154 - The Time for the Decisive Battle Approaches
The multinational allied forces were gradually refining their way of fighting. A strategy of attrition using a massive amount of siege weapons, as devised by Fumiya. The plan to minimize casualties while steadily cornering the Demon Race by spending vast amounts of manpower and resources to construct robust fortifications was also Fumiya's idea. Furthermore, in addition to these, the tactic of forming small elite units to engage the Demon Race was adopted by the multinational allied forces as a whole.
The last tactic was not a new one. It was something that had been practiced conventionally, but what differed for the Kingdom of Moskou and the United Kingdom of Westerland was that they considered how to achieve the maximum results with that method of fighting. They trained the knights who made up the squads, researched how multi-to-one combat should be conducted, and provided that training. Rather than pushing with numbers while accepting casualties, they considered how many people were necessary to win without incurring casualties, and then improved individual quality to minimize that number.
Actual combat proved that this tactic was effective. Fumiya, believing that this tactic was partly responsible for repelling the Demon Race's surprise attack, decided to adopt it for his own army as well. Fumiya was flexible in this regard. What he sought were results. If they were good, the gains would be greater. He would utilize anything to obtain them. That was how it was.
Regardless of whether they were knights or soldiers, he selected the strong—Fumiya was more thorough in this point—and organized them into squads. As for the specific multi-to-one tactics, they were not available at this point. The Kingdom of Moskou and the United Kingdom of Westerland did not teach the detailed tactics. Fumiya's side did not complain about this. Once this war ended, they would be opponents. There was no way they would reveal all their cards. He had no choice but to create his own methods while observing the fighting styles of the two nations during actual combat.
And so, they immediately entered actual combat. Even while the fortifications being constructed on the front line were unfinished, the multinational allied forces pushed the army forward.
"Squad A! Move to support Squad D!"
"Squad C! Ignore that enemy! North! Target the Demon Race running wild in the north!"
The multinational allied forces deployed many squads on the battlefield. Instructions flew toward those squads. By voice for those within earshot. For squads in distant locations, horse messengers were used.
"...Not bad for a first time, right?"
Fumiya did not go to the front line, but remained in the rear command unit. As the commander-in-chief, his first priority was to grasp the way of fighting. That was his reasoning, but the actual command was left entirely to General Gaston and General Gertzer.
"In the end, I believe it is an extension of conventional fighting methods."
"What do you mean by that?"
General Gaston replied to Fumiya's question, but that alone did not make sense.
"The idea of knights fighting one-on-one is a story from the distant past; in reality, we assign many soldiers to a strong knight to take them down. Otherwise, an upset might occur."
"An upset?"
"If there is one strong knight, even a small country has a chance of winning. Unless there is an overwhelming difference in power, they will eventually tire and be defeated, though it is strictly a possibility."
If there is an overwhelmingly strong knight and one continues to fight them one-on-one, many of one's own knights will die. To avoid this and admit defeat to withdraw from the battlefield is considered the correct way of doing things, but in reality, it is a ridiculous story. There are few countries that adhere to that.
"...And the fight before us is the same?"
"If you view the Demon Race as knights, it is the same. When we find a strong knight active on the battlefield, we send in a unit to slay them. It is no different from a war between humans. Since they aren't mixed into a melee of soldiers, giving instructions is almost easier."
"I see. The Demon Race is strong. But you can't win a war with knights alone."
The Demon King's Army consists only of knights. At least for now. The Undead Legion, which would fulfill the role of soldiers in a human army, has not yet joined the battle.
"Even so, the casualties are not few. Will you continue the fight?"
"I suppose... I'll have the allies retreat while simultaneously launching a concentrated attack with the siege weapons. After that, I will lead a unit and sortie."
"Sortie, you say?"
General Gaston was bewildered, as he had intended to advise that the fighting should stop around here, but Fumiya had suddenly declared he would sortie himself. He did not understand the intent.
"Yes, I'll sortie. With the Laurel Kingdom army in front."
"...I see. Understood. I will send the instructions immediately."
General Gaston understood that Fumiya intended to execute the strategy of crushing the Demon Race while accepting casualties, which had been used before the current tactics. The Laurel Kingdom army, composed of weak soldiers, was the unit for that purpose.
