63 - First Battle
The Demon King's army fortress. The largest building within that fortress happened to be a mere conference room.
The Demon King's army is a collection of various races and tribes, and for every race or tribe, there are individuals called kings or tribal chiefs. When a general meeting is held, the number of participants becomes quite large.
Of course, the final decision-making is left to the Demon King, but even so, a certain level of respect must be shown to the kings and tribal chiefs of the various races. Allowing them to participate in meetings where they have almost no opportunity to speak is one such consideration.
As a result, a large crowd gathers in a room that is far too spacious for holding a meeting.
"I hear there are unsettling movements within the Laurel Kingdom army. Have the details been ascertained?"
The reason a general meeting was convened this time was because movements different from before had been observed in the Laurel Kingdom army, and detailed information had been obtained.
"As a result of the investigation, we have discovered that the Laurel Kingdom army has a plan to invade Nordende via an alternative route."
"An alternative route? No such thing exists."
The only road leading from the Laurel Kingdom to Nordende is the one where this fortress is located. Everyone present knows this. That is precisely why they protect only this location.
"It is a plan to create that non-existent alternative route."
"What?"
"They are attempting to carve a path through the mountains to the east."
"Hah. What, so that's how it is. And when will it be completed?"
The Demon King's expression brightened instantly. Creating a road through the mountains is no easy feat. The Demon Race who claim Nordende as their sphere of influence know this best. The reason Nordende has been able to be defended is not only due to the power of the Demon Race living there, but also thanks to the steep mountains surrounding it, which do not easily permit intrusion.
"The timing is unknown."
"Then report back once that is known."
"However, I suspect that at least one-third of it has already been completed."
"...What? How could that be!?"
Upon hearing that one-third of the road was already finished, the Demon King shouted at the reporter. This was born from the belief that such a thing was impossible, and anger over why they hadn't noticed it until now if it were true.
"It is likely that the plan began at the start of the war."
"From the beginning?"
"Yes. There is a possibility that the battles until now were intended to divert our attention from that plan."
"...Curse him, he played us!"
The Demon King's anger was directed at the general of the Laurel Kingdom army, Alfred the Myriad General. Though shouting at Alfred, who was not present, served no purpose.
"Demon King-sama. Even if we were played, the road is only one-third complete. Is there not plenty of room to respond?"
King Dracul of the Vampio race admonished the furious Demon King, telling him there was no need to panic. In reality, it was as he said. If it was only one-third, it would not immediately become a threat.
"...Then what shall we do?"
"We should send an interception force and not permit any further construction."
"I know that. But what size of force should be sent? If we head there from this side, can we effectively encounter the enemy?"
"It will not be easy."
How could they reach the construction site without knowing exactly where the road was being built? Even if they did know, advancing from the opposite side through steep mountains where no roads exist and trees grow thick would be the same as not knowing.
"I will send a reconnaissance force. However, it would have to be of considerable size. That means the fortress would become that much more vulnerable."
"...Do you believe the plan to build a road in the mountains might itself be a diversion?"
"That man might actually do it... What 'Martial Sage'? Despicable."
The title "Martial Sage," given to Alfred the Myriad General, was named for his tactical skill. Knowing that made the Demon King fear being outmaneuvered even more.
"That said, we cannot simply leave it alone. Please leave the reconnaissance to us, the Vampio race."
King Dracul volunteered for the reconnaissance mission. However, this was a failure.
"The Vampio race is a precious military asset. It would be problematic for you to leave the fortress."
Compared to the Demon King, King Dracul could be called a far more virtuous person. The Demon King felt jealousy toward his popularity. If King Dracul desired something, the Demon King would reach the opposite conclusion. If King Dracul's intention had been to avoid the mission, then it was not a failure, but a great success.
"But someone must deal with it."
King Dracul had no intention of avoiding the reconnaissance mission. He showed a hint of dissatisfaction at the Demon King's words.
"...Ah, that's right. There is a suitable unit."
"And what would that be?"
A unit suitable for reconnaissance. There were few races more suited for stealth operations than the Vampio race.
"Let us leave it to the Undead Legion."
"Huh?"
"With them, there is no need to worry about what happens when they encounter the enemy. They can spread out wide and move forward, and as a result, wherever the ones who don't return are located is where the enemy is."
"That is..."
The Demon King's argument had a point. With the Undead Legion, there was no need to head into a mission with a thick formation. It would not reduce the fortress's combat power. However, King Dracul knew that malice toward Ray lay behind the Demon King's decision. He also knew that pointing it out would only result in denial.
"Right, it's decided. Issue the order to the Undead Legion! Tell them to assume their mission immediately!"
While King Dracul hesitated to argue, the Demon King issued the order. King Dracul had no authority to stop it, nor could he think of a reason to overturn the Demon King's decision. Thus, the deployment of the Undead Legion was decided.
