Chapter 233 – Western Front
There are a total of three party members who went to the battlefield with me this time.
Vanessa, Glinda, Sophia.
Honestly, if you look at pure combat power, this is a lineup that would be ranked high on the entire continent.
However, as the opponent was our opponent, we did not feel like we had the advantage at all.
‘Honestly, the elves are so stagnant.’
In today’s era, how many countries on this continent are capable of nurturing professional soldiers on that scale?
It is common for other countries to issue conscription orders to peasants whenever necessary to make up for the shortage, but for elves, the period of mandatory military service is only 30 years and the reserve force is 70 years, so most young men are strong soldiers with military training, so they are no match for peasant soldiers. It didn’t work.
However, if we were to send elite soldiers forward, the main weapons of the elves were bows and magic, so if we made a mistake, they could have died before they even got close.
‘Anyway, I guess I’ll have to use my brain to deal with those guys with big ears.’
Thinking like that, I entered the portal gate that was directly connected to the Demon King.
Oooh!
When you feel a brief sense of floating and close your eyes, what you see is not Oz, but the Devil’s Castle.
Originally, the Demon King’s Castle would have had a peaceful atmosphere, but because it was in the midst of a war, the soldiers guarding the castle gate were also in various spirits.
“Loyalty!”
“Okay.”
The soldiers who recognized Vanessa’s face quickly saluted her, and Vanessa passed by, waving her hand as if she was used to it.
Maybe it was because he was the former commander of the Demon King’s army, but since Vanessa was with him, he had a free pass everywhere.
After passing through the castle gate and arriving at the stables in the backyard of the Demon King’s Castle, we decided to rent a horse to go to Desmond Plain, where the battle was in full swing.
Hee!
“Whoa, whoa.”
Jung Joong Nara, whom I met for the first time in a long time, recognized my face and looked at me.
I guess I’m even happier because I haven’t seen you in a while.
I stroked the neck of Jung Nara, who was rubbing her face happily, and took over the reins from the soldier in charge of the stable.
Looking around, it seemed like other people had successfully rented horses as well.
I got on the saddle and gestured to Vanessa.
Then, Vanessa, who sensed my intention without saying anything, took the lead and left the backyard.
Naturally, the bicorn ridden by Vanessa took the lead, followed by the horses ridden by me, Sophia, and Glinda.
“Vanessa! Approximately how far does it take to reach Desmond Plain?”
“About 5 hours without stopping? I’ve never measured the time, so it’s not accurate.”
Indeed, it’s not that far away.
I glanced at the Demon King Castle, which was quickly moving away, and then turned my gaze forward.
The place we are heading now is west of the Demon King Castle.
The contact area of Doom Land, where demons live, and Elfheim, the land where elves live.
In another word, it could be called the Western Front.
‘… We shouldn’t be pushed out when we go.’
A strange sense of anxiety welled up deep in my heart, but I tried my best to pretend not to notice and held on tighter to the reins that controlled Jungjongnara.
“Let’s go. To Desmond Plain.”
***
Approximately 6 hours by horseback from the Demon King’s Castle to Desmond Plain.
If I had come without stopping, it would have taken about 5 hours as Vanessa said, but even so, it seemed like I was overworking the horse, so I came with a moderate amount of rest.
That’s how we arrived at Desmond Plain.
Originally, an endless grassland would have been visible beyond the horizon, but perhaps because it was after a bloody windstorm, everything in sight was devastated.
We entered the military camp of the Demon King’s army located on an open field.
“Ugh…”
“Give me… Kill.”
Injured soldiers can be seen sitting here and there receiving treatment from medics.
Sophia, who was following after seeing the scene, frowned.
It must be a terrible sight for someone who has never experienced war.
As I passed the group of injured soldiers and approached the place where the officers’ barracks were gathered, the soldiers guarding in front stopped them and raised their spears.
“Stop! You cannot enter on horseback from here on!”
We obediently got off the horse as the soldier said.
Immediately after, a familiar face appeared from inside the barracks near the entrance.
“Welcome, Patrasche.”
This is Seneca, the head of the Demon King’s Castle.
“How did Seneca get here…?”
“Because where the Demon King is where I will be.”
Seneca smiled softly as he said that and took the lead by example.
“Please come this way.”
We followed Seneca’s back and headed to the largest barracks nearby, receiving glares from the surrounding soldiers.
***
When I entered the barracks under Seneca’s guidance, it appeared that a meeting was in full swing.
Bang!
“So! We can no longer allow our soldiers to be unilaterally consumed!”
It was Dverg, the king of the dwarves, who said that and slammed his fist on the table.
“Hey, you!”
Gabriel, who saw this, got angry and tried to press him, but Deverg’s attitude was firm.
“Isn’t the reason the battle ended up being so one-sided in the first place because the Demon King’s army fought recklessly without a proper strategy!”