The Demon Race suffered significant casualties in this battle. The same was true for the multinational allied forces. However, if one were to call the result of this battle a draw in terms of pain, that would be questionable. At least, the upper management, including Fumiya, did not think so.
◇◇◇
How the Demon King's Army viewed this battle was easy to understand. It was a defeat. They suffered significant casualties. In a simple numerical comparison with the multinational allied forces, that might be the expression used, but for the Demon King's Army, which was small to begin with, the result was that they suffered immense losses. Even if it was a result they were prepared for.
"We cannot afford any more casualties."
At the military council, King Dracul raised the number of casualties as an issue.
"I know that. But we still need time for the construction of the rear fortresses."
The one who answered was Barbari. She was the person in charge of the fortification work being carried out in the rear.
"How much time is needed?"
"I want at least a month."
"...If the enemy is moving forward while constructing their own positions, we have plenty of room."
There was no need to fight a battle to buy time. As long as the multinational allied forces did not lose their caution.
"I think that possibility vanished with this battle, though?"
Kai denied the words of his father, King Dracul. Kai was in a position where he was entrusted with one of the front-line units. He was not in a position where reserve was permitted at the military council.
"...If we are inside the forest, I don't think we will make a blunder like this time... or will we?"
"I don't think constructing a defensive battle was a mistake. But because of that, the enemy can feel secure in setting fire to the forest. This was unexpected."
Even if they set fire, the range of the spread is limited. The Demon King's Army's countermeasures for that had given the multinational allied forces a sense of security. It was an ironic result.
"The existence of the siege weapons is the problem. We should just destroy them all."
Akemi spoke up, saying the problem lay with the siege weapons. Her statement contained the feeling that they should leave it to her.
"That opinion is correct. However, there is no way to realize that while keeping casualties low."
To destroy the siege weapons, a certain amount of approach was necessary. If that happened, it would be the same as this battle. They would end up fighting the enemy head-on. He felt that the multinational allied forces had brought the siege weapons forward with that exact aim.
"What about a night attack?"
"If the darkness is preserved, the probability of success would increase."
The reason he dared to say this was that it was not the case.
"You mean they're prepared?"
"Unfortunately, there are mountains of things to burn in the forest. Saying it's like daytime even at night is probably an exaggeration, but I've received reports that such preparations have been made."
The darkness of night is an ally to the Demon Race. Night attacks were, of course, being considered. However, the demons investigating the state of the multinational allied forces reported that the enemy was not off guard.
"...It feels like we're being invited."
"I think so. The enemy is trying to make us attack. The positions have been reversed."
"...But if we just retreat to the rear, the enemy's siege weapons will remain unscathed. No matter how much we fortify, aren't the enemy's weapons designed to attack such places?"
If they shut themselves in a fortress while leaving a large number of siege weapons behind, would there be any chance of victory? Akemi's opinion was reasonable.
"Should we construct another fortress further back...?"
"I don't mind that. But to realize that, we need to buy time again. We have to think about how to do that."
Retreating deep into the Forest of Bewilderment and continuing to fight. This was the original plan, so no one disagreed. However, to realize that, they needed to buy time to construct defensive battles and fortresses. The Demon King's Army had been incurring casualties to buy that time.
"In the end, it's the siege weapons. The root of all evil is here."
The siege weapons Fumiya deployed had accelerated the multinational allied forces' pace. Because the defensive lines were breached earlier than planned, the schedule had been thrown off. Unless they did something about that, harsh battles would continue in the future.
But they could not find a solution to that problem.
"Fight or retreat... half-hearted thinking will only increase the casualties. We must decide on one."
Even if they fought, casualties would only increase with the current methods. They had to think of something. The same applied to retreating. They had to think about how to fight after retreating and hurry the preparations.
A decision was necessary. But neither seemed like the correct answer. In that state, no one had the courage to choose. Still, if a decision had to be made.
"...It cannot be helped. Then I shall decide."
King Dracul, who was looking after the home front, had no choice but to take responsibility and decide. Just as he was about to do so.
"We should retreat."
"What?"
Someone had made a decision before King Dracul.
"...Cecil-san, why do you think so?"
It was Cecil, who had not been participating in the military council. Kai asked the reason why Cecil recommended retreat. Cecil, who hardly spoke in such settings, had made a judgment on an important choice. Kai understood the reason, though it was not a concrete one.
