I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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As the year progressed, the Dragon Lord did not move an inch forward. True to his word, he took no part in the western rebellion, allowing a special task force to be deployed to completely eradicate the demon rebellion in the northwestern Eva region of the continent.

The last remaining rebels were mostly vampires who had come to trust Jenis and felt a sense of intimacy with him. The vampires hid in the mountains, where they could prey on the abundant fowl, building barricades to resist the Demon King’s extermination squad. Some harbored delusions that, should the Demon King fall, Jenis might be hailed as a vampire lord to replace Dracula.

“Is this the place? Where those damn idiots are hiding,” the commander of the Demon King’s extermination squad, a human, mused.

With Violet on the brink of her ascension as empress, she had the most cooperative collaborator among the inmates, who managed the other slaves, don the extermination squad captain’s helmet and personally select capable prisoners.

Though there was the option to rebel against the Demon King and pledge allegiance to the Empire upon arming themselves, the commander, mesmerized by a sense of superiority as he watched his kind being abused, had no desire to return to the Empire and fall into the status of an ordinary citizen.

Under the rule of the Demon King, most humans would suffer as lower-class individuals or practical slaves. In the Magic Empire, no matter how well a human was treated, they would still be considered second or third-class citizens. So what if that were the case? As long as he could guarantee survival by becoming a loyal collaborator, that was fine. Most would find it more enjoyable to live as part of the upper class in a firmly established hierarchical world than to live as an ordinary person in a world of supposed equality.

An officer beside the commander nodded in agreement and pointed to a cave.

“There it is, chief. The entrance is narrow. If we just shove them in, some of our guys might not come back, but what does it matter if a few die? We have plenty of fresh recruits to fill their spots.”

The officer chuckled. The commander shook his head seriously.

“The cost of battle increases the more we waste. Our emperor knows the value of limited resources very well. Even if they’re slave humans, exhausting our forces could block the path to advancement.”

“Of course, of course. If you rise, I might get some crumbs too.”

“Well, if you know that, prepare the magical artillery. Let’s unleash a barrage on them.”

“Yes, understood!”

Following the commander’s orders, the squad quickly brought in four massive cannons and aimed them at the cave entrance. One of the vampires within the cave peered outside to assess the situation. The commander snickered and issued another command.

“Since they’re high-ranking demons, they should have the basic magical defenses. But they shouldn’t be too powerful. Let’s break their magical circle first. Load the ammo with attack magic.”

The armament of the extermination squad was luxurious. The iron shells, imbued with attack magic capable of shattering magical circles, were not common even among the Audrich Empire’s forces. But the Demon King, having noted the potential hidden in the cannon’s roar, believed that it would have a greater impact against the lesser-trained demon army than the well-drilled human imperial forces, hence he made substantial investments in the extermination squad.

Seeing the possible gains from the demon’s actions, the commander was even more emboldened to pledge loyalty to Moriarty. It was now time to prove the fruits of his investments and demonstrate his loyalty.

“Conserve the ammo. Once the enemy’s defenses crumble, we’ll switch to regular shells.”

“Yes! All units ready to fire!”

Seeing the cannons aimed at them, the vampires hastily retreated inside the cave. The demons, unfamiliar with the weaponry, didn’t know what they were facing. Cannons had originally been developed in the late ancient war period for sieges between human kingdoms but had been phased out once their efficacy was deemed insufficient for siege warfare. However, while they might not know what a cannon was, seeing a heavy cylindrical metal mass pointing its open mouth in their direction instinctively made them aware of the imminent danger.

“Fire!”

With the command, the extermination squad members covered their ears and fired. The four cannons simultaneously roared to life, launching iron shells at the cave. The first four rounds struck the magical defenses surrounding the cave and ricocheted away. Yet, the commander nodded as if this was within expectations and immediately ordered for the next volley.

“Fire! Fire! Fire!”

As the third and fourth projectiles struck the cave’s magical circle, cracks began to form in the protective barriers. The vampires inside the cave were thrown into confusion upon realizing they were surrounded with no hope of support.

Their strategy relied on the orc units entering the cave to engage in close combat, utilizing their knowledge of the cave’s layout to defeat the intruders. They had not accounted for an attack aimed at destroying the cave’s very structure.

Unexpectedly, the Dragon Lord, whom they had secretly hoped for support, remained silent, seemingly in trouble himself. Harker, who appeared to be advancing boldly, was likewise silent.

The rebellion was nearing its end. Finally, the cave’s magical circle shattered under the barrage of shells.

“Cease fire! Switch to standard ammunition. Aim to collapse the cave entrance.”

After receiving harsh training bordering on abuse for today’s results, the artillery unit quickly stowed away the magical shells and loaded standard iron shells into their cannons. A vampire that had dared to peek outside was decapitated by the incoming shell, instantly becoming a headless phantom.

The iron shells began hammering against the cave walls. The rebels realized their situation was spiraling into catastrophe.

“Given this, we have no choice but to fight!”

“Y-yeah, the enemies are just humans. They’re nothing but slave humans, right? If we can disable their so-called artillery with an overwhelming force, there might be a chance! Let’s escape to another mountain and build a new base!”

