. To the end…… the protection of the supply train is the core of this mission!”
The Lone Winter King: “Will they notice?”
The Disciple Soldier: “If they ignore us, the serfs will tell them.”
The Seneschal: “Understood. We will approach them in guard formation.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Rifle units must remain alert even during the retreat! If they start to launch a counterattack, then we will be relying on the snipers to disrupt their chain of command! The large majority of the Crusaders are civilians unused to combat. Their morale will definitely not be high. They are mostly units incapable of independent action without orders. Aim at the armour and horses of the nobility! Tear apart their command structure!”
Flames blaze
The Metal Lieutenant: “It has begun! Move out!”
The Disciple Soldier: “We fight for a better tomorrow!”
———- Under the City, an Underground Lake
Demon Thrush chirps
The Mage: “…… Here.”
The Demon King: “There was such a place……”
The Hero: “Is this the City of the Gate?”
The Mage: “Yes. It’s a hollow in the bedrock.”
The Chief Maid: “Demon King!”
The Demon King: “Isn’t that the Chief Maid?”
The Hero: “Oh?”
The Chief Maid: “I was worried.”
The Demon King: “How was helping the Mage?”
The Chief Maid: “Perfect, of course.”
The Hero: “Help?”
The Mage: “I borrowed her.”
The Demon King: “I believe you basically strong-armed her into helping you.”
The Female Paladin: “I’m here too.”
The Hero: “Female Paladin!”
The Female Paladin: “Hero…… You’re looking good.”
The Demon Thrush: “Everyone is looking good. Chirp chirp.”
The Mage: “Let me explain.”
The Chief Maid: “Yes.”
The Demon King: “Explain…… the sacrifice……?”
The Mage: “Yes. This is the Central Altar for the Sacrificial Ritual. These are the tools which we will need to extract the power of the deaths of the Hero and Demon King.”
The Chief Maid: “They are really old and well-made equipment. The magic behind them required a very special level of cleaning and preparation, normal methods did not suffice.”
The Demon King: “And that’s why the Chief Maid was needed.”
The Chief Maid: “Yeah, and with the help of the Maid ghosts, we cleaned up and polished all the equipment.”
The Hero: “Regardless of how clean the equipment is, I have no intention to sacrifice the Demon King.”
The Demon Thrush chirps
The Mage: “Not a problem.”
The Hero: “I mean I just don’t understand why all of you even believe so strongly in sacrificing someone’s life. It’s like a drowning man grasping for straws, what makes you even think that by sacrificing someone you can achieve the result you’re aiming for…… Ehh…… It’s not a problem?”
The Mage: “Nope.”
The Demon Thrush: “…… Chirp.”
The Mage: “This equipment will transform the enormous energy related to the extinguishment of the existences of the Hero and the Demon King into magic. The remaining fragments will then direct the way to where the Spirit is.”
The Hero: “Where the Spirit is…… like some kind of alternate dimension?”
The Mage: “The Spirit isn’t such an existence like that. Where the Spirit is…… is in that green sun over there.”
The Chief Maid flinches
The Demon King: “That sun!?”
The Hero: “The sun of the Demon World!? Why would she be there?”
The Mage: “In the aftermath of the Great Fragmentation, she was lost and confused, one could even say comatose. Consequently, what was reflected in the eyes of the Spirit was a barren world. A barren world devoid of any life. Humans and Demons…… In other words, the seeds of a relationship were sown between the weak people drawn by the blood of the Spirits of the Earth, and ferocious people drawn by the blood of the other Spirits. A relationship arose between the girl of the Spirits of Fire and Spirits of Earth, and the youth who represented the Humans, in other words, the first Hero. Their love ignited the elitism of the proud Spirits, who brought about this wasteland.”
The Demon Trush flaps around
The Mage: “This world may be big, but it was not big enough for the two warring races to live in harmony. Therefore, she took the Demons —- those attracted by the blood of the Spirit, and sealed them away in this great underground world. This was meant to be an eternal punishment for her own race, which had subjugated, enslaved and bound the Humans. A subterranean purgatory. However, even more than her people, She blamed herself. For she had been unable to save them. And so, in order to bring some light to this underground world of pitch darkness, as a Spirit of Fire, she set herself ablaze, and became the Spirit of Light.”
