Dungeon Defense (WN)

* * *

The war referred to as the Puppet War ended after about 3 months. Even I thought that it ended on a rather good note.

The demon world celebrated the result of this war. They were excited as the Crescent Alliance had managed a great accomplishment once again and we had shown those pathetic humans their place. It didn’t take long for the treaty made with the Brittan army to be known as the 「Instrument of Surrender」.

– A historically tremendous victory that rivaled the previous Crescent Alliance expedition.

– Not only was it strategically perfect, but it was also a war that established demonkind’s prestige throughout the entire continent.

This was the general opinion. A lot of money was spent so that this kind of reputation would circulate.

When the commanders returned to Niflheim, the citizens of Niflheim welcomed them more greatly than the time we subjugated Baal. More than ten thousand people gathered to watch our triumphal celebration.

It was only natural. The previous triumphal celebration was about the subjugation of a single traitor.

Not only did we deal with a traitor this time, but we also massacred a human army. It was obvious what the people would cheer for more.

Referentially, demonkind believed that the Habsburg Empire and the Batavia Republic had ‘submitted to the Crescent Alliance and cooperated obediently’. That was a lie, but there was a slight bit of truth to it as well. Thus, it wasn’t difficult to distort the public’s understanding.

Faking the number of losses we suffered and the number of enemy soldiers we faced was a basic among basics. We became an army that defeated a massive army of seventy thousand while only suffering a loss of about two thousand. This great victory will undoubtedly go down in history. Mm, public sentiment is quite the easy thing to control.

No matter what anyone said, Laura was the main character of this war.

There were some people who complained about a human commanding the ‘great demon army’. The reason the Crescent Alliance achieved an overwhelming victory was because of the greatness of demonkind, not because of some pathetic and weak human…….

Idiots existed everywhere. Be it the human world or the demon world.

Marbas openly refuted these ridiculous claims during his speech.

“Laura de Farnese is a human. Nonetheless, her pride and talent are peerless. O lofty demons, when have we ever judged others for their race and not their skills? The era where Demon Lords rule simply because they are Demon Lords and people succeed simply because they belong to a specific race has already ended.”

Marbas continued his speech with a calm and thick voice that was unique to him.

“Demonkind, we are warriors. Even if you were born as a human, if the pride inside of you is noble, then you are also a splendid warrior. I, along with the other representatives of the Demon Lord Army, wish to show our respect to Laura de Farnese as fellow warriors.”

Warriors stood tall not because of their birthright, but because of their skills alone. This was the pride of demonkind. Although there was once an atrocious hierarchy hiding at the bottom of the demon world. Marbas was criticizing this.

That wasn’t everything.

“I have some unfortunate news as well. During this war, we uncovered a group who chose to pursue their own selfish gains while disregarding our victory as a whole. They broke away from us and pillaged innocent villages before setting them ablaze afterward. We believe that a Demon Lord must have been supporting them…….”

This announcement sent a shock throughout the crowd.

I didn’t sacrifice only a single squadron. I also wiped out a squadron that consisted of only demons.

The reason was simple. If we only sent human heads, then Frankia would still have some grounds to suspect us. However, if we include demon heads, then their doubt would decrease drastically. ‘We are doing our best to find the culprit behind the slaughter’, this was the gesture we were showing to them.

“I wish to give everyone the details about the situation. This is because this war was not simply the Demon Lord Army’s war, it was a war for the sake of the demon world as a whole. This traitor has chosen to mock the entire demon world.”

The squadron that went against our orders originated from the continent and not the demon world. They were orcs who were hired on the surface.

These beings were usually referred to as monsters to distinguish them from demons. Beings from the demon world normally had higher intellect, so beings from the continent were called monsters because they were usually the opposite. In truth, demonkind had far more prejudices than humans.

Be it demons or monsters, it was harder to go against Demon Lords the less intellect you had.

Therefore, if you wanted to ignore the orders from a high command which consisted of Demon Lords……orders from ‘another Demon Lord’ were absolutely necessary.

“We have yet to figure out which Demon Lord had betrayed us.”

Marbas spoke in a solemn tone.

“However, we know that this Demon Lord is capable of giving orders powerful enough to make the recipients ignore the orders from our commanders. I do not believe that a fellow commander had betrayed us. They all fought valiantly during this war.”

Tens of thousands of people were holding their breaths. Who would dare to betray the sacred Crescent Alliance?

Marbas gazed down at the crowded plaza.

“O proud demons! Allow me to ask you a question. There is a person who shed tears, sweat, and blood for the sake of our victory despite being a human. On the other hand, there is a person who betrayed us for the sake of their own gains despite being a Demon Lord. Who is the true warrior between these two? Who is our comrade? I ask you to think about this…….”

That’s right.

This was why I didn’t go out of my way to deny the slaughter that happened in the southern region of Frankia.

It legitimized the alliance between demons and humans. Laura’s authority and honor were established. This was my first goal, but the more important goal was something else.

Marbas had declared that all of the commanders who participated in the war were innocent. Then who was the culprit?

A ‘strong Demon Lord who didn’t participate in the war’.

These individuals had become suspects.

The Demon Lord Army was reformed under a new rule after Baal was killed. However, there were still a fair number of Demon Lords who refused to cooperate with us.

Rank 6 Valefor and Rank 7 Amon were the prime examples of this…….

These individuals were incredibly menacing since they were both single digits. They didn’t openly go against the reformation of the Demon Lord Army, but they weren’t cooperative either.

In other words, they were like a thorn in our side.

