Chapter 143: The Execution
While the orcs gained combat experience and performed on the front lines, I continuously concentrated leveling through the sub-dungeon on specific individuals and provided most of the magic stones from there as experience for monsters.
Lime leveled up my children while also mobilizing two named-class monsters to clear the sub-dungeon. Though my daughters' levels also rose considerably, thanks to Lime intensively growing them according to my instructions, I was able to fill the two high ghouls to appropriate levels.
Hases ★★☆, Lv.35.
Rastujad ★★☆, Lv.35.
Now there's only one condition given to them.
Eating one corpse of a 'specific individual' needed for evolution.
Through that, they'll transform into beings distinctly different from other ghouls, and I already know very well through Gremory what beings they'll evolve into.
'As expected, the undead follow the classic Death Knight and Lich evolution path.'
Hases will become a Ghoul Knight,
And Rastujad will become a Ghoul Mage.
The names are too blatant, and actually the ghoul lineage's evolution tech tree closely resembles 'that race.'
The undead-type monsters—ghouls, zombies, skeletons—all undergo detailed branching at ★★★, and can evolve into knight type, mage type, and the demon type that hasn't been fulfilled yet.
'Just need Death Knight and Lich, why bother with more.'
Death Knight ★★★★.
Lich ★★★★.
Just in case, I gave them names from that lineage, and they really evolved that way. Thanks to that, it became very convenient.
"So from now on, you need to become executives guarding the dungeon. Got it? You absolutely can't betray me, okay?"
I seriously wondered if I should change the names even now, but I felt bad changing the names I took the trouble to give.
'Surely they won't use "Your Reign Ends Here, Master" on me, an orc.'
There's no way Hases, who has the strongest loyalty among all my subordinates, would do that. How loyally has Hases done what I ordered until now? And I've fed Hases plenty of corpses without being stingy.
"You guys are evolving like this because you met a master like me. Otherwise, you'd have spent your whole life mining wood and collapsing or ending as a sacrifice. So even after evolving, you need to work harder. Got it?"
Grrr.
The two ghouls raised their hands high and answered with actions. Evolution needs to happen as quickly as possible, and I briefly scanned toward the main gate.
Grrrr.
High ghouls stand in the passage like relay runners. In case Ras Vegas is attacked, so they can immediately bring news to me, I kept my antennae up even while preparing for evolution.
"Whew...."
I place the mustached knight in front of Hases, and the bespectacled mage in front of Rastujad. Both are already dead corpses, and the two twitch their bodies ghoul-like, just waiting for my command to drop.
"I'll go to Ras Village for a bit."
Both have enough intelligence to understand my orders. Each will handle one, and I rush to Ras Village and cross the portal. Running at full speed, it takes less than 5 minutes.
"Whew, whew, did the Baroness's army show up in the meantime?!"
"Master, it's peaceful. Where are you coming from in such a rush?"
Lune, who was performing duties near the square, hands me a cup. I gulp down the cold water Lune hands me. The subtle peach scent is definitely because it's water Lune gave. Anyway, my throat is moistened.
"Went home for a bit to strengthen the two undead."
"Are just orcs insufficient for city defense?"
"Obviously."
In reality, the maximum number of troops Gremory and I can pull out is about 500. Ignoring affiliation and simply calculating by race,
About 120 orcs,
About 20 slimes and ghouls,
About 100 harpies,
About 15 humans. With the residents of Ras Village,
The total capacity of about 260 is already full. There's no need to calculate every small number. What's important anyway is what to pack the remaining numbers with.
"Lune. Are harpies beings optimized for fighting?"
"...No? They seemed to have a hard time."
"Right. The fact that wings moved to the back and claws grew on hands when evolving to Harpy Angel is also to equip self-defense means through evolution."
Therefore, mobilizing harpies to the battlefield is actually impossible. But paradoxically, the eggs that can hatch most in our legion are harpy eggs.
"I'll mobilize Harpy Angels and adult Andras as much as possible, but since we have to rely on probability, large numbers won't come out. But we can't keep that empty capacity idle forever."
"But in the current situation, there's no way to increase forces more, right? The only subordinates you can summon with magic stones are gargoyles, and you're using all the gargoyles as catapults now. Plus...."
Lune points toward the main gate with her thumb.
"The rest, as you ordered, we used all of them to build a wall there."
