Dungeon Defense (WN)

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A famine swept over autumn this year.

It was a season where the golden grains of wheat were supposed to be abundant; however, the fields were desolate. ……There were corpses of soldiers and people who had starved to death scattered throughout the streets.

A devoted son exerted himself in order to dig a grave for his father. That son died the following week. He had caught the Black Death from the corpse. On the other hand, those who had abandoned their families to survive on their own had lived.

Those who were loyal to their families and neighbors died first. The Black Death ran more rampant in cities where the citizens cared about each other more. The people from places with little morals ran away to the many corners of the continent in order to survive. Vice became a virtue and survival became a shallow joke.

There was an absolute shortage of workers. Grain would dry up and die before being able to grow fully. A great famine followed the Black Death……the rulers of the human world were bewildered by this unprecedented calamity.

They understood that farmers were dying in great numbers because of the epidemic. They understood that they had fewer workers. However, didn’t this also mean that there were fewer mouths to feed? Feeding a family of ten and a family of three, it’s obvious which would be easier. Despite this, why were large numbers of people dying of starvation throughout the continent?

The problem was with the rulers themselves.

When the Crescent Alliance initially invaded, the rulers of each nation gave the following declaration in order to draft soldiers effectively.

– If you wish to receive the cure, then volunteer as a soldier!

This was under the logic that an appropriate reward would be bestowed upon people who fought the Demon Lords for the sake of mankind. The logic itself didn’t have any flaws; however, the rulers didn’t expect how much of an impact a declaration like this would make as people were dropping like flies after each passing day.

“Supplies have not arrived today either!”

Imperial Princess Elizabeth von Habsburg slammed her hand down on a table as she shouted.

“You are the ones who promised to support our army. This is no different from violating an international treaty!”

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

A cold sweat went down the back of the ambassador from the Anatolia Empire.

“If you give us three more days, then…….”

“Last time you asked for four days, the time before that you asked for a week. Now you need another three days? Hah. At this rate, you might as well say that you will supply us after the war is over.”

This wasn’t only happening to the Habsburg Empire. This same scene was happening in every camp throughout the human alliance.

The war against the Crescent Alliance went into full swing around the end of spring. Even if the war was prolonged, they believed that they could easily endure as long as they set their eyes on the autumn harvest. Every nation planned its provisions around this belief. However, the actual harvest was abysmal compared to what they had expected.

This was because the manpower in farming villages was practically non-existent.

The population had already decreased because of the Black Death, but the workers who were still somewhat healthy joined the army in order to receive black herbs. Most of the people who remained in farming villages were either powerless elderly people or women. The harvest this year was almost half……no, there were many places where the harvest had decreased by 20 percent this year.

Wise rulers realized that they had fallen into a vicious cycle.

An army is necessary in order to fight the Crescent Alliance. Manpower must be taken from farming areas in order to maintain one’s troops. If they take people from farming areas, then the harvest will decrease. If the harvest decreases, then their supplies will shrink. In the end, they won’t be able to maintain their armies…….

After sending the ambassador away, Imperial Princess Elizabeth gripped at her hair. Her beautiful silver hair looked frayed now.

“This is bad. The Crescent Alliance is not the problem. At this rate, the basis of the nation will end up falling apart……!”

She muttered to herself anxiously.

Recently, the number of days the imperial princess would stay up all night contemplating things had increased. Their fight against the Crescent Alliance, issues regarding supplies, the political conditions ongoing in the imperial system, the rebellious movement of the Second Prince’s faction, etc. There were numerous things to think about, but the real reason for her insomnia was her nightmares.

Her little brother would always appear in her dreams whenever she went to sleep. His eyes would fall out and tears of blood would stream out of the empty sockets endlessly. Her little brother would scream and repeat, ‘Sister, I can’t see, help me’ over and over again.

She would panic and start searching the floor for her little brother’s eyes; however, the ground would have already been submerged in blood. It became impossible to tell where his eyes were. She would desperately wade through the blood to find his eyes, but her arms, legs, and entire body would simply end up soaked in blood.

When she finally does find his eyes, she would turn her head only to discover that her little brother had already drowned in the sea of blood……. Truly, a horrible nightmare.

“Your Highness, the Queen of Brittany has arrived.”

A soldier announced from outside her tent. The imperial princess felt inwardly delighted as she responded.

“All right. Please tell them to come in.”

“You do not have to tell me that since I am already here.”

A woman pulled open the entrance of the tent and entered. Her hair that was as red as blood fluttered. Henrietta Brittany. She was the female monarch who ruled the Kingdom of Brittany.

“You look rather tired. Have you gotten any sleep?”

“No……. It is not the time to be sleeping.”

The imperial princess of the Habsburg Empire and the queen of the Kingdom of Brittany.

These two individuals had become friends during this war. The two heroes had basically acknowledged each other. If the humans had overwhelming control of the continent, then these two heroes would’ve probably been fighting for supremacy.

