NOVEL NEXT Chapter 300
The western front of the Demon King’s Castle has been somewhat cleared. Of course, a force of 200,000 soldiers was no small matter, so it wasn’t completely straightforward, but still, Alex’s First Army could hope to advance to the Demon King’s Castle without major issues.
The only legions moving faster than them would be Eramenia’s Fourth and Fifth Armies. Margaret’s Fourth Army and Phineas Marbellius’s Fifth Army exhibited a seemingly organic movement, coming together and breaking apart in a dance of coordination.
Through two days of movement, the Eramenia forces managed to secure the northern and eastern fronts of the Demon King’s Castle, pushing their way in. The Demon King’s Army’s defenses were not very aggressive. Thousands of goblins engaged in guerrilla warfare sporadically, but the Elves, who had lived through the Great Forest, were masters of guerrilla tactics like no other.
“There’s a possibility the enemy has given up on responding to us.”
The Fifth Army Commander, Phineas, approached Margaret and spoke seriously. Margaret nodded in agreement.
“Are they choosing not to fight the Eramenia forces? That’s a rational response. It could be a trap, but considering the enemy’s lamentable manpower, that’s likely the case. If I were them, I’d send Jean Helmut to stop Alex. They would focus their efforts on a general who has already beaten Alex to utterly shatter one side’s advance route and then counterattack.”
“Then that would be serious! We can’t afford to fight with the left side in ruins again.”
“No, if my instinct is right, the left flank won’t break this time.”
“How can you be so sure, Your Highness?”
Margaret gave a puzzled expression as if she were asked something obvious.
“He’s a toothless spearhead, Commander. And Rose Caprice has come from the most skilled blacksmith in the world. It’s clear that the newly forged spearhead will be sharp enough to pierce even stone walls.”
Phineas nodded. Margaret’s confidence was rarely misplaced. She didn’t assert her convictions lightly unless she felt strongly about something.
This time, Phineas pointed to his special sharpshooter squad.
“Regardless, we’ve brought siege troops, but only two legions, and they are quite small. Can we really attack the Demon King’s Castle with these?”
“It would be tough without the Grand Mage’s assistance.”
Margaret shook her head. The Elves were strong. But the Demon King’s Castle appeared to be a robust fortress that would be difficult to even scratch just by looks.
No matter how strong the Eramenia artillery was, it could not compare to the ‘Van Fleet’ magic. To be honest, ever since bringing this artillery, Margaret had been thinking of borrowing some power from Jeongjae. Approaching the Demon King’s Castle with only the Eramenia army was not her plan.
“If they’ve given up on responding to us, where the hell is the enemy’s force? I can’t imagine they’re all huddled right in front of the castle.”
“The Demon King knows full well that so much of our siege strength relies solely on Jeongjae. If he sends as many troops as he can to bind Jeongjae’s movements, he knows full well that the allied forces will struggle to conduct an effective siege. Our destructive power is insufficient. The Demon King’s Castle isn’t a place you can break by battering the gates or climbing over with a ladder. We need to break through with overwhelming force and then break the outer walls with extraordinary power. Damn it, if only we had just one more usable mage…”
Today, the absence of Jenis was painfully felt. If Jenis could lead a separate army to attack the Demon King’s Castle, the vulnerable Demon King would have to concede a breakthrough from one side, placing the castle in a very precarious situation.
Unfortunately, the only mage with meaningful destructive power was Jeongjae. At this rate, even if all the other legions reached the Demon King’s Castle, there wouldn’t be much for them to do other than lay out their mats and wait.
“There is also the method of completely annihilating the enemy forces to secure our route.”
“That’s the best we can do. Move, Commander. The enemy isn’t just in the west but also in the east. If we slow down, they’ll catch up, and once they do, they’ll cling on tenaciously. Violet may be a formidable foe, but her capabilities cannot be denied…”
Margaret had a rough idea of the Demon King’s strategy to isolate the Eramenia army by drawing forces from the east. The constant weakening of the left side and strengthening of the right during this Northern Expeditionary Force was largely due to the fact that few armies could fight back effectively against such strategies other than the Eramenia forces.
As Margaret’s army slowly moved toward the Demon King’s Castle over the course of several days, Jeongjae was engaged in a standoff with the main force of the Demon King’s Army, which was ten times larger than his own.
Jeongjae sighed as he looked at the 500,000-strong monster army brandishing black flags.
“Disciple, with the situation reaching this point, what should I even do—”
Muttering without a thought, Jeongjae turned to his side and closed his mouth.
“Oh, there’s no one.”