"The Undead Legion has begun to move. They are heading deeper into the forest."
"...That doesn't mean Ray has returned, does it?"
"No. However, the movements of the Undead Legion are based on Lord Ray's thoughts. Since the Undead Legion has retreated, should we not also retreat?"
"That's true. Now that it's come to this, we should wait for Ray's instructions."
If the Undead Legion had started moving, instructions from Ray should arrive without much waiting. Even if he was still in a distant location, Ray possessed the means to send messengers from there.
"...This is bad. Just from that talk, I've lost a bit of my tension."
A weight had been lifted from his shoulders. That was King Dracul's honest feeling.
"Father. It is the opposite. I believe that precisely because he is returning, we need to tighten our resolve."
But Kai denied it. Ray's way of fighting was by no means easy. To obtain the result of victory, there was a high possibility they would be required to engage in harsh battles.
Kai believed it had to be that way. Being required to do so was proof of Ray's trust.
"You're right. A resolve to throw away one's life is necessary. There is nothing to fear. The Demon King will surely grant us victory. He will give the Demon Race a future."
Words demanding resolve not only from himself but from those around him. Everyone participating in the military council nodded deeply at King Dracul's words. There was no one here who begrudged their life. People who had the resolve to throw away their lives for the future of the Demon Race had gathered. They believed that Ray would surely connect them to that future.
The Demon King's Army retreated on that day. For the sake of the next battle, to obtain victory in that battle.
◇◇◇
As the Demon King's Army expected, the multinational allied forces pushed the front line forward all at once. They burned the forest to improve visibility, removed the remaining trees, and leveled the ground to prepare the march route. Once that preparation had progressed to a certain extent, they transported the siege weapons. They began the attack on the next defensive battle. By repeating this many times, they moved the army forward, so even if it was "all at once," it took a considerable number of days. Still, the march of the multinational allied forces did not stagnate and proceeded deep into the Forest of Bewilderment.
What stopped the multinational allied forces was a high wall filling the valley at the foot of the mountain. It was a fortress constructed by the Demon King's Army.
They had finally reached the headquarters of the Demon King's Army. Thinking this, the multinational allied forces roused their spirits and began the attack.
First was the attack by siege weapons. Large stones rained down toward the stone walls. The low, heavy sound of stone hitting stone echoed through the forest, and the stones that fell to the earth shook the ground.
'Do not let the attack cease!'
'Fire! Fire! Keep firing!'
The voices of command echoed through the camp of the multinational allied forces. They intended to break down the wall all at once and make the Demon King's Army's fortress fall.
'To the left! Concentrate the attack on the left side!'
The multinational allied forces concentrated their attack on the left side of the wall. Although the wall looked robust, a part that seemed unfinished could be seen on the left side. They decided to attack the place that was likely the weakest.
That judgment was correct. The stones of the defensive wall, which were in a halfway assembled state, had begun to crumble in several places under the attack of the catapults.
'More! Fire more!'
Once the collapse of the defensive wall became visible, the voices of command grew louder. In response, the attack of the siege weapons increased in intensity, if only slightly.
"I thought it would take quite a while when I first saw it."
The breakthrough of the defensive wall was only a matter of time. Fumiya, who was watching the attack, thought so too.
"The fact that it was unfinished was the winning factor—no, I should say it was thanks to the speed of the march that did not allow for completion."
General Gertzer said it was thanks to the speed of the march. He was praising Fumiya, who had made that decision.
"It's still just the beginning. True victory comes from slaying the demons holed up inside."
It was actually true, but Fumiya, who looked as if he didn't entirely mind General Gertzer's words, intended to be humble.
"The moment of breakthrough will be dangerous."
"I'll go."
"Eh... Ah, is that... that thing?"
General Gertzer quickly realized that it wasn't that Fumiya was volunteering for a dangerous mission himself. In the allied forces, there was a unit that would tackle any difficult battle, even if it meant throwing away their own lives.
"Tell the armies of the various nations. Once the units charge, they should follow immediately. That the time for the decisive battle with the Demon Race has finally come."
"Understood. I will send it immediately."
The collapse on the left side of the defensive wall was growing larger. If they proceeded a bit more, there was a high possibility it would collapse all at once. If that happened, as Fumiya said, the time for the decisive battle had finally arrived.