The Chief Maid: “……”
The Mage: “As it would suggest, the Demon World is a world of darkness, with no light in this empty vacuum. The girl of Fire hoped to give a world to those called “Demons”, and so this was the only way. Till now, Her body continues to burn, and Her heart together with Her body, waiting for the endless number of Demon Kings and Heroes to free Her.”
The Demon King: “Then……”
The Hero: “It can’t be……”
The Mage: “That’s right. This green sun is Her body. —- The Holy Relic. The sin-ridden corpse of the Spirit of Light.”
The Hero: “Just how much time has passed……”
The Mage: “That would be a number meaningless to this world. Enough time has passed that the entire concept of time is meaningless.”
The Hero: “…… I see.”
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Mage: “…… I’ve researched it carefully, so it’s not a problem. I should be able to generate magic comparable to that produced by the death of the Demon King and maintain it for a sufficient period of time.”
The Demon King: “Really!? You can?”
The Hero: “If the Mage says she can do something, then she can.”
The Mage: “Leave it to me.”
The Female Paladin: “…… Yeah, you can trust her.”
The Chief Maid: “The setup of the magic circuit is complete.”
The Mage: “When I trigger the circuit, the Sky Tower will be created. A tower 1500 miles in height created from magic. At the top, you will find the Spirit. Once it is initiated, the Demon King, Hero and Female Paladin are to rush straight in. There will be absolutely nobody in the tower, since I just created it. And at the top level, you will have to convince the Spirit.”
The Demon King: “The Female Paladin too?”
The Female Paladin: “That’s mean, Demon KJing. Did you think it would be just the two of you?”
The Demon King: “No, that’s not what I meant.”
The Hero: “Actually, how exactly did you get here. You must’ve come a very long way.”
The Female Paladin: “…… The Mage showed me the way.”
The Demon Thrush: “Mistress! Tell them the truth!”
The Mage: “…… A kidnapping spell.”
The Demon Thrush: “Chirp.”
The Chief Maid: “Your Majesty……”
The Demon King: “Thank you for doing this.”
The Chief Maid; “Of course, this is one of the duties of a maid. But please return.”
The Demon King: “Well.”
The Hero: “Of course we will definitely return.”
The Demon King: “Hero, you can’t be absolutely certain.”
The Chief Maid; “Of course you can’t. I apologise, Hero.”
The Hero: “Well.”
The Chief Maid; “But may I hope?”
The Hero: “Of course.”
The Chief Maid; “That’s very calm.”
The Hero: “Indeed.”
The Chief Maid; “No. Those who are calm betray their ignorance of what they are doing.”
The Demon King: “Chief Maid!”
The Hero: “No, it’s fine, it’s fine. Well. What’s difficult is that it’s not just me. To begin with, we have the relatively relaxed task of meeting the Spirit and convincing her, right? Those people fighting tooth-and-nail in the City of the Gate have it much worse. It’s a war down there, right?”
The Chief Maid; “I do not think that is accurate.”
The Demon King: “No, the Hero is right. Send my regards to those in the City.”
The Hero: “And mine also…… And if you meet her, the Elder Sister Maid too.”
The Chief Maid: “Eh?”
The Demon King: “The Elder Sister Maid?”
The Hero: “She’s came.”
The Chief Maid: “She came……?”
The Hero: “She’s leading an army nearby.”
The Chief Maid: “What the hell is that girl doing!?”
The Hero: “She’s being a Hero.”
The Chief Maid: “Eh? Ehh?”
The Demon King: “A Hero?”
The Hero: “Yeah…… She bears the name of the Hero now. Haha.”
The Demon King: “—- Hahaha.”
The Hero: “It’s amazing isn’t it?”
The Demon King: “Truly it is!”
The Chief Maid: “Is this something to be laughing about?”
The Demon King: “No, it is a glorious event for a Human who has awakened her talents.”
The Hero: “She’s the real deal. Might even be more of a Hero than I am.”
The Chief Maid: “Oh dear. I thought she might walk the straight path of a Maid. She had an obedient and meek demeanour, coupled with the strength of character and firm decision-making ability that would have allowed her to excel.”