◇◇◇
The day after receiving the reconnaissance order, Ray was in the mountains. Only Ray. The Undead Legion did not accompany him. The Undead Legion was to proceed through the mountains led by Sansei, far behind Ray. The order from the Demon King had also included the method of executing the mission, which was to find the enemy by sacrificing skeleton soldiers. However, Ray ignored this. Ray was moving the legion according to a strategy he had devised himself. Along with the darkness of night, the mountains overgrown with trees were Ray's allies. He continued to move at a tremendous speed, not inferior to the Beastman race who make their homes in deep forests and mountains.
(Almost there, I guess?)
Even for Ray, he could not find the enemy by simply moving blindly through the mountains. First, he descended south in one go, then took a westward course until he reached the highway. From there, he pivoted. He crossed the mountains heading east. By doing this, he would eventually hit the road. That was his thinking. As a result, this was correct. Ray was able to find the road created by the Laurel Kingdom army. Once that happened, the operation proceeded to the next stage. The interception of the Laurel Kingdom army building the road.
(Ah, there they are.)
Ray found the Undead Legion ahead. Ray felt relieved that they had managed to rendezvous successfully even in the mountains. When it came to intercepting an enemy unit, Ray could not do it alone. In reality, in the mountains—his area of expertise—and especially with a night attack, there was a possibility that Ray alone could achieve significant results, but that would not lead to future progress. Training the Undead Legion. This was the priority for Ray right now.
"It worked out somehow."
"...Don't make it sound so easy."
Sansei complained at the words of Ray, who had appeared before him.
"We met up just fine, didn't we?"
"I knew we would meet."
Necromancy, which manipulates the undead. There is a connection between the caster and the undead. By tracing that connection, they could rendezvous like this even in deep mountains. Sansei knew this as well.
"Then what is it?"
"The journey here. It was incredibly grueling. 'Just no roads,' you say? You've got some nerve."
Advancing through a roadless path in mountains with significant elevation changes. For Sansei, that had been quite difficult.
"You're undead and you're tired..."
Skeleton soldiers feel no fatigue. Fatigue or not, they are dead.
"I became undead without dying. I'm different from the soldiers."
"...I see. I feel like I understand that difference."
Ray was convinced by Sansei's argument. However, such things were not important right now.
"So, what now?"
"We'll get a bit closer to the enemy. From there, we'll execute the strategy I've thought of."
He had a strategy for intercepting the enemy.
"Can we really do it?"
But Sansei lacked confidence in that strategy. He had no experience winning a battle.
"It'll be fine. It's not like I'm trying to annihilate the enemy or anything."
"...Even though you've thought of a strategy for exactly that."
Sansei gave Ray a skeptical look. Even if he said such things, Sansei knew that in Ray's head, he was thinking of annihilating the enemy.
"I'll do it if I can. But the enemy won't necessarily move exactly as planned, right? I have to be careful not to fail miserably by being too greedy for results."
"I guess so."
His words were humble. But his mind was the opposite. However, he had not forgotten caution. That made Ray's seriousness felt.
"Stop talking forever and let's go. We'll run out of preparation time."
"Yeah. Got it."
The Undead Legion continued to move further south through the mountains. Their destination was the battlefield that would be Ray's first battle. And the land of the fight that would serve as the catalyst for the Laurel Kingdom to become aware of the Undead Legion's existence. Calamity was taking the first step to leapfrog its activities.
◇◇◇
A detachment of the Laurel Kingdom army. While carving a road through the mountains, the unit aiming for Nordende had been acting separately from the main force from a fairly early stage. The entrance to Nordende, sandwiched between steep mountains to the east and west. Breaking through that land, which is easy to defend, is not simple. Alfred the Myriad General had considered creating a different entry route from the start. That strategy had been going well so far. They had struggled considerably with the road construction, but even so, it was steadily extending toward Nordende. Up until now, they had not suffered any enemy attacks. But a problem arose here. They had tripped a detection spell that was almost certainly set by the Demon King's army. There was a high possibility that their existence had been discovered. Once that happened, they had to be prepared for attacks from the Demon King's army. With that premise, the Laurel Kingdom army detachment continued to advance while significantly increasing their vigilance, but...
"...Wait."
The one who called out to stop the knight advancing ahead was a mage clad in a robe.
"What is it?"
"I feel like I've hit a detection magic."
"What?"
Upon hearing the mage's explanation, the knight's face instantly stiffened.
"...No mistake. It's over there."
"Are there no enemies in the vicinity?"
"No enemies have tripped our detection. This time might also just be a detection trap."
"...We can't let our guard down."
Though he said this, the knight felt a bit relieved inwardly. From the first time they hit a magic detection until today, there had not been a single enemy attack. There was no sign of anyone tripping the Laurel Kingdom army's detection. Only magic tools were found. The thought that they were just leaving magic tools set and abandoned had surfaced within the detachment. Even so, they could not remain unguarded, so they sent out scouts to probe ahead like this, but the result was the same. Only magic tools were found.
"Let's collect it for now."
The mage began to move to collect the set magic tool. He already knew where it was likely placed.
"...There it is."