"Good job, Lune."
Where the main gate of Ras Vegas should originally be, a deep moat has been filled. We dug the ground through slime dragons, filled it with river water, then piled gargoyle fragments to make a trench.
"It's still insufficient in many ways. It's a distance cavalry can easily jump over, and if humans do the siege a bit more calmly, they'll climb over with ladders, right? Or smash the wooden fence like we did. Then what happens?"
"It could become urban warfare...wait a moment."
Lune perks up her ears and twitches them. I briefly consider whether to press Lune's arousal switch flickering before my eyes, but I suppress the urge at Lune's serious face.
"...I hear horse hooves. The number is roughly...five."
"A scout party."
Clang clang clang clang!!
The orc on the watchtower diligently pounds an iron plate. Lune and I quickly run to the watchtower and climb up. Sure enough, five cavalry in light armor are surveying us from beyond the wooden fence.
"Should I snipe them?"
"Of course."
As soon as my permission drops, Lune pulls the bowstring. Perhaps seeing Lune draw her bow even from afar, the scouts hurriedly turn their horses and start riding north. Lune holds her breath and shoots a wind arrow toward the moving scouts.
Shriiiiek—!!
The wind arrow pierces the horse's knee. One scout tumbles from his horse. And unfortunately, the horse with the injured knee falls on top of him, so the scout gets crushed under the horse's weight.
"One."
Lune very calmly pulls the second bowstring.
Thwang!
With a cheerful sound, the wind arrow flies toward the scouts again. Someone with strong camaraderie hurriedly turns his horse to rescue his comrade, but unfortunately, leather armor can't block Lune's wind arrows.
Thud. The scout who came to rescue collapses on top of the horse with a wind hole in his chest. He came to rescue but ended up adding weight.
"Two."
Lune takes a deep breath and raises the bow again. But it seems difficult to get more effect. I grab Lune's ear with my finger to signal that's enough.
"That's enough—"
"Hyah?!"
Shriek.
Perfectly timed with me speaking, Lune shoots the third arrow. Perhaps her concentration scattered slightly because of me, the wind arrow grazes the shoulder of a scout lagging at the rear.
"Sorry, Lune. I interfered."
"...No. It's fine."
Lune grins and shakes her head. Since she's forcing herself to act okay, I send hand signals to the orc guarding the watchtower to make him go down.
"We need to talk privately for a moment, so go down."
"Yes, Legion Commander."
The orc immediately descends the watchtower, and only Lune and I remain in the cramped watchtower.
"I didn't trust you enough. You've gotten even stronger in that time. Heh heh."
"Of course. Heehee."
Lune turns her back to me and places her hands on the railing. I lift Lune's skirt in the position she desires. As expected, sure enough, no panties.
"You devil, you definitely put something in the water earlier, didn't you?"
"...I put a bit of my feelings in it. Hyah?!"
I push my robe aside and take off my pants, immediately inserting my member into Lune's front. Because I insert directly without foreplay, my member stings like using sandpaper, but since it'll get wet from inside soon anyway, I just keep pounding as is.
"Lune, can you see that wide avenue? The road that starts from the south and goes north along the wooden fence."
"Hng, yes, I can see it."
Lune only squeezes the entrance of her passage, focusing on my tip. So Lune won't hurt even a little, I take out slime mucus from the canteen I always carry and slather it all over my member.
"Master, it's a bit troublesome if you do this during the day."
"I gave Hases and Rastujad lunch break, you know? I need to take a lunch break too."
"That's right. I need to eat too.... Heehee. Thanks for the meal."
Lune shakes her butt and squeezes her lower mouth. As expected, it starts getting wet from inside soon. Though we often do it outdoors as always, doing it like this in a human city is different again.
"Someday later, I'd like to do it in Spica Castle, no, in this kingdom's capital where people pass by."
"Hngh, but Master. Attacking Spica Castle seems quite difficult."
Lune fumbles in her bosom and takes out a piece of paper. I push my hips forward and receive the paper Lune hands me. As much as I approached forward, Lune also steps back. The tip soon touches the membrane.
"What's this?"
"I was holding it to give you when you came, Master. Eila found it while searching the guard post."
The paper Lune handed has instructions stamped with the Baroness's seal. It's an order to conscript at least 400 able-bodied men from Zabiyaba.