The Demon King: “Just like the Chief Maid.”
The Hero: “Indeed!”
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Chief Maid: “……”
The Hero: “Well then, leave it to us.”
The Demon King: “It is our responsibility after all.”
The Chief Maid: “I await nervously.”
The Female Paladin: “Sorry……”
The Mage: “There is nothing to apologise about. We are just honestly communicating our emotion and feelings. — That is enough.”
The Female Paladin: “That is…… enough.”
The Mage: “When you enter, do as we discussed.”
The Female Paladin: “— Understood.”
The Demon Thrush: “This is reckless, we should have prepared more.”
The Mage: “There is no time for further preparations. If we wait any longer, that monster will enter the Sky Tower. If it does, we will not be able to catch it.”
The Demon Thrush: “But……”
The Mage: “Do not forget. The Demon King has no combat ability. The Hero’s combat ability can be brought down to a tenth of what it is now with a simple chant The Female Paladin has seen that that thing has stolen the eyes of the Sigiled King of the Pale. We have no way to stop it. It will obliterate anybody it perceives is in its path. The Demon Army, and the Army of the South, perhaps even the Holy Crusaders—- will be annihilated.”
The Female Paladin flinches
The Mage: “…… What do we have?”
The Female Paladin: “The strength of the Hero.”
The Mage: “Perhaps that will suffice.”
The Female Paladin: “—- But.”
The Mage: “……Once that monster begins rampaging on the battlefield, there will be innumerable sacrifices. That’s fine to me. No…… that’s actually better. But the Hero would not like that.”
The Female Paladin: “Indeed……”
The Demon Thrush: “Stupid. Really.”
The Mage: “It’s fine to be stupid.”
The Female Paladin: “……”
The Mage: “The Demon King will quickly realise. That extraction is the name of the game. —- That is the basis of the entire system that is the Demon King. The raison d’etre for the Demon King is pillaging, chaos, fatigue, starvation, and destruction. The Demon King is meant to drive the existence of the Hero, a regressive manifestation of extraction in the world.”
The Female Paladin: “Your words are difficult to understand as always.”
The Mage: “It’s fine to not understand.”
The Female Paladin: “I understand.”
The Demon Thrush: “Do you really. Chirp chirp.”
The Female Paladin: “The Hero and Demon King hope to reach the Spirit. At the same time, they serve as a decoy to lure the monster away from the battlefield. Is that correct?”
The Mage; “…… To be precise, they are not lures. When the Sky Tower begins, then with a glance, it signals that the Hero and Demon King are dead. Seeing that, the monster will not run, but will focus all its efforts on reaching the tower and chasing you down.”
The Female Paladin: “Then it’s simple. It’s everything I hoped for. Protection is the greatest honour for a Paladin.”
The Mage: “……”
The Female Paladin: “Is that it?”
The Mage: “You are a sacrificial pawn to delay it. I cannot be forgiven.”
The Female Paladin: “Should you really be saying that?”
The Mage: “I’m different. I have always had the best wishes of the World in mind.”
The Female Paladin: “I am also different…… I cannot allow the Demon King to be the only one to contribute to the safety of the World. I am after all, the best in the World.”
——- The City of the Gate, the South, the IUrban Battle
Beast Soldier: “Get down! Push them back!”
The Disciple Engineer: “Open windows 10 through 20! Pour the tar!”
Giant Builder: “Yes!”
Mercenary Bowman: “Fire! Fire!”
Arrows whistle through the air
Human Builder: “The ramparts. Bring more rocks!”
Pale Builder: “Leave it here. I’ll pile it.”
Human Builder: “There’s too many arrows!”
Pale Builder: “That’s why I told you to leave it to me.”
The East Fortress Base Commander: “Hey, hey. Calm down! The battle has just started. And our enemies are squires who are the subordinates hanging around the cocky useless knights, who are the subordinates of the greedy nobility. These guys aren’t even half of the real deal. Do not falter!”
Beast Soldier: “The wall, ramparts, and roads are secured.”
The Disciple Engineer: “…… We’ve pushed them back.”