At the base of a tree a little further ahead. The top of a magic tool was peeking out. The knight quickened his pace to pick it up. However, that knight never picked up the magic tool.
"Wh... Aaaaaagh!"
Suddenly, the knight let out a scream.
"What happened!?"
Hearing that voice, the mage hurriedly tried to rush to the knight to see what had occurred. However, that mage also failed to achieve his goal. The spear tip that pierced his chest stopped his movement.
"...Wh-what?"
A spear extending from the ground. The mage was shocked by the spear that had suddenly appeared.
"T-this is..."
But the time he could spend being shocked was short. The spear pierced deeper into his chest. It didn't take long for the mage to perish. In that short time, the mage understood that the one who killed him was a skeleton. And that the skeleton had been hiding in the soil. The knight had perished the same way. Another skeleton soldier's spear had pierced the knight's neck.
(............)
(............)
The skeleton soldiers began to move in silence. Holding the magic tools they had left at the base of the tree, they dragged the corpses of the knight and mage and left the scene. Their mission ended in success. Even if they only killed two people, success is success. And just like them, several teams waiting in ambush for the Laurel Kingdom army coming for reconnaissance were still hiding in the ground.
◇◇◇
The Undead Legion had set up camp a full two days' distance from the front line of the Laurel Kingdom army detachment. Though called a camp, they were simply gathered in that spot. Not a single tent had been pitched. Tents were unnecessary for them. There was one person who complained about it, but he was ignored by Ray.
"Congratulations on the successful operation!"
Ray praised the soldiers who had returned from the mission. The first operation ended without a single casualty. Knowing this, Ray was in a great mood.
"Now then, as a reward for the successful mission, I will give each of you a helmet or a breastplate."
Ray promised rewards to the skeleton soldiers. However, the reaction of the skeleton soldiers, who could not speak, was dull. Even so, Ray could feel that the soldiers were happy.
"They're happy to get armor..."
Sansei was also surprised by this. He hadn't thought skeleton soldiers would be happy about armor.
"However! I will tell you the points for correction for the future!"
This mission was a success. But there were points that bothered Ray.
"First, carry the enemy corpses on your shoulders! You must absolutely not leave tracks on the ground!"
If they left tracks from dragging corpses, their location would be discovered. This was a point that absolutely had to be corrected.
"Next, make sure to level the ground where you were hiding! This is to prevent the enemy from understanding our strategy!"
Skeleton soldiers could stay buried in the ground for any number of days. Ray had utilized this to carry out ambushes. They would be buried in the ground days in advance, and the ground would be leveled. If it rained, the evidence of digging a hole would be cleanly erased, and even if it didn't, after a few days, it became far less noticeable than when it was first dug. However, if they left a large hole after the mission ended, all that effort would be for naught. Their strategy would be exposed.
"If possible, the bloodstains of the enemy too! That's all! Break until the next operation!"
Even when told this, the skeleton soldiers just stood there. The one who needed a break was Ray.
"Well, I'll leave the rest to you."
"What do you mean, 'leave the rest to me'?"
"I'm actually a bit tired. So, I'm counting on you for the additional soldiers."
"...Yeah, got it."
For someone with Ray's personality to say he was tired was a rare occurrence. Sansei already understood that. In reality, Ray's work was tremendous. He ran around the mountains dozens of times more than they did to find the enemy and commanded the ambush operation. Furthermore, he was cleaning up the mistakes the skeleton soldiers had made. Ray had praised the skeleton soldiers, but the one who had it the hardest must have been Ray.
"I hope the corpses we got are excellent."
"I wonder? This depends on compatibility, after all."
"True... I'll head to the rear after a short break."
Saying so, Ray closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep. Having worked almost without sleep or rest, he had finally reached his limit.
"...Well then, I'll finish up quickly and rest too."
Sansei's job was to create new undead soldiers. The materials were the knights and mages of the Laurel Kingdom army killed in the ambush operation. A chant was spun in a low voice. The chant of the necromancy that creates undead is long, like a sutra. Rather than using magic, it should be called performing a ritual.
"...Receive new life and awaken, my servants. Revive!"
The chant finally came to an end. Something like black threads extended from Sansei's hand. They reached the corpses lying on the ground and wrapped around their bodies. At the moment their entire bodies were dyed black, the jet-black threads emitted a pure white flash, the polar opposite of their own color. With that, the ritual ended.
"...Five bodies. Not bad."
There were six corpses. Five of them stood up. One was a failure, but for Sansei, it was a satisfying result. Not any corpse could be turned into an undead. The result of five out of six this time was a considerable success.
"I wonder if this is just my power? Well, whatever. Regarding necromancy, Ray and I are as one."
A connection is formed between the caster and the undead. Similarly, a connection had been formed between Sansei and Ray, who were both casters. That is why the two of them could manipulate the same undead. Sansei thought that this success rate might also be thanks to Ray's power. If it had been the old Sansei, he would undoubtedly have felt frustrated if the partner weren't Ray. But the current Sansei had no such feelings. Sansei was honestly happy to have the existence of his first-ever partner.