After all, there was no chance for the instigators of the rebellion to be pardoned. From here on out, they had to cling to their connection with Harker and strategize a comeback. The vampires collectively decided to rush out of the cave, creating a ruckus inside. The commander of the extermination squad grinned at noticing their plans.

“Sure enough, those bats realize the entrance is failing and are thinking of crawling out.”

“Shall we prepare the infantry?”

“The front row faces straight ahead. The second row at a 45-degree angle, ready for aerial fire. Follow the training. Fire on my signal!”

“Yes!”

Following the commander’s orders, the riflemen simultaneously tore open powder bags, loaded their guns, and took aim.

The vampires swarmed out of the cave entrance all at once to maximize the strength of their attack. Some vampires ran on two legs, while others spread their wings to launch a direct assault. Yet all of these actions were effectively forced upon them and were naturally calculated by the extermination squad.

“Fire!”

While the artillery continued pouring shells into the cave entrance, the infantry that had walked out behind the artillery unleashed a volley aiming both at the ground and sky. Smoke thick enough to paralyze sight and scent filled the area around the cave. The angle and timing were superb. The rushing vampires were either shot down or fell helplessly to the ground. The vampires flying in the air had a relatively better survival rate, but they could no longer remain airborne.

The wings offered a broad surface for hits. And unless one was a particularly high-level demon, it was exceedingly difficult to continue flying with gaping holes in one’s wings.

“Draw knives.”

At the command, the extermination squad members each drew their daggers and attached them to the muzzles of their rifles. The commander, having halted the cannon fire, pointed at the dense gray fog obscuring their vision and blandly commanded:

“Clean up.”

“Yay!”

The soldiers moved exactly as trained, intent on eradicating everything that wriggled in the smoke. They sought to sever the lives of the confused vampires, who had no idea what had struck them, with their sharp, pointed blades.

A few vampires that had not sustained fatal injuries due to bullets resisted, but the overwhelming numerical superiority of the thousands of soldiers in the extermination squad was insurmountable.

In the end, one by one, the vampires fell, their necks or hearts stabbed by the blades, and most were further mutilated post-mortem by the bayonets.

The commander had merely lost any semblance of kinship with his kind, but the soldiers under him had lost something fundamentally human.

First-time weapons, a newly formed unit, a first-time mission. To ensure all of this succeeded, Moriarty’s loyal subordinates unhesitatingly beat down, berated, and even summarily executed their own men. The squad deployed today became the army that survived. They feared their commander more than they did the Demon King.

Thus, turning the fluttering vampires amidst the smoke into a pile of raw meat was nothing in comparison to their usual training.

Seeing all the extermination efforts concluded, the commander smirked and said, “Well done.”

At that single phrase, every soldier froze. He was not a general one to utter praise lightly. Yet strangely, the truth that praise delivered after emotional abuse is one of the most effective forms of commendation played its part here.

With that one phrase, the soldiers reverberated with excitement in their hearts. Having been worn down and reduced to systematic fear, they were satisfied simply to receive a word of appreciation for their victory in battle, devoid of any rewards.

Confident that his unit fully belonged to him, the commander spoke to his officer.

“Let’s inform His Majesty the Demon King. This army desires more.”

“More? More weapons? Rewards? Money? Food?”

“Merit, you fool, merit!”

The commander struck the officer on the head, leaving him blinking and slightly agape.

“What merit could you possibly mean?”

“The outcome against the Audrich Empire’s forces. Just swiftly dispatching cornered rebels won’t lead to swift advancement. To capture the emperor’s gaze, we must stand against our former royal family.”

“That sounds good! What has the Empire ever done for us!”

The extermination squad commander nodded. His successful extermination results and requests were relayed directly to Moriarty. Upon hearing the squad’s results with satisfaction, the Demon King erupted into laughter upon hearing the subsequent demands of the extermination squad.

“Haha… Hahaha!”

Violet Moriarty laughed so heartily her eyes were nearly brimming with tears, shouting, “That bastard is a goddamn son of a bitch! Completely insane! Evil! He’s filled with more hatred and wickedness than I could have imagined! If he ever ascends to a higher position, he might just ruin the nation himself! It’s been ages since I’ve seen such a thoroughly malevolent piece of shit!”

“If you permit it, I will issue a stern warning for this insolent wretch,” the Succubus Queen said to the Demon King while he wiped tears from his eyes and waved her off.

“Why bother? Mother, if that fool climbs to a higher position, he could indeed ruin the realm, but I doubt anyone as good as him exists in his current seat. That’s why I genuinely like humans. The Audrich Empire has taken a path of drawing close to the elves’ light through the emperor’s formidable authority, but if we just give them a little shove, we could easily get closer! Send my reply! Their contributions are acknowledged but it’s not yet time! However, if they continue to strive, I shall soon grant you the opportunities you seek, make sure to convey it clearly!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

A human soldier acting as a messenger bowed before the Demon King. The Demon King began considering the value of expanding the organization of this new legion. After all, why had they dreaded worms that they hadn’t even drawn in the pickles? Why had he assumed humans would side with the Audrich Empire and betray them?

They were an easily manageable race. In reality, they were such a convenient and potent weapon.