Giant Builder: “…… They….. take our homes……”
Mercenary Bowman: “Damnit! Those damn Crusaders. Not all Humans are as shameless.”
Boom!
Human Builder: “! Cannons!? I thought they’d ceased?”
The Disciple Engineer: “Commander.”
The East Fortress Base Commander: “Yeah, it appears the Merchant has come through.”
Boom!
The East Fortress Base Commander: “Listen up! Defenders of the Gate! Brave Demons! The entire South District is about to turn into a massive urban battlefield. Soon, the residents of the area will be completely evacuated, and the Demon King will give her orders. Our formation is centered around the Shrine of the Nameless God, but by any measure the enemy has come this far. No, we have managed to lure them into the City as far as the Shrine of the Nameless God! Got it, this City is going to suffer unbelievable damage! But a city is just a city. It is not a person. We can rebuild again once the war has ended. But right before you, the fates of your families, your friends, your Tribes, and the entire fate of the Demon World is in your hands! It will be a frightful battle. Your lives will be in danger, with all the fear and anger of war! But do not be disheartened! This area is a City where we live. This is a region of prosperity we have created tile by tile and brick by brick. The City is our friend, it will not betray us. When they capture an area, we will light it ablaze and counter attack. Little by little, we will split them into smaller and smaller units, and ambush each of them! If you have to, kill them, but if you can, capture them alive. We only need to sap their combat ability until they break. Those who come for us, are the nobility of the world above. Their only aim is to plunder the riches of your homes!”
Disciple Engineer, take command of the militia, and I entrust the defence of the wall to you. Keep arrows raining down over them. I leave the baiting of the enemy to you. Beast Soldier. You are the rear guard. That is to say you will be extremely busy. You are to take command of the transportation and treatment of the injured, as well as the administration of all captives. Literally everything behind the frontlines. Make preparations for our retreat also, when we fall back through the avenue, they will be right behind us, and you will have to strike them back. Fall upon them! Ensure that the avenue is passable! As much as possible, prevent damage to the Shrine of the Nameless God!”
The Disciple Engineer: “My pleasure.”
Beast Soldier: “Understood!”
Boom!
The East Fortress Base Commander: “This City belongs to the Demon King. And we owe her a great debt. We owe it to our friends who have fallen to protect the Demon King. In the name of those who live in this land, we will make them pay. —- People say that you must defend your homeland. But as the brand new Chieftain of the Gate, I have a new saying, “Because we have defended it, this is our homeland.” Every one of you here has earned the privilege of being able to call this your homeland, and so for the sake of your homeland, fight for your futures!”
——- The City of the Gate, the South Side, the Frontlines of the Southern Alliance
The Lone Winter King: “It is time.”
The Disciple Soldier: “We’ve made it just in time. Let us hope we can make an orderly retreat when needed.”
The Lone Winter King: “Let’s go.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Understood. Transport Unit! Guards! Make ready!”
The Seneschal: “Understood!”
The Lone Winter King: “I will take command of the troops in the frontlines and mercenaries, as well as the nobility of the Kingdom of Metal. The men of the Southern Alliance are fighting a different war. We will proceed as planned.”
The Iron Fist King: “Understood. As we discussed.”
The Metal Lieutenant: “The Transport Unit is armoured. The supplies from the Fire Dragon Lord have all been loaded.”
Fairy Attendant: “We are all ready.”
The Iron Fist King: “Us too!”
The Disciple Soldier: “Sharpshooters, fire once we engage them. As much as possible, aim deep into their ranks.”
The Seneschal: “Units 1, 2 and 3, move out! Guards and Spears follow! Sharpshooters be vigilant! Range is of the essence, even if movement is slow! Form up to facilitate a retreat and advance cautiously!”
The Lone Winter King: “And so it begins.”
The Disciple Soldier: “Well…… You could always stay back here. It would be unwise to risk your safety.”
The Lone Winter King: “Hahahaha. I am going too. That is the responsibility of a king.”
The Disciple Soldier: “I guess there’s no persuading you…… Knights of Metal, form up!”
The Metal Lieutenant: “Understood!”
———– The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders
Guardsman of Light: “!”
Musketeer of Light: “That sounded close.”