Deberg’s words must have stimulated other executives who had gathered for the meeting to stand up from their seats.
“Ruthless! Who dares ask for safety!”
“Once you hear it, there is nothing you can’t say!”
“At best, I’m a dwarf who’s just a bit dexterous!”
It’s a situation that’s literally like an imminent disaster.
As we were standing at the entrance of the tent, looking at each other and contemplating whether to go back out or not, the Demon King found us and gestured with his hand to tell us to wait.
Then he opened his heavy mouth.
“Stop.”
Although it was only one word, its weight was truly extraordinary.
So much so that even Dverg, who had been so angry just a moment ago, kept his mouth shut.
Eventually, the Demon King slowly got up from his chair and apologized to Deverg in a polite manner.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. My lack of control resulted in a one-sided defeat in this battle.”
“Demon King!”
Seeing that, someone sighed as if he was sad, but the Demon King raised his head and spoke with a calm face.
“But you are mistaken. It was not only the dwarves who were one-sidedly wasting soldiers in this battle.”
Then, de Berg, who was overwhelmed by the atmosphere without realizing it, bit his lip in exasperation, perhaps realizing it too late.
“If you look at the number of dead in the first place, the soldiers of our Demon King’s army who fought on the front lines must have died the most. I am not unaware of the bravery of the dwarf warriors, but the number of soldiers basically deployed is almost twice that. Can you deny this fact? ?”
“… No.”
“And as you pointed out, it is true that our Demon Lord’s army fought without a proper strategy. To be precise, there is a reason why that has to be the case. Do you know what that is?”
De Berg, who was asked by the Demon King, looked uncomfortable but slowly shook his head.
Does this mean you want to listen to the story first?
But that was enough.
“On the surface, they are gathered under the name of the Demon King’s Army, but the Demon King’s Army is originally a confederation of countless tribes. In other words, each tribe has a separate leader and each has a different command system. Of course, with the authority of the Demon King, their control is controlled to some extent. Freedom can be suppressed, but in the end it is only a stopgap measure, so I have respected their fighting methods as much as possible.
After listening to the Demon King’s quiet explanation, Deberg’s excitement seemed to have subsided, and he spoke with a more calm expression.
“That means it’s not that you didn’t plan a strategy, but that you couldn’t plan it?”
After hearing those words, the Demon King slowly nodded.
“That’s correct.”
Seeing the leader of the Demon King’s army come out so proudly, Deverg made a bewildered noise, saying, “Oh, really.”
“So you’re telling us to go to war?”
“That’s been enough for now. But now that I’ve realized that this method doesn’t work against elves, I guess I’ll have to make a change like you said.”
The Demon King said that and pointed to us standing at the entrance.
“Let me introduce you. Patrasche and Vanessane, the secret weapons of our Demon King’s army.”
Having been singled out unexpectedly, I had no choice but to ask back, “Yes?”, And Vanessa smiled brightly and shook his hand, seeming to be surprisingly familiar with this situation.
Whether we react that way or not, the Demon King declared with a benevolent smile.
“It is the core force of this war.”
***
Thanks to the Demon King’s sudden declaration, the strategy meeting was over.
So the demon executives, including Deverg, returned to their barracks, and we greeted the demon king who was left alone.
“Shin Patrasche, belatedly joined the command of Demon King Nama.”
“Hehe, I’ve been waiting so hard for you already. You joined at a good time.”
The Demon King, who patted my shoulder while saying that, looked around at his companions who came with me and said.
“Vanessa, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you. How have you been in Oz?”
“Yes! I was able to get along well thanks to the Demon King’s consideration!”
This time, the devil’s gaze was directed at Glinda.
“We meet again, Witch of the West. It seems that your trip home didn’t go well, did it?”
“Thanks to the Demon King’s consideration, I succeeded in rescuing the mother of the child who followed me. However, this time I came to this battlefield for a different reason.”
“Ho? Another reason?”
“I will tell you that slowly. There are too many ears to hear it here.”
As Glinda said that and looked around, the Demon King slowly nodded as if he understood what she meant.
“Then what about this way?”
The last thing that the Demon Lord’s gaze caught was Sophia.
Sophia, who was asked a question by the Demon King, hesitated and then introduced herself as a maid who served me as her master.
He probably thought that the current Demon King would be in trouble if he revealed his original identity.
“Ah, I see. That’s a lot of work.”
I was grateful for her consideration, but unfortunately it was unnecessary kindness.
As I watched the Demon King having a conversation with the three people, I spoke at the end.
“Actually, this is a new hero, and Glinda is the last princess of the elves.”
“… Huh?”
The devil’s brain seems to have stopped due to the sudden revelation of his identity.
But since all these facts were true, I spoke calmly.
“So, let’s make a new plan.”
