Chapter 957 – Interlude ~ the Queen’s Plan Is Getting Twisted!
The day after the demon king took humans and demons and entered the demons’ base.
A somewhat shocking report was delivered to the leadership of the Kingdom of Reinhardt, who was staying in a city near the border area.
“I beg your pardon…!? The annihilation gun used in the first battle exploded…!? Lord Narhan got caught up in it and died!?”
“Yes, that’s right… Master Estoria… And even the soldiers were caught up in the explosion… They were counterattacked by the demons who took advantage of that opportunity, and were defeated…”
“Defeat!? What kind of nonsense is this…!? No matter how Lord Narhan died, so many troops were killed by demons!?”
Dozens of large and small battlefields spread widely across the border region.
For more than a year, a war of attrition was going on in so many battlefields, with neither victory nor defeat.
The reason is that the demons chose a boring defensive battle. This is because they were waiting for the new weapon to overwhelmingly wipe out the demons.
But as soon as that weapon was deployed, news of defeat, not victory, was heard. It was a shocking report that was completely unexpected for the people who were expecting victory and planning the next steps.
“… What is this situation, Count Bergen!? “Isn’t the stability of the weapon perfected through further improvements!?”
“No, that’s…! That can’t be possible…!? Wow, is this true, an apprentice knight!? The Destruction Cannon really exploded!? “Please explain how it exploded!”
“… Yes… Well… The first bombardment was successful and destroyed the demons’ fortress… But the power was stronger than expected and even our allies suffered damage, so after gathering the troops, the remaining demons were attacked. I tried to fire a second bombardment… But there the Destruction Cannon exploded…”
An apprentice knight named Miguel, who appears to have been very shocked.
His mesmerized, haggard face added realism to his shocking report.
Is that why? Despite the unbelievable reports that other surviving humans were taken prisoner, but he was lucky to escape. The human side’s leadership had no choice but to believe his report.
In fact, due to the fear of the devil and brain cells damaged by the energy of the negative beasts, they are making false reports as the beasts taught them. That mesmerized expression that makes it impossible to even imagine making a false report.
It was the wonderful expression of an apprentice knight who deceived nobles who were well-versed in examining other people’s faces.
“… Hey, Estoria. Are you talking about the new weapon that is still under development? I heard that it would take about a month more to be deployed. Has it already been deployed?”
The queen and several nobles, who heard the apprentice knight’s report, were embarrassed with cold expressions on their faces.
A noble lady with a seductive air sitting in one corner raised her hand while looking at Estonia.
Of the 20 or so people, about half were embarrassed. The other half are tilting their heads as if asking what they are talking about.
When she asked her question like a representative of those who did not understand, Estoria answered her with a slight sigh.
“… Ha. Is it so. Marquis Marianne. The Count of Bergen said he was confident that stability had been secured, so I sent one to the outskirts as a test.”
“Oh. So… So, there’s a problem with the new weapon we’ve been waiting for?”
“That’s it… Sigh. Originally, I was planning to tell everyone after hearing the news of success in order to prevent any possible information leaks… But instead of success, a very serious accident occurred…”
He showed an expression of disapproval towards the noble lady who was called Marianne. Estonia is glaring at the middle-aged man named Bergen, who is in charge of weapons development, as if asking how he will take responsibility.
At that gaze, Bergen lowered his head and his body trembled, as if he was frightened.
“Hmm… It looks like you were in a bit of a hurry. Since they are demons with nowhere to run anyway, it would have been okay to use them after stability was definitely secured…”
“That’s right, Marquis. “I should have listened to you a long time ago…”
Actually, there was no problem with stability. Aside from that, there was a reason for Estonia to hastily use weapons.
No matter how much they engage in defensive warfare, the human army overwhelms the demons in terms of military strength.
But for some reason, for over a year, no proper news of victory had been heard from any battlefield.
No matter how many divine beasts have joined the demons. With just a few divine beasts, it is normal to not be able to prepare for the attack of Orlando and the elite army targeting weakened areas.
However, whenever Orlando launched an attack that was close to a surprise, the divine beasts and a demonic leader named Ferragus were waiting in advance at the attack location, as if they had known it in advance.
And such attacks are the same not only for Orlando, but also for attacks from other hero knights, divine beasts called Baekseon, and elves.