Spearman of Light: “That was even closer.”
Sergeant of Light: “Are you all here!”
Guardsman of Light: “Yes!”
Musketeer of Light: “All here!”
Spearman of Light: “Assembled.”
Sergeant of Light: “Prepare to advance, form ranks!”
Musketeer of Light: “Advance where?”
Spearman of Light: “……”
Sergeant of Light: “Children of Light, we go to do battle with the enemy.”
Musketeer of Light: “What. The Southern Alliance!”
Spearman of Light: “Damnit! Not them! Not them!”
Sergeant of Light: “That is for us to decide. Form ranks!”
Musketeer of Light: “Y, yes!”
Spearman of Light: “Understood!”
Artilleryman: “H, huh?”
Guardsman of Light: “Isn’t that?”
Sergeant of Light: “—– His Holiness the Patriarch!”
Musketeer of Light: “The Patriarch……? The real thing?”
Spearman of Light: “His Holiness.”
The Patriarch: “…… Children of Light, it is time for the final battle.”
The crowd is in an uproar
“Patriarch! Patriarch! Patriarch!”
The Patriarch: “We the Children of the Spirit have spent a long time sieging the defences of this evil city. But as you see before you, their walls have crumbled! ……. This is thanks to the weapons you hold in your hands, which represent the fury of the Spirit’s fire. Now, Children of the Spirit, Children of Light, the time has come! The Spirit Herself awaits to embrace in infinite charity, those who would cross to Her domain in this battle…… None in any direction can genuinely call themselves our opponents.”
The Strategist: (Wh, what is he on about. No opponents!? Then what are we going to do about the Southern Alliance?)
The Patriarch: “The charity of the Spirit shines down upon the world. Behold, to the South, the heretic army. We have kindly permitted them to exist above, but yet they align with the Demons to disrupt our holy mission. They are not our opponents, anymore than they are an irksome pest. 50,000 Children of Light is more than enough to exterminate that force.”
Murmuring
“Really, exterminate them?”
The Strategist: “What!”
The Patriarch: “Behold. To the north, the City of the Gate. The City of Evil. A city inhabited by pernicious demons who do not give praise to the Spirit, the spring from which corruption and pestilence flows. They obscure the light of the Spirit, and are the source of the blackness which blankets this world. 50,000 Children of Light is more than enough to exterminate that city.”
Eterminate? Are we all attacking? Amidst that cannon fire……
The Strategist: “Isn’t that the entire army! What about reserves!?”
“We still want to go home, to hell with fighting these heretics……”
“But, killing humans…… that’s not……”
“What about the nobility……. How far do they want us to go……”
The Patriarch: “Let me announce this now. This is a Holy War. This is a sacred war to take back the Holy Relic of the Spirit of Light. —- To demonstrate your bravery in this war is to do the highest duty to the Spirit of Light. Those who would dare to show mercy to our enemies will all be branded as heretics! As the Patriarch of the Holy Church of Light I issue this proclamation in the name of the Spirit. We will exterminate all heretics and infidels! Those who are unable to do so, are as much heretics in themselves! Know that we will not hesitate to exterminate the blight of heresy, like rotten wheat, we will cut you away at the source.”
“If we don’t kill them…… we are heretics……”
“I’m hungry…… just a bit more.”
“If I become a heretic, it’s not just me, my daughter, my wife…… my father, my mother will become heretics too……”
The Strategist: (This power…… He’s able to terrify an entire crowd of peasants with just a few words. Truly, this is a man of gravitas.)
The Patriarch: “Raise your swords! Raise your muskets! Today is a day of offering! Plunder and kill all the heretics! Destroy their homes! Attack and exterminate them! Stories of this day will be told for an eternity! Children of Light! With the blessing of the Spirit! All is as the Spirit wills it!”
“……. All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it!”
“Plunder and destroy, take it all!”
“All is as the Spirit wills it! …… All is as the Spirit wills it!”
The Patriarch: “Advance my Children! Happiness is just before you!”
——- The City of the Gate, the Southern Side, the Urban Battle
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Spearman of Light: “All is as the Spirit wills it!”
