Episode 154
* * *
There were four castles.
Just as the border between the Duchy of Saxony and the Demon’s Territory was once defended by a few strategic points and crossing points, there are not many places where large forces can move from the Demon World to the Demon’s Territory.
“If we assume that a high-ranking demon is controlling the demons within the Demon King’s territory, then at least one high-ranking demon is stationed in one of these four castles or strongholds.”
That is why Dale pointed to the four strategic points where ‘large-scale movement’ between the Demon King’s Territory and the Demon World was possible, and furthermore, the castles built on top of them. These were the old fortresses that the Imperial Army had built after the warriors had defeated the Demon King, and now that the Imperial Army had withdrawn and abandoned them, they must have become strongholds for the Demons in the Demon King’s Territory.
Aside from this fortress and the path it guards, there is no road leading from the Demon Realm to the Demon King’s Territory.
It was hell at the time, where one misstep in the frozen ground could lead to an entire unit falling into a crevasse and being wiped out every day.
“That makes sense.”
There, where the leaders of the Second Crusade were gathered, Princess Kiara nodded to Dale’s words.
“In the past, when the Demon King was being subdued, the Imperial Army established fortresses in strategic locations where large-scale forces on a scale of the Demon Clan migration could simultaneously move.”
“Even though our proud empire and warriors defeated the Demon King and his party, the fortress that symbolized that victory has now fallen into the hands of the Demons. It is truly a lamentable thing.”
At the princess’s words, one of the Master Templars muttered softly.
“It was solely Saxony’s duty to garrison the fortress and develop the Demon Territory.”
“So you are not performing that duty now?”
Dale responded calmly to the sight of her openly showing no hostility towards him.
“At least during my father’s time, it was nearly impossible for a single Saxon force to defend all four castles.”
“Ha, Saxony, the world’s greatest city, boasts of its reputation for terror, but does not hesitate to be a coward when necessary!”
Another Master Templar did not hide his mockery.
“In addition to the large-scale movement of troops, there were endless small groups of Demon guerrillas bypassing the fortress, and monitoring the entire Demon King’s territory, on top of the already vast Duchy, was too much of a burden for us Saxons to shoulder alone.”
Dale answered blandly. It was an unmanageable territory for Saxony, which claimed to be isolationist, at least until it adopted an open policy and brought in outside forces.
“Please don’t get too worked up.”
After finishing his explanation in a bland manner, Dale continued speaking coldly.
“And you must know about the ‘martyrdom’ that Brother Lusignan suffered.”
“You… … !”
“Please do that.”
Just then, Princess Kiara opened her mouth to speak to the Master Templars who could not hide their anger.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
“As I said, we are all gathered here to carry out one temple. Please put aside your personal feelings and blaming, and join forces for one goal.”
“… … .”
“Anyway, if we want a quick resolution, it’s easy to see what we have to do.”
Silence fell upon the princess’s words, and in the silence Dale opened his mouth again.
“The goal is to sequentially acquire the four fortresses and build the White Tower’s proud relic, the ‘Barrier of Light.’”
“You Saxon apostates, don’t you dare speak of the goddess’s holy relics… …!”
“Would you please shut up? Stop nitpicking every word like a seven-year-old.”
Just as the Master Templar was about to raise his voice again, Lady Scarlett intervened.
“Lady Scarlett, do you think the goddess will forget the damnable evil you have perpetrated against our Lusignan brothers?”
The Master Templar struck back as if he could not be defeated, and Lady Scarlett sneered coldly.
“You must be thankful that you won’t end up hanging alive on a hook, like a piece of meat in a butcher’s shop.”
Showing off her fangs blatantly.
It was just then.
“As I said repeatedly, I told you to stop there.”
A pitch-black tentacle wrapped around Dale, and soon the ‘Avatar of the Shadow Lord’ appeared there, clad in dark armor.
By simply existing, the Shadow Lord displayed overwhelming power, submerging the area in a flood of darkness.
An utterly dreary cold and darkness took over the area, and silence descended like a feather.
As soon as they saw this sight, the response of the leaders of the crusaders was largely divided into two.
“Oh, how about an avatar… …!”
Most of the lords and knights are unable to hide their astonishment at the portrait abilities displayed by Dale, who is supposed to be a wizard.
Likewise, the church and some of its belligerent representatives are unable to hide their bewilderment and are at the same time preparing to fight back.
At the same time, Dale unlocks his avatar and continues speaking calmly.
“Since we don’t know what kind of threat may be lurking within the Demon King’s Territory, we will unite as one main force and attack the fortresses one by one.”
In that situation where everyone’s attention was focused, he began to explain the details of the operation.
“We will concentrate our power and take down the first to fourth fortresses in order, and then we will install a ‘barrier of light’ connecting the four fortresses. After that, we will block the path between the Demon Realm and the Demon King’s Territory, and only after we subdue the remaining forces within the Demon King’s Territory will this territory become ‘Imperial Land.’”
“You’re going to concentrate your power?”
However, the one who burst into laughter upon hearing those words was the 7th Prince Modred.
“Are you planning on gathering such a large force and moving around like a snail in this damned land where there is no Demon King?”