Nonetheless, no matter how you tried to sugarcoat it, humanity was not in a good situation right now. They had both internal and external troubles. The Black Death was tearing them apart from the inside while the Crescent Alliance was attacking from the outside. To make matters worse, a great famine was also taking place.

―There’s a chance that humanity might actually get destroyed by the Crescent Alliance this time.

The two heroes reached the same bleak conclusion. Thus, they were pleased to know that someone shared their opinion. It would be nerve-racking to have them as enemies, but they were also the most reliable people to have as one’s allies. It didn’t take more than a week for the queen and the imperial princess to become close friends.

“Let me ask you honestly. Elize, do you have any provisions left?”

There was no small talk. She got straight to the point as soon as she sat down at the table. This is most likely proof that the queen is in a similar situation, the imperial princess thought.

“No. We do not have anything to spare……. No matter how much we try to conserve our supplies, at most, they will last us only a month.”

“A month, huh? That’s about the same as us. Our side has enough for maybe a month and a half. This is also if we exclude the supplies necessary for when we return to my kingdom.”

The two of them let out a sigh at the same time. It was almost as if they had planned to do so beforehand. Once they did, the two glanced at each other before letting out a laugh.

The imperial princess thought it was strange. For some reason, she could be more honest in front of this person compared to her own vassals. Was it because she was also destined to shoulder the fate of an entire nation? The imperial princess couldn’t help but be upset that it took her this long to meet Henrietta.

“All right, then. We have only one choice left.”

“Yes. A short, decisive battle.”

Queen Henrietta nodded her head.

The two female leaders originally intended to prolong the war. They knew that the Crescent Alliance’s biggest weakness was their food supply. It’s difficult to maintain an army of monsters without human corpses. They were going to avoid fighting as much as possible until the large bodies of monsters collapsed in on themselves. ―This was the original plan.

“Who would have guessed that our provisions would be short by fifty percent. I never would have expected this.”

Queen Henrietta stuck her lips out in a pout as if she were unamused.

Now the situation has changed. The human army ended up having the provisions problem instead. At most, one month. They had to end this war within a month. This will most likely force an abnormal amount of stress on the soldiers. A cruel hellscape will unfold before them…….

“But that is not the only problem.”

Queen Henrietta narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the imperial princess.

“Let us be honest. How is the situation on your side? Does it feel like a revolution will happen in Habsburg?”

“A revolution, is it……?”

Imperial Princess Elizabeth groaned. She wanted to deny it and say that that would be ridiculous. If the other party were a normal ruler, then Elizabeth would’ve denied this without any hesitation; however, the Queen of Brittany was special. There was no point in putting on airs in front of her.

“I can only say that we are in a precarious situation; however, I have worked together with republicans for five years now. Almost every republican in our regime supports me.”

“It is dangerous, but you can manage it. So it is like that for you……I’m envious. The situation on our side is rather bad.”

Queen Henrietta smiled bitterly.

“As you can see, I became a ruler with a female body. Acquiring the cooperation of nobles was essential during the process of my ascension. It would not be an exaggeration to say that my influence is maintained through nobles. Well, it is probably the same for most other countries.”

She poured the bottle of wine that was on the table into a cup.

“Is it all right for you to be drinking alcohol?”

“The Gods created alcohol for it to be consumed during times like this.”

“Hm. If that is the case, then I will partake in a glass as well.”

Queen Henrietta looked surprised.

“Oh? But you said it is unhealthy to drink at night.”

“I do not intend to maintain my health while also making a friend lonely.”

“A friend? A friend, huh?”

The queen mused about the last time she had heard that word as she poured the imperial princess a glass of wine. The two smiled as they clinked their glass cups together. The queen moistened her throat with wine before speaking.

“I met the people of the Batavian Republic in secret and listened to what kind of republic they are working for and what sort of reformations are necessary to achieve it……but it’s impossible. It is not at a level that the nobles of my nation would understand. An uprising will undoubtedly happen soon.”

The imperial princess’ expression became severe.

“But what else can you do? At the very least, you have to make it seem like you are trying to make reforms. The ire from the common soldiers is only increasing by the day. The officers with noble standings are gradually becoming more and more anxious. They are probably afraid that their soldiers might try to overthrow them.”

“So it is the same on your side as well, huh?”

Queen Henrietta let out a sigh.

“The commoners wish for change while the nobles wish to maintain the status quo. It is like an army has two different armies inside of it. You cannot possibly call this a proper fighting force. Did you know that training is now an issue of the past? The soldiers’ will to fight is dancing on a thread. I had to behead three deserters on my way here.”

It was actually twelve, the queen added. If there are a lot of deserters, then that alone could lower morale. Only three of them were publicly executed while the other nine were taken out in secret. This was something the queen had ordered herself.

“An army that has to fabricate the number of deserters, this is not a joke…….”

The two drank their wine in silence. The imperial princess’ mouth felt incredibly bitter. It wasn’t only because of the wine.

Morale never went up. For what purpose were they sacrificing their lives? Were they truly fighting for the sake of mankind, for the sake of their families? ……These doubts spread throughout the soldiers like spores. The more doubts there are, the duller an army becomes. It heavily influences military strength as well.

