Dungeon Defense (WN)

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“Why do I have to move with you?”

“I told you before, did I not? I like Your Highness Vassago quite a bit.”

Vassago scowled as if he had just chewed on something sour. Dear me, even if my heart is as vast as the rivers and seas, my feelings can still be hurt if you react like that to me. I would appreciate it if he were a bit more considerate in the way he treated me.

In the year 1555 of the continental calendar, during the summer, Crowned Prince Rudolf von Habsburg raised a massive army.

The size of his army surpassed fifty-thousand soldiers. It was a unified army of humans and demons. Demons were the majority, but the supreme and deputy commanders both being humans was a huge shock to the general masses.

Laura made a declaration as soon as she was appointed as deputy commander.

“Those who violate military law will be severely punished regardless of their status.”

The higher-ranking demons, who were infamous for being prideful, looked down on their new commander. Like hell were they going to listen to the commands of a human, or even a young girl. This mindset had spread throughout the troops.

However, once 7 officers were executed within only 10 days of the declaration, their mindset changed.

I’m the only one who knows that Laura is the heroine known as the Iron Chancellor. People would jokingly say that the number of soldiers that were executed by Laura’s hands far exceeded the number of soldiers that died fighting the enemy.

“How bold of you to be concerned about age and race on the battlefield. If you lose your head, then it does not matter if you are a demon, a human, a child, or an old person. You will no longer be able to talk. I expect your necks to be as tough as your boldness.”

Laura uttered these words as she personally beheaded the demons. Adding to this, Laura skinned the flesh from the heads she had decapitated and stored their skulls in her quarters. This was the usual thing she did, but the monster soldiers interpreted it differently.

‘There’s a human girl worse than us.’

‘We should’ve realized the moment Her Highness Barbatos said she supported her.’

‘I got hard because of her cruelty. Hehe.’

There were some seriously mentally ill reactions, but I ignored them. I would never get excited by the thought of Laura getting gang banged by orcs. Never.

There was a limit to how much the officers and soldiers could resist when the legion commanders were firmly giving their support. Regardless, command and discipline were aligned within the Demon Lord army with the Demon Lords at the lead. Even Paimon, who was renowned for being considerate, was merciless and unforgiving when it came to military discipline.

“During times of war, soldiers are the ones who protect equality and freedom, they are not the ones who get to bask in them.”

This was an opinion that Paimon had stated at one point. This should probably give a gist of the atmosphere within our army. The monsters didn’t have something like civil rights…….

Thanks to this, Laura’s military power was established.

While the army of fifty thousand began to prepare for war in full swing, four-thousand troops were appointed as the vanguard. Ex-Rank 3 Demon Lord Vassago and I were included in this vanguard. Thus, we were able to share a pleasant chat as we marched together.

Vassago scowled as if he was disgusted.

“Do not say that to me ever again, you clown. I feel like vomiting whenever I see you.”

We were having a pleasant chat.

“Hmph, do you even know how to participate in a fight? You are a coward who always hides behind Barbatos and makes schemes.”

“Haha.”

I scratched my cheek.

Honestly, it was easy to deal with Vassago. Compared to most other Demon Lords who have about fifty snakes in their stomachs, Vassago was as honest as they came. If Sitri was simple because she was pure, then Vassago was simple because he was petty and crafty.

“Despite my appearance, I succeeded in breaking through the Black Mountains and capturing Brandenburg.”

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. Zepar was in command at the Black Mountains and Barbatos was in command at Brandenburg.”

Vassago smirked.

“Either way, all you did in both cases was hide behind their backs and make schemes. There is a world of difference between doing something as the commander and doing something as the advisor during a battle, you clown.”

“Mm…….”

“If you think you can command an army simply because you managed to do a little well as an advisor, then you are greatly mistaken. People like you often meet their demise if they suddenly end up leading a large army. I look forward to seeing your demise.”

Sorry, but I’ve already experienced a splendid loss before.

I smiled brightly.

“Your Highness will be commanding the troops this time, so we will undoubtedly win. I will look forward to it.”

“……Yeah. I am the leader of the vanguard. Do not get in my way.”

Vassago turned away. Our horses walked side by side as we led our troops.

Generally, vanguards are given two major tasks.

First, they have to go ahead of the main army and check the terrain.

Just saying fifty thousand doesn’t seem like much, but it becomes a big deal when trying to find a place to sleep at night. A vast plain would be essential. Our field of vision had to be wide so that we would be able to immediately know if the enemy tried to suddenly launch a surprise attack. Having a river or lake nearby with good water quality was also necessary.

There actually aren’t a lot of terrains that satisfy all of these conditions. If the vanguard doesn’t go ahead and pave out a path beforehand, then it would only become troublesome later on.

Second, they have to test out the enemy’s readiness.

If we send out a vanguard, then the enemy would respond in kind with their own vanguard. At this time, you can gauge the enemy’s strength by the quality of their vanguard.

If their vanguard is pitiful, then that means the enemy isn’t prepared to fight yet. In other words, it means that the main army most likely sent out a hastily organized vanguard in order to buy some time. In this situation, we would quickly inform the main army so that we could strike with great haste.

On the other hand, if their vanguard is splendid……then that means the enemy is ready to battle at any time.

This degree of preparation can be gauged according to where the vanguards engage. If they meet after crossing the border and entering far into the land, then that means they were ready for war, but didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

And.

“Frankia’s vanguard is in sight.”

If the other vanguard is met only two days after crossing the border, then that meant they were well aware of our movements. As the side that was doing the invading, this was the worst-case scenario for us.

