76 - Night Ravished by Madness
The Demon King's fortress. While the Demon King's army has had few opportunities to deploy recently, military councils are held frequently. The agenda primarily consists of reports on the Undead Legion and the movements of the Laurel Kingdom army.
Due to the Undead Legion's rear disruption, the Laurel Kingdom army's movements have shifted backward. Given the Demon King's policy of exploiting such gaps, the agenda is correct. The problem, however, is that a significant number of the Laurel Kingdom army have already moved to the rear. Despite this, the main force of the Demon King's army has yet to move. The meetings continue, ignoring this fact.
Of course, not everyone is ignoring it. In fact, some strongly urge a deployment.
"I have received an inquiry from the Undead Legion asking why we have yet to move," King Dracul reported during the council.
"...How presumptuous. Mere undead," the Demon King replied with an irrelevant answer.
"I believe it is not a matter of presumption. Furthermore, the commander of the Undead Legion is not undead," King Dracul noted.
"Ah, that's right. He was a mere human."
"...And your response?"
There was no point in repeating the exchange. King Dracul decided to get to the main point.
"Even if we wish to move, the enemy's front line remains formidable. Forcing a charge would result in significant casualties. I cannot make such a decision."
"If you say that, we will never be able to launch an attack. Is that acceptable to you?"
"I do not think it is. We need a plan to draw more of the enemy away from the front line. I had expected the Undead Legion to do that, but it seems the burden was too heavy for them."
The Demon King attempted to push all the reasons for the inability to attack onto the Undead Legion. However, this was a very forced logic. Before the Undead Legion began their rear disruption, when there were more enemies at the front, the Demon King's army had launched attacks numerous times.
"Do you intend to leave the Undead Legion to be slaughtered?"
"I am not considering such a thing."
"However, there is information that further reinforcements have departed from the capital of the Laurel Kingdom. The exact number is still unknown, but it is certainly not just a thousand or two thousand. I do not believe the Undead Legion can resist that many enemies alone."
"Enemy reinforcements, huh..."
The Demon King finally showed a hint of thought. If the Undead Legion were defeated, those reinforcements might head for the front line. That would increase the enemy numbers even more than before.
"We should also send units to the enemy's rear to reduce the burden on the Undead Legion. We strike the enemies who have moved back, then return to the front. That would create a pincer attack."
A conversation that actually sounded like tactics. Finally, such content was discussed at the council.
"...By moving to the rear, would our own allies not be the ones caught in a pincer?"
"If the enemy attempts to move that way, we simply deploy further from the fortress. The enemy's camp would be even thinner than it is now."
"Hmm... I see your point. But first, how do we break through the enemy camp?"
Just when it seemed the conversation was progressing, it returned to the beginning. The Demon King was seeking a way to break through the front line while minimizing friendly casualties.
"How about dividing our forces into two, and while one side attacks, the other looks for an opening to break through?"
"...Would the casualties for the attacking side not be too great?"
"There is no need to attack in earnest. We only need to draw the enemy's attention."
"I see... that may be a strategy worth considering."
"Then?"
"Let us enter more concrete deliberations. Everyone, please summarize your opinions by the next meeting."
"Demon King-sama!?"
They could gather opinions now. They could discuss them and build a concrete operational plan. Yet, the Demon King was postponing it until the next meeting.
"I want King Dracul to obtain more information. This is an operation where failure is not permitted."
The Demon King spoke a plausible reason. It was true that failure was not permitted, but it was also true that time was running out. If it were postponed, the Undead Legion would only be in more danger.
"Dismissed! Everyone, good work!"
Without caring about King Dracul's impatience, the Demon King declared the meeting closed. The first to move was the Demon King himself. Without him, the meeting could not function.
Seeing this, the others also left the meeting room. Some had troubled faces, some looked exasperated, and some showed anger. The Demon King's attitude was too blatant. He was clearly prioritizing personal feelings over the victory or defeat of the battle.
However, in reality, the Demon King was not neglecting the war.
"Do you think you can pinpoint the Undead Legion's location?" the Demon King asked his aide while returning to his room.
"If we use the Vampio race effectively, certainly."
"I see. Once you know, convey it skillfully. You know who to tell, right?"
"...Y-yes."
"Then the enemy should move more troops away from the front line. That is when we strike. We can break through the enemy camp with certainty while keeping casualties low."
"Yes. As expected of the Demon King-sama. A brilliant strategy."
A strategy built upon the sacrifice of the Undead Legion. Knowing this, the aide praised it as brilliant. For the Demon King and his aides, it was a two-birds-one-stone plan to wear down both the Laurel Kingdom army and the eyesore that was the Undead Legion. The praise was not mere flattery.
◇◇◇
Without the need for the Demon King's schemes to begin, the Undead Legion was about to clash with the Laurel Kingdom army. Since the Demon King's army would not move, they had no choice but to transition to the next plan.