There were a couple of other Demon Lords who were uncooperative with us as well. The issue was when these individuals grouped together. In these cases, it was usually the Demon Lords who were strong enough to go against us that would most likely take the pivotal roles in these groups. Valefor and Amon were potential enemies.

One cockroach leads to an infestation. You have to stomp them out as soon as possible.

The slaughter in the southern region of Frankia happened at a rather good time. Even if we tried to go on a national offensive against Elizabeth, it would simply end due to both sides not having enough evidence. Utilizing the situation to wipe out internal enemies was much more efficient.

“We are currently investigating the deserters and expect the culprit to be revealed soon. I vow to reveal their identity to the public as soon as they are uncovered.”

This was our way of warning them.

All of you Demon Lords who have been dilly-dallying and resisting passively, listen.

We will not allow a half-hearted attitude. Either cooperate or retaliate. Do one or the other. If you choose the latter, then know that you will follow the same path as Baal and Agares…….

We have already used some mages to completely brainwash several monsters. The monsters fully believe that they had acted under the orders of Valefor and Amon.

If Valefor and Amon ignore this ultimatum, then……hm, there will be another bloodbath. A bloodbath known as Baal and Agares had already happened. I don’t care if another one occurs.

The next day.

A banquet to celebrate our victory was held in Niflheim Palace.

The palace that had collapsed because of Baal was quickly repaired while we were at war. There was still some rubble left, but we decided to preserve that area forever. We called it ‘The Traitor’s End’.

Every individual who could be said to be the cream of the crop of the demon world participated in this banquet. From the civilian representatives of Niflheim to the executives of merchant firms and the archdukes of the demon world. They surrounded the commanders and chatted excitedly. On a side note, Laura was also surrounded by demon nobles and was suddenly holding an autograph signing.

Of course, our fellow Demon Lords participated as well.

“Dantalian, do you mind if we have a word with you?”

A man wearing elaborate clothes spoke up to me. He was bald with dark, copper-colored skin. There was a woman behind him with pure white hair whose eyes were covered by a blindfold.

Valefor and Amon. They also took part in the banquet.

I smiled brightly.

“Of course. How could I possibly ignore a request from Your Highnesses?”

“…….”

“If you would pardon me, Chief Lodbrok, I must go and speak with Their Highnesses.”

I asked Ivar Lodbrok if I could be excused. Ivar, who was using the body of an old man again, bowed courteously before walking to the other side of the ballroom.

We went to a balcony that was attached to a corner of the ballroom.

“What is the meaning behind Marbas’ speech yesterday?”

Valefor spoke as soon as the balcony door shut behind us. There was a clear sign of impatience in his eyes. Dear me, he must’ve felt rather pressed after hearing about the speech.

“As you already know, I put my heart and soul into our war efforts when I was with the Crescent Alliance. I believe you did not forget that I went as far as to bring my entire Demon Lord Castle to Bruno Plains.”

“Naturally.”

I sat down in a chair and responded calmly.

“Nonetheless, it is also true that a slaughter happened in the southern region of Frankia, Your Highness.”

“That was most likely done by one of the Demon Lords who participated in the expedition. Dantalian, this slander is ridiciulous. Why would I send a detached unit in secret for something like pocket money!?”

I let out a sigh.

“The culprit has not been revealed yet and their goal is still unknown to us.”

“Be honest. Dantalian, did a slaughter really even happen? Do not tell me that you created this charade for the sake of threatening us.”

I glanced at Valefor.

“Are you perhaps doubting the Crescent Alliance’s official statement?”

Valefor promptly shut his mouth. Amon had been quietly listening to our conversation.

“Your Highness, I put my life on the line fighting alongside the other Demon Lords in the Crescent Alliance. I do not wish to doubt my comrades-in-arms. Of course, I also do not wish to put Your Highnesses, my ilk and comrades, in danger either.”

“……What is your goal?”

Amon spoke. Her tone sounded benevolent and calm like that of a saintess.

“I am not experienced in these sorts of political intrigue. I have never gotten involved in these sorts of things throughout my entire life. All I understand are these two things: your group is threatening us and you are willing to negotiate.”

I shook my head.

“Your Highness Amon, we would never threaten you. If anything, we are trying to protect Your Highnesses from getting framed.”

“……Very well, then. What is the price we have to pay to have our safety guaranteed?”

Amon asked. Getting straight to the point, how considerate.

“When the Demon Lord Army calls for a meeting, please take an active part in those meetings. Although Your Highnesses did not participate in this war, I ask that you express your desire to do so next time.”

“So you are telling us to cooperate with the group that you all made arbitrarily.”

I smiled brightly.

“We do not need two Demon Lord armies in the world, after all. Do you not think so as well?”

“…….”

A week later, the result of interrogating the deserters was disclosed.

Unfortunately, the deserters didn’t reveal the mastermind even after excruciatingly painful torture. The Mage Tower left a comment saying that they believed a very powerful brainwashing spell had been used. The people were angered by this unknown traitor.

Thus, the Puppet War came to a complete end.

This war which was embellished with lies from start to finish.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. The war is finally over, but it probably won’t be the last one. I hope we get some casual chapters for a bit since I’ve been getting swamped with work lately. It’s not hard work, just sort of mind grueling. Mainly because I’m currently translating like 6k words of UI string text. It’s actually mind-numbing.

On another note, the last wedding episode covering my brother’s wedding came out the other day. They truly did cut out every single one of my lines. I’m so proud. I’m glad I didn’t say anything good about my brother during the interviews and answered honestly.

In any case, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.

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