The only saving grace was the fact that they distributed the black herbs beforehand. The soldiers were treating that as something they had to pay back in kind. They could no longer trust in nobles, but they wouldn’t go against the ruler who had bestowed them with black herbs, this was the basic consensus.

“If I try to push reforms, then the nobles will revolt. If I do not make any reforms, then the complaints from the commoners will eventually burst. I will lose the support of my soldiers. This is a dilemma.”

The queen groaned.

“Things would be different if my sovereign power were stronger.”

The imperial princess sympathized with the queen’s troubles. If their sovereign power were strong enough, then they could’ve just pushed for reforms without having to worry about revolts.

However, Henrietta ascended the throne as a woman and Elizabeth started a coup as the third imperial princess. Their sovereign power was far from being strong. It would be more accurate to say that they were only barely getting by thanks to their charisma.

10 years. If they had 10 more years, then their authority would have stabilized by then.

They could have created a hero among the commoners. They could have made them accomplish enough things to prevent the aristocrats from complaining in any capacity. If they pushed for reforms while using that hero as a figurehead, then even the aristocrats wouldn’t be able to do much about it. Their sovereign power would become stronger, they would receive more support from the commoners, and their nations would become rich and powerful.

Why did this have to happen now? The imperial princess couldn’t help but have this thought often. It was already spilled milk, but it was so unfortunate. It was only 10 years. 10 years would have been enough to change everything. Why did this have to happen now……?

The two female rulers talked late into the night. Rather than it being some sort of official meeting, they were more complaining about their problems. The queen and the imperial princess were at the top of their nations. They were in positions that didn’t allow them to freely consult with others about their problems. They could only be honest with each other.

Queen Henrietta spoke as she got up.

“I, I am going to wipe my army out.”

“What?”

“Reforms are impossible anyway since the aristocrats will revolt. I will use the battle as an excuse to kill all of the commoners. My soldiers are currently the only people from my kingdom who have heard ‘that’ speech. I’ll uproot the seeds of revolution.”

The imperial princess was about to refute her, but she kept her mouth shut. Not only were the queen’s eyes filled with sorrow, but it was also filled with rage. She longed for a wealthy and powerful nation more than anyone else. The people are the basis of a nation. The queen felt deeply enraged by the fact that she had to kill those people of hers with her own two hands.

“A monarch is basically the father of commoners. In other words, I am going to have to kill my children. Was Dantalian that person’s name? That bastard is making me commit an immoral crime. ……I will definitely get my revenge one day.”

Those were the last words the queen left behind before leaving the tent.

“…….”

Elizabeth fell into deep thought as she was left alone in her quarters. She was recalling the individual whom Henrietta had just mentioned. Rank 71 Demon Lord Dantalian, she was remembering the words he had said.

– That was the boy’s final breath. Why? He did not pour rage or resentment towards the person who killed him……. He simply asked why.

– The boy truly did not understand why his beloved sister would kill him. The boy had sincerely loved his sister.

– You are a filthy, disgusting, murdering piece of trash.

As a genius, she remembered Dantalian’s words perfectly. Thus, the pain caused by those words was also vivid. There was no way Imperial Princess Elizabeth could hold back her confusion whenever she would wake up in a cold sweat from her nightmares about her little brother. How did that man know everything? What is that man’s identity?

“……Dantalian.”

She muttered; however, her question could not be answered as she fell further into confusion. The image of Dantalian lingered in the imperial princess’ mind as she slipped into slumber. As expected, the imperial princess dreamt of her little brother again and woke up feeling blood on her hand.

“Robert, I am sorry. It’s my fault. I am sorry, Robert. I am sorry…….”

Elizabeth brought her face to her pillow and wiped her tears away with it. She had to grit her teeth as she did this so that the sound of her crying could not be heard from outside.

There was a close battle on Bruno Plains the next day.

The 1st legion of the Crescent Alliance and the Kingdom of Brittany came into a full collision. The army of monsters led by Demon Lord Sitri received a lot of casualties, but they succeeded in encircling the Kingdom of Brittany’s army. They were wiped out. The battle was so fierce that only the queen of Brittany and a few of her close vassals managed to escape with their lives. On that day, the queen left the human alliance and returned to her country.

It is said that the queen of Brittany cried for her soldiers constantly as she returned to her nation.

***

Author’s Afterword

While Queen Henrietta and Imperial Princess Elizabeth were shedding tears of blood, Dantalian and Laura were passing the time pleasantly and obscenely.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Henrietta finally got some screen time. I don’t know why but she gives off an older sister vibe. It’s probably cause she’s a queen while Elizabeth is still a princess. On another note, WordPress needs to stop changing their format. They’ve been changing a lot in the past few weeks and I don’t mind most of the changes, but now they made the font size like 7pt in the draft mode. I have to actively zoom in on the page now when I’m working or I end up squinting like crazy to make out the words. Stop trying to change things that were never an issue. Please.

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.

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