Vassago examined the enemy’s camp with his portable telescope.

“Their numbers are roughly around three thousand. We are equal…….”

“There are two different knight flags. They seem like local armies, but they will still be rather formidable.”

“That is why I said we are equal, you incompetent fool.”

Vassago let out a snort while still looking through his telescope.

Both armies arrived on a field that was perfect for large armies. It was hard to see this as a coincidence. The enemy had predicted our arrival, so they chose the battlefield. It was honestly difficult to guess how far back they had seen through our movements.

“Humans are bothersome because they die so quickly. It is practically impossible to remember those noble households since they change after only a few centuries.”

Vassago muttered in annoyance. He was checking the enemy flags.

“Shields seemed to be trending 400 years ago, but now it seems like flowers are the trend. A lily, a rose, and even a chrysanthemum……. People might think they are in a garden and not a battlefield if they were to see this.”

“Compared to us, humans have much shorter lifespans.”

I smiled bitterly.

Demon Lords can live eternally as long as they aren’t murdered. Baal had the Guinness Book World Record as a Demon Lord before he died. We wouldn’t be comparable even if they were elves and not humans.

“The black rose with a dog belongs to General Gaspard de Tabarn. Out of all the Frankian generals, he is one of the most competent. He once acted as the deputy commander for the Emperor. Well, he probably does not have that much power as the deputy commander of Frankia.”

Referentially, he was one of the generals I had fought at Saint-Denis Plains. He was irrelevant to the left side where I had been positioned, though.

Vassago glanced at me with a look of surprise.

“……You memorized their emblems?”

“I am inexperienced, but I have a slight bit of knowledge.”

I memorized most of the key households when I was participating in the civil war within Frankia. I even reviewed it a few days ago. I recognized every single household on the plains except for one.

“The emblem with two crossing spears belongs to Baron Beternan. The lion with a rose in its mouth is Earl Hevru. This is most likely where one of the knight brigades is from. The white chrysanthemum is Baron Shasta. They are all skilled generals. The cream of the crop.”

“…….”

“They are rather lacking in terms of brains, but. Mm, they are still decent as a vanguard. The very fact that General Tabarn is here is quite unpleasant on its own. General Tabarn was previously a deputy commander. This individual had responded quickly……. This means the humans were preparing for war since quite a while ago.”

The Tabarn family is located at the southern end of Frankia. Our troops had invaded from the east. No matter how fast they are, that wasn’t a distance they could traverse in only two days.

“Moreover, they are all families from Frankia. There is not a single group from Brittany among them. They deliberately appointed only Frankians as their vanguard. How splendid.”

As expected of Queen Henrietta. Her instincts for war were almost beastly. It wouldn’t be weird to be in awe of her skills.

“Even if we are victorious, it would not be a great loss for the Queen. The high nobles of Frankia are like a bunch of dormant rebels to Brittany. She most likely intends to use this opportunity to either get rid of them or chase them out onto a battlefield.”

“…….”

“She will use that time to take the Emperor of Frankia’s authority for herself. How clever.”

Vassago asked a question in a low voice.

“What do you mean by taking the Emperor of Frankia’s authority?”

“Hm? Naturally, I am saying that the Queen of Brittany will use this opportunity during the war to usurp the Emperor’s power.”

I roughly guessed the number of knights. They appeared to have about 600. One-fifth of the enemy’s troops were knights. That was a ratio that made them have an almost absurd amount of power.

“The Queen has always been aiming at an opportunity to usurp the Emperor of Frankia’s authority. However, Frankia may be in a weak state, but if she tried to openly usurp the throne, then a rebellion would immediately erupt all throughout the country. We have presented her with an opportunity because of our invasion. If she repels us, then she will be considered a national hero.”

“…….”

“Well, the Emperor of Frankia is probably confined in some corner of his palace right now. Claiming that he is bedridden would be a simple task.”

Henrietta took over Frankia’s military power during this. She was truly a woman who made good use of war. It’s troubling since there are so many competent humans in this world.

“……You are able to speculate that much just by seeing their flags?”

“Pardon? Ah, well, slightly, yes.”

How interesting. Queen Henrietta will most likely hold a wedding with the Emperor of Frankia as soon as she wins. The Queen and Emperor are both young and going past their marriageable age. A type of coalition government would be established.

Of course, it would only look like a coalition from the outside. In reality, Henrietta would have all the power herself. Furthermore, the ‘bedridden’ emperor will die off shortly after. Once that happens, Brittany and Frankia will both become Henrietta de Britanny-Frankia’s possession in both name and reality.

This is if Henrietta wins.

Vassago muttered to himself while I was busy imagining how things will unfold.

“……He isn’t that much of a fool…….”

“Pardon me? I apologize, but I missed what you said because I was deep in thought.”

“It was nothing, you half-wit.”

Vassago responded in an annoyed tone again. He must always have a stomach ache.

It was at that moment, a single person on horseback came riding out to the center of the plains. Were they sending out an envoy before the battle? The person was too well-armored to be an envoy.

“Heed my words, you wicked monsters!”

The man gripped his spear as he shouted. He must have enhanced his throat with magic as his voice echoed.

“I, Knight Ergan of Frankia, challenge you to a duel, so if you are not cowards, then come out and fight me!”

To put it simply, he was proposing one-to-one combat.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Vassago is sort of acting like a cliche’d tsundere, huh? Refusing to admit how good Dant is.

On another note, this chapter unexpectedly came out later than I wanted. My aunt suddenly visited from the states and my family wanted to get together, so I ended up spending most of my day at my grandparent’s place. Sorry bout that.

Welp, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.

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