Due to a situation where it seemed as if information about where to attack was being leaked, the war against the demons was a boring war of attrition with almost no casualties.
As Essentia, most injuries can be healed with recovery skills or potions. Estonia was not happy with a war of attrition that only left the injured.
Because I couldn’t shake the suspicion that someone was leaking information. The intention was to change the course of the war before information was leaked by informing only her blood relatives and closest associates.
‘As there are very few people who know the power of the weapon, if it had been successful, it would have been possible to change the trend regardless of information leaks… Bergen, you idiot…’
As powerful as it is, it is a new weapon that is cumbersome to transport and cannot be freely used.
With current technology, it is a weapon that must be discarded after a few shots, so Estonia wanted to utilize this new weapon with the highest efficiency.
If we could wipe out the demons in the border area at once with the demon annihilation cannon, we would be able to easily wipe out the non-soldier demons with over 1 million troops.
However, since the new weapon was exposed like this, the situation in which the number of troops was reduced due to increased fighting in the border area had to be taken into consideration.
“… Did you say the first bombardment was successful? “What was its power?”
“Ah… Yes, yes. That… The power was definitely enormous. After easily breaking through the castle’s defense barrier, the castle collapsed…”
“Hmm. It may not have been a great barrier since it was a small fortress… But it would probably work well for other fortresses as well. Of course, we have to think about the case where Shinsu joins, but…”
I felt a little frustrated in that situation. Estoria asks Miguel about the power of the weapon, as if to confirm something.
Then Miguel glanced at Marianne, who was looking at him, and responded as if he was grateful to the most noble female in the kingdom.
“. Hehe. Is it so. You mean it was tremendous power? Then, if several of those demon annihilation cannons are prepared, do you think they will also work on the demons’ base?”
“… Oh, I guess so… Ah, no! Even so…! I don’t know what will happen if an explosion like this happens or if we are surprised by demons! The weapon is so big that it’s hard to protect it…!”
In response to Marianne’s question immediately following his answer to Estoria, Miguel stutters his answer as if he is more nervous than when answering Estoria.
Why? When he saw the lady’s smiling eyes, Miguel’s cells sent a warning signal as if they remembered something.
Although he is not oozing evil energy like the women he saw. The bewitching sensuality of that noble lady who clearly feels like she is ‘the same kin’ as those women.
The moment he felt that lewdness, Miguel instinctively realized her intention and expressed his opinion that the new weapon should not be used.
“Did you hear, Estoria? I think it would be better to take a little more time to deploy the annihilation artillery.”
“… But the demons must have already heard about the Demon Destruction Cannon…”
“It can’t be helped that it has already been exposed. It’s a bit disappointing, but I think it would be better to focus firepower here after thoroughly achieving stability. So the demons can’t even respond.”
“Hmm… Okay… Since it’s come to this, I think that’s the best way…”
Was the answer Miguel chose the right one? With a satisfied expression, Marianne suggests further improvements to her weapons to Estonia.
Estonia, who heard her smile and suggestion, nodded her head with a regretful response.
Although she is not one of her close associates who have known her for a long time. Marianne’s suggestion was the one that seemed to understand her feelings the most during this leadership meeting.
In the end, she’s just suggesting that we take our time again. But for some reason, when Estonia heard her voice, she somehow felt comfortable with that voice and had no choice but to accept her offer.
“… Hehe…♡ If something like this happens again in the future, it would be good if you let me know right beforehand♡ I know you are worried about information being leaked, but I was a little embarrassed to hear it all of a sudden♡”
“… Is it so. I made a mistake… Even if no one else knows, I will let Marquis Marianne know…”
“Thank you, Estoria ♡ I will work harder to repay her trust ♡”
When she heard Estoria’s answer, which seemed to indicate that Marianne was okay with it, Marianne smiled and bowed her head to Estria, as if she was happy.
But inside, she was thinking about something completely different.
‘I made the mistake of not getting the information properly, you really have no shame, Demon King♡ I will give you this information right away, so I hope you can use it to enjoy yourself…♡’
Although it appears to be for Estonia. A female noble who has become a beast whose true heart is only loyalty and affection for the Demon King.
Without knowing that animals were hiding around him. With those beasts, Estonia revised her plan to annihilate her demons.