"Eila says if it's 400 just from here, the main force will easily exceed a thousand. So the human unit we caught yesterday might actually be just an advance party...."
"Of course. No matter how much it's a barony, they wouldn't send just one knight."
Now when the entire continent is at war, there won't be a crazy person in this world who refuses a conscription order to subjugate the Demon King's Army. There might be another thousand soldiers remaining besides the thousand or so soldiers we killed. I hope it's less, but unfortunately the Baroness has voluntary reinforcements.
"Adventurers can be mobilized. The Baroness can coolly form a large-scale subjugation force. A thousand people went missing. Ugh, it's still damn solid."
No matter how much I thrust, it won't break through. Just thinking her passage is naturally shallow, I consider the membrane as the cervix and gently shake my hips. Pounding hard like at night is good, but having a conversation in a place where the wind blows softly has quite a taste too.
"So Lune, I'm going to assign you a really important mission, is that okay?"
"What is it? Being your seedbed, Master?"
"That's important too, but it can be called the most important mission in war."
I grab Lune's pelvis and bend forward. Though it's still hard to bend completely because flesh touches, Lune leans her head back on her own.
"Reconnaissance."
I bite Lune's ear and whisper.
***
At that time when the robed orc was having lunch with the high elf on the watchtower.
A meal was also in progress at the lord's mansion in Spica Castle. The usual soup and bread, plus a meal with some vegetables on the side, was a sufficient measure of Spica Castle's financial state.
Scrape, scrape.
The knights eating with the Baroness can't hide their uncomfortable mood. The amount is woefully insufficient, and even the quality isn't good.
"I didn't think I'd become a lady lord and complain about side dishes, but today I must."
Baroness Virgo grabs a knife and stands up. The Baroness who stopped eating mid-meal spins the knife and walks toward the head butler.
"Head butler. I clearly told you to pay attention to meals. I even increased the budget somewhat. But why is the meal so poor?"
Baroness Virgo points her knife with bread crumbs at the head butler's neck. The head butler gulps, thinking the Baroness has finally gone crazy from Zabiyaba being occupied by orcs. Even calling her a crazy bitch, he has a status that could take his neck with one wrong word.
"Th-that, the ingredients scheduled to come from Zabiyaba...."
"Are you calling that an excuse now? Monsters from a dungeon I wasn't aware of occupied Zabiyaba so ingredients didn't come? No, that's not it. The ultimate reason is different, isn't it?"
The Baroness's knife slightly stabs the head butler's neck. Though the tip is blunt so he won't get hurt, it's clearly a threat to kill.
"My lady, even so—"
"Because you embezzled in the middle. Isn't that right?"
"...Pardon?"
The head butler is dumbfounded. He can't understand the words that popped out of the Baroness's mouth.
"To think you who's worked since my predecessor's time would secretly embezzle the family's assets. I'm greatly disappointed. But thanks to you, I've gained great power. Sir Gray."
Shing.
Gray draws his sword and points it at the head butler's neck instead of the Baroness. A sharp real sword distinctly different from tableware slightly stabs the head butler's neck.
"Your assets are confiscated. And those assets will be used to hire mercenaries. How ironic that your vile greed will be used for the citizens."
"I'm innocent—"
Clang-thud.
A fountain of blood sprays in the dining room. The Baroness wipes the red blood that splattered on her cheek with her sleeve, then turns and bows to her retainers.
"Sorry. Since it's a situation equivalent to wartime, I didn't have time to explain in advance. Sir Faiz, immediately go to the head butler's house and search. He must have collected gold coins and magic stones, so he definitely hid them somewhere."
"My lady, what in the world is this...?"
"We must avenge Sir Knight Ramatio, mustn't we? The assets of our territory that you find will be used to hire mercenaries. Do you understand what I mean?"
"...Yes!"
Knight Faiz kicks back his chair and stands. The other retainers also realize the meal is over and all stand up. Baroness Virgo places her hand on the table and declares.
"I will gather all the power of the barony to recapture Zabiyaba and subjugate the dungeon. And...."
The Baroness removes her glasses.
"The moment the scouts return, we form the Zabiyaba recapture force. I will personally lead the campaign."
According to the Baroness's strong will, massive numbers of citizens begin gathering one after another.
NOVEL NEXT