Musketeer of Light: “All is as the Spirit wills it! A, ahhhh! They’re here! The Demons are here! Attack! Attack!”
Swordsman of Light: “Let’s go! Advance!”
Spearman of Light: “Attack!”
Noble Bannerman: “What.”
Noble Cavalryman: “The serfs. They’ve finally joined the fray. Noblemen with me, let’s take this road to the back.”
Noble Bannerman: “!”
Noble Cavalryman: “Listen up! This is their homeground, proceed with caution!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Musketeer of Light: “All is as the Spirit wills it! Death to the heretics……”
Spearman of Light: “I just want to go home. As long as the Demons exist, we can’t return.”
Swordsman of Light: “Food, give me food!”
Boom! Boom!
Scout: “There are about 1,200 mixed infantry with muskets nearby.”
The Disciple Engineer: “! They’re here. This is it then.”
Giant Builder: “…… Yes.”
Mercenary Bowman: “It’s us first.”
The Disciple Engineer: “Yes. Have the archers in the walls prepare. Lure them in and then fire at will! Use the high ground to fire at them from above.”
Mercenary Bowman: “Understood!”
The Disciple Engineer: “Are the catapults ready?”
Pale Builder: “Ready!”
The Disciple Engineer: “Listen up, this is not mercy, but there is no need to slaughter them. In this battle, rendering them unable to fight is sufficient. It I actually better. The enemy has many soldiers. If we inflict injuries and casualties, then they will struggle to maintain their supply and treatment lines. Especially if we can inflict injuries on their nobility and their knights, these people of great importance to the Humans, then they will even have to redeploy units just to guard them. If we combine all these considerations, we can drive out a force five times our size.”
Giant Builder: “Understood.”
Mercenary Bowman: “Archers form up!”
Human Builder: “Catapults ready!”
Pale Builder: “Use the flaming rocks.”
The Disciple Engineer: “Your target is the avenue. The front row are the nobility! Wait. The East Fortress Base Commander has just engaged them. Not yet! Not yet! Believe in the defences we have constructed. This tower will not fall so easily. Calm down. The bridges we have built, the walls we have constructed, are not so weak. Calm down! —— Now! Fire!”
Arrows whistling
Musketeer of Light: “What!? Where? Agh!”
Muskets firing
Spearman of Light: “Stop firing! If you just fire wildly you’ll hit us!”
Swordsman of Light: “Where. The tower!? They’re in the tower!”
Spearman of Light: “Damn Demons!”
The Disciple Engineer: “Second wave make ready! Inform the front line! Barricade off the Avenue of Birds and the Avenue of Sand, push down the houses!”
Giant Builder: “Yes!”
—– The City of the Gate, the Holy Crusaders
“Attack! Attack!”
“We are the Children of Light! The spears which will destroy the heretics!”
Musketeer of Light: “All is as the Spirit wills it! All is as the Spirit wills it!”
Spearman of Light: “Agghhh! Ahhh!”
Musketeer of Light: “The enemy!”
Spearman of Light: “Traitors of the South! Attack! The cowardly heretics are no match for our muskets.”
Musketeer of Light: “That’s right. We are protected by the Patriarch himself. That’s right. If that’s not right, then. Why are these heretics……. Agh!”
Spearman of Light: “Ahhh!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Just what is with this chaos!”
The Strategist: “Your Imperial Excellency.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Just what is going on, what has that man done!?”
The Strategist: “He has declared a Holy War! Then he split the serfs into two units and has thrown our entire force at both the City of the Gate and the Southern Alliance.”
The Holy Imperial General: “What a fool.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “!”
The Strategist: “They are little more than a disorganized rabble right now. They still have combat ability, but morale is so disturbed that they would break and rout with ease. How is that any different?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Just what is going on. The commander of the Southern Alliance will surely see through the disorganization of our Army. At this rate.”
Boom!
The Holy Imperial General: “They are close!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: (At this rate, commands will be impossible, and this army of tens of thousands will crumble! I don’t understand why he would disintegrate the command structure in an unfamiliar environment like this. It’s true that I was already beginning to question whether we can continue to control this army. But this rabble exceeds anything I expected. Does he intend to exterminate the Central Kingdoms!)