Until now, whenever Margaret left, someone would always be there as an able advisor by his side. Tossing himself before the Demon King without any competent staff was a novel experience.
And this was in an overwhelmingly disadvantaged situation of 500,000 against 50,000. Not a defense mission, but a breach mission.
“Well, here we are again. How long has it been? Since I last saw you in Eramenia?”
The Demon King stepped forward from the legion and asked Jeongjae. Her voice held no trace of playfulness or provocation. It was cold rage, a tremor that seemed to barely hold back a furious explosion.
At that moment, Jeongjae realized that she valued her mother far more than he had thought. When the massive human slaughters they had faced earlier came to mind, he needed to clear his head forcefully to avoid feeling guilt.
The evil one is the Demon King. Killing the Succubus Queen was for the sake of a perfect victory, and that was the best choice and the best strategy. If he hadn’t, she might still be lurking in the rear of the legion, posing a significant threat to the entire army.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve faced each other directly, Moriarty.”
Jeongjae replied calmly.
“I haven’t let you out of my mind for a single moment.”
In a different situation, it might have sounded romantic. But in circumstances like this, who would distort Jeongjae’s words in that way?
An aide approached Jeongjae and asked.
“What are we doing? Are we breaking through?”
“Dig trenches and prepare for a tight defense here. Bring the artillery forward, stack shields into walls, and set up defenses. Hold on. Hold out as long as you can.”
“Yes, Hero.”
The aide’s expression was filled with confusion upon hearing Jeongjae’s orders. The expectation of the major commanders was that Jeongjae’s troops would rush into the enemy lines as quickly as possible, regardless of the outcome. Contrary to this expectation, seeing the Demon King, who had brought a maximum elite force, Jeongjae decided to hold a defensive position instead.
“Um, may I ask what you’re thinking, Your Highness?”
Curiosity got the better of a general, who approached Jeongjae and asked. Jeongjae sighed and nodded.
“Honestly, I was thinking of asking the generals for their opinions too. Numbers aren’t the issue. But the fact that Violet is in command is the problem. I don’t have confidence in beating that army while facing a tenfold disadvantage.”
“But just holding back isn’t going to create any solutions. Besides, the terrain is also in the enemy’s favor.”
“Looking at the enemy forces, it’s clear they haven’t placed many defensive troops in the Eramenia army. If the Eramenia forces moving from the east can reach us as quickly as possible, they might understand our situation and strike at the enemy’s rear. If we can break out, that will be our chance.”
At that, the commanders began to acknowledge that there was some merit in Jeongjae’s thoughts and started moving without further questioning.
The Demon King closely watched as Jeongjae entered a defensive stance instead of breaking through, deploying the artillery for defensive purposes and preparing for her attacks.
Violet muttered.
“Is Margaret waiting to stab my back?”
The news of Helmut’s humiliating defeat had yet to reach the Mage Emperor. Violet’s perception of the situation was far more optimistic than reality warranted.
“Defending itself isn’t a bad idea. But this isn’t a fight that can be resolved by simply defending.”
In secret, the Demon King summoned a Shadow Knight and explained the next operation. Violet, too, had no plans of recklessly charging her main force against the Grand Mage’s army now prepared for defense. No matter how irrational she might become, Moriarty was still Moriarty. She knew better than anyone what winning strategies were and what fights should never be fought.
“Block the enemy reserves from responding. If possible, annihilate them completely.”
Violet paid close attention to the fact that Jeongjae had effectively entered a defensive stance, severing the link with the Second Army of the Southern Alliance, the weakest unit in this expedition.
They were merely supposed to guard the path, but if they were to stray from their position or get repelled, it could destabilize the entire 150,000-strong army.
Shadow Knights, following Moriarty’s orders, moved stealthily along treacherous paths, getting closer to Jeffrey’s station without being detected by Jeongjae.
The Second Army, which should have been prepared for this ambush and must overcome it at all costs, was already facing significant difficulties without any enemy attack.
A power struggle began between Commander Sally Jeffrey and Deputy Commander Douglas Koesernis at a time when such divisions should never occur.
“We must attack, Duke.”
“Absolutely not without orders from above, Baron.”
“You coward! This is the only battlefield where the enemy is outnumbered by our troops!”
“That’s only because our force is weak, so the enemy has responded accordingly. Moving aggressively will lead to our army’s defeat. Don’t be arrogant, Koesernis!”
“What do you know about fighting? You’re nothing more than a naïve scholar!”
“And what do you know about war, then? You’ve only built an insignificant reputation by slaughtering lost goblins in the mountains!”