“As I said, we still haven’t figured out the danger posed by the high-ranking demons.”
“You can’t see the number of troops gathered here right now, right? The greatest genius of the empire.”
Modred continues.
“We will divide our forces into four units and attack the four fortresses of the Demon King’s Territory simultaneously. Does anyone object to what I say?”
As if he could never let the operation proceed under Dale’s leadership.
“Your Majesty, what you said is right!”
“The world’s ‘Black Prince’ was said to be a genius in military strategy, but in the end, he was nothing more than a coward who borrowed the name of Saxony!”
“That’s true!”
As soon as Modred spoke, the lords who were at odds with Saxony all burst into laughter. Amidst the laughter, Dale remained calm and silent.
‘These are the kind of bean powder kids who don’t even have answers.’
Dale answered, holding back the words that threatened to burst out of his throat at any moment.
“Well then, please do so.”
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As if it were someone else’s business.
* * *
The war began, and four large units began to march toward their respective fortresses.
There were four units, each with the standard bearers being the Seventh Prince Modred, the Red Tower, the Church, and the House of Saxony.
And among them, the assignment to conquer the first fortress, which could be said to be the best specialty, went to Modred, and the fortress that Dale was assigned to conquer was the fourth fortress, which was considered to be the most fragile of them all.
* * *
At that moment, the first fortress was being advanced by the empire’s leading lords, including Modred.
Standing on the watchtower of the fortress was a man in black robes. A high-ranking demon with shadows swaying beneath his robes.
A wizard from the Demon World, a shadow magician who inherited the ideas of ‘Another Saxon’ from the Shadow Tower.
And when the great demon tribe, including the Demon King Balor, could not endure the cruelty and evil of the Eldritch and fled, that man also followed the Demon King.
To escape from the ‘Demons of Shadow’, to escape their madness, to desperately seek a new home and survive.
This Demon King’s Territory was their survival ground. A place where they would never return to that hellish land, and at the same time, a place for their race to live while being blocked by the walls of the empire.
It was just then.
From the shadow cast beneath the man’s feet, a black tentacle rose.
The tentacles that rose from under his feet wrapped around the body of the high-ranking demon and shadow magician.
“… … !”
In his confusion, he quickly tried to move his shadow, but before he could, a voice was heard.
─ Do you think you can escape from the shadows?
“Ah, ahh… … !”
It was an unforgettable voice. The man desperately turned his body around in the tentacles’ grasp.
──There was a little boy there.
It was a boy with his eyes tightly closed with black bandages.
After seeing that sight, the blood drained from the high-ranking demon’s face.
“Oh, how… … !”
“Cowards who run away from my empire are none of my business.”
The little boy continues.
“My ‘daughter’ who I absolutely had to get back was here on her own two feet.”
The man fell to his knees in shock at the sight of the boy.
“Please, forgive me… …! ‘Shadow Lord’… …!”
Shadow Lord. The boy smiled kindly at those words.
“It is too late to be forgiven, child.”
At the same time, the shadows of the whole area opened their ‘eyes’. Within the shadows, countless eyes began to move their pupils left and right, looking around in all directions.
“But I can’t help but give you a chance.”
“Speak, Father, I will obey the command of the Shadow Lord!”
“Bring me the ‘false Saxon bloodline’.”
The Shadow Lord said.
“You are a fearless usurper who dares to steal my daughter and pretend to be the ‘Shadow Lord’ under false pretenses.”
At those words, the hooded man lowered his head to the floor. Further, the tentacles that had wrapped around him retreated into the shadows, and the man fled away.
The young boy, his eyes covered with black bandages, was still there.
The golden bloodline that was approaching this place, the bloodline of an unforgettable enemy, with a cold hatred towards it.
* * *
The advance of the crusaders, divided into four units, proceeded more smoothly than expected.
No, it was so smooth it was strange.
Nothing stood in their way. All they could do was push through the freezing cold.
Even after several days and nights, the demon guerrillas never blocked Dale’s troops. The news from the messengers who were communicating periodically with other troops was no different.
That was when Dale safely reached the fourth fortress they were aiming for.
The fortress was empty, as if there had never been anything there to begin with.
‘… … .’
In the first place, it was unlikely that the remnants of the Demon Tribe would control all four fortresses. And of all of them, this one would undoubtedly have the highest chance of winning.
Some time later, a messenger from the unit attacking the first fortress came urgently to Dale’s unit.
And the messenger’s condition was very strange.
He started giggling like crazy, then started crying like a baby. Dale calmed the messenger down and asked why, and the messenger answered.
“What happened there?”
“God… … !”
The messenger muttered.
“Oh, there was a God! A God! The omnipotent, omniscient, great celestial giver! Heeheehee!”
“God? Are you talking about the Sistine Sisters?”
“So, sisters? Ha, haha!”
The messenger burst into laughter, as if he found it ridiculous.
“There is no such thing as a sister god! But, ah, ah, there is. God! God really existed!”
With a truly maddening laugh.
“──But that God never loves us!”
As he finished speaking, black blood gushed out from the messenger’s features.
It was a dark spot like the one scattered by Shuv’s tentacles.
After hearing that, Dale and his men did not hesitate.
They had no idea about the ambush that would block their path.