The Holy Imperial General: “This is an emergency! Your Imperial Excellency!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Enough! Let’s go. 800 cavalry follow me! We have to instill some discipline into the vanguard of 20,000 at the head of this mob.”
The Holy Imperial General: “Yes!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Strategist! Stabilise the rear lines.”
The Strategist: “Yes!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: (The Patriarch……. This chaos comes from up high. Your pride, your arrogance, and your complete ignorance. Do you intend to extinguish the dreams of the Central Kingdoms, and the illustrious history of the Church!? As expected, it was madness to birth a dragon with two heads. —- One must be chopped off. Otherwise, our only recourse is to return to the surface.)
Boom!
Musketeer of Light: “Attack! Attack!”
Spearman of Light: “Don’t run! Southerners! Because you came, because you betrayed us, we have been starving everyday! You monopolized all the food, and you are preventing us from going home!”
The Holy Imperial General: “It would appear their sharpshooters are engaging us outside the range of our muskets.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “The serfs can hardly stand the heat of the battlefield. We have no choice it seems.”
The Holy Imperial General: “Stop damn it! Do you hear me! We are the guards of the Crown Prince Marshal! Form up! Form up!”
“Aghhh! Give it here! No! It’s mine! It’s mine!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “What is going on!?”
“Give it! It’s mine!”
“This cart too!”
“It’s raisins! This one has raisins!”
“This has water and ale!?”
Scout: “My lord! The enemy has begun to retreat! They have withdrawn rapidly to a fallback line, and”
The Holy Imperial General: “What is it! Report!”
Scout: “The enemy has left behind several tens of wagons with bread andfood!”
The Holy Imperial General: “!? Is it poisoned! Make them stop!”
Scout: “It’s impossible! Almost all the soldiers are fighting for a bight, it has been such a long siege that they are all at their physical and psychological limits.”
“It’s bread! Here too! Here too! That’s mine!”
“We can live! We can live on this a few more days!”
Scout: “The frontline has degenerated into a mob squabbling over the food. It is impossible to restore any order right now.”
The Holy Imperial General: “What……”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “……”
The Holy Imperial General: “Just what scheme do these Southeners have!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “They……”
Scout: “That’s…… A man who claims to be the Lone Winter King has reached the frontlines.”
The Holy Imperial General: “What is happening.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “That man stopped the war and formed the Southern Alliance, distributed food to the hungry, and even proliferated the use of vaccinations. And yet here he is risking his life, for what……”
“Yeahhh! The Southern Alliance!”
“This is a gift from the Lone Winter King of the Southern Alliance!”
The Crown Prince Marshal: (……. All the way here, all the way to the Demon World! — Is he recruiting colonists!? Lone Winter King! Until this battle you have not once crossed spears with us! Do you intend to show the same false kindness you showed to the nobility before! Why do you deny yourself! You were born a King, you had the people under your control and a crown of gold upon your head, you were destined from birth to be a leader of men! Why did you do something so disruptive to the preordained way of things, something only that so called Scholar would do. Why do you besmirch your own future with your own hands! I do not understand you! You are a King too, you are like us, a man of power. Why do you not understand the way of the world!! Look at this mob! If you give them bread, they crawl over it and squabble over the scraps in the mud, if you give them wine, they drink as if tomorrow does not exist. Everything you give to them is wasted with no semblance of discipline. And you are considering giving to people such as this privileges like freedom and power!? Answer me, Lone Winter King! You! You! What do you see on this battlefield! Just how depraved do you want this world to become before you will be satisfied! Answer me! Lone Winter King!!”
The Holy Imperial General: “Your Imperial Excellency……”
Scout: “The Southern Alliance has retreated half a mile.”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “!”
The Holy Imperial General: (This is bad. The entire command structure has collapsed. Now it is snowballing like an avalanche. Rumours and sentiment will spread like a fire on a plain of dry grass. The Holy Crusaders have been destroyed.)
The Holy Imperial General: “Your Imperial Excellency! Now! Only now!You must take control. Stabilise the lines. At the very least, redistribute the black powder—-”
Rumble! Rumble!
Scout: “What is that!?”
The Crown Prince Marshal: “Wh, what!?”
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