Even though it was a clash, Ray had no intention of hitting them head-on. He had no confidence in winning such a fight. He launched an attack targeting the place he believed to be the enemy's weakest point.
However, this was a failure. The enemy base he thought was the weakest was a trap.
"This is bad! There are ambushers!"
Enemy cavalry approached from three directions: east, west, and north. Discovering this, Ray shouted to his allies.
"What do we do!? Do we flee!?"
The one who answered was Sansei. The option to fight was already gone from Sansei's mind. There was nothing good about fighting in an unfavorable situation. That was his way of thinking.
"Of course we flee!"
Ray thought the same. Now was not the time to overextend.
"Which way!?"
"...West!"
The direction where the fewest enemies were approaching. Judging it to be the west, Ray gave the order. In response, the Undead Legion moved all at once.
"Hurry! Break through before we're surrounded!"
The Undead Legion accelerated their horses. With that, they pulled away from the enemy cavalry coming from the east. Enemies from the north were also pursuing, but the speed of the Undead Legion's cavalry was superior.
"...Take the charge formation!"
Now, they either had to crush the enemies coming from the west or evade them. The formation was intended for a charge, but in Ray's mind, evasion was the priority.
"Eh? Bows?"
The enemies had dismounted and were aiming their bows. Ray did not understand the intent. If they were fire arrows, it would be one thing, but ordinary arrows could hardly deal any damage to skeleton soldiers. Even the horses they rode were undead.
"Ray! More are coming! The west is a trap too!"
Sansei informed him of the appearance of further enemies.
"What!?"
There was no time to think about the bow attacks. He had to decide the next move.
"Honestly! What were those idiot Vampio scouts doing!?"
Sansei complained loudly. The Undead Legion had not approached the enemy base without caution. They had sent scouts to ensure no enemy units were in the vicinity.
"Arrows! Sansei, here they come!"
Arrows released by the enemy rained down toward Ray and Sansei.
"The enemy's target is us! They actually thought of that!"
Sansei was relatively composed. He would not die from a few arrows. Though he didn't look it, he was, for all intents and purposes, an immortal Lich.
"I see... I'll leave it to you."
...Yeah, leave it to me.
The magic sword Kamui responded in Ray's mind. The magic sword Kamui appeared in Ray's right hand. Kamui sliced through every single arrow raining down.
"Sansei! Leave it to me!"
"...Got it! I'm fleeing first if there's an opening!"
"Yeah, I get it."
Ray had no complaints about Sansei fleeing. In the battle from here on, there was no role for Sansei. Ray hoped he would escape safely.
"Now then... this is the first time it's been for real. Are you ready?"
Leave it to me.
Of course. I'll do my best.
Am I okay? Well, I guess I've just gotta do it.
Wills responded one after another to Ray's question. They were Ray's sub-personalities. Ray had left the sub-personalities that had re-split in the Forest of Bewilderment as they were. Like the will that became the magic sword Kamui, it was debatable whether they should be called sub-personalities.
"Now! Let's go!"
"!!!"
In response to Ray's shout, the cavalry of the Undead Legion moved. For them, this was their first full-power battle. An opportunity to test their strength.
◇◇◇
The camp of the Laurel Kingdom army at the front line. The camp, usually quiet except during combat, was now slightly buzzing. A battle with the Undead Legion had occurred in the rear. That battle, which became the first full-scale clash, ended in the Laurel Kingdom army's defeat. The shock of it had caused unrest among the people in the camp.
"I wonder what on earth is happening?"
Though not exactly unrest, Fumiya was one of those surprised by the report. To discuss it, he and Akemi visited Hinata's tent.
"They fought and lost. That's all it is."
Akemi hardly cared even after hearing the news of the defeat. In battle, there are times you win and times you lose. She didn't have enough experience to have realized this on her own, but she accepted it as a matter of knowledge.
"It was a strategy Sieg thought of, you know?"
"A strategy thought of by General Sieg's subordinates, you mean."
"Even so, Sieg must have approved it."
For some reason, Fumiya spoke as if the defeat were Sieg's responsibility. Since he was the commander-in-chief, Sieg did bear responsibility, but there was no reason for Fumiya to dwell on it.
"Are you perhaps happy that they lost, Fumiya?"
Akemi took it that way.
"No way!"
"Then it shouldn't matter who thought of the strategy or who approved it. The fact that they lost doesn't change."
"But... the enemy commander is..."
"Ah, you're just annoyed that Ray outdid General Sieg. If that's the case, just say so from the start."
"I don't think that."
Fumiya had thought that since Sieg had moved in earnest to subjugate them, the Undead Legion would certainly be annihilated. The fact that it resulted in an unexpected outcome surprised him.
"Well, that doesn't really matter anyway."
"You're being dismissive. Our allies lost, you know?"
"I'm not being dismissive. I'm just accepting the fact as a fact. No matter how much we make a fuss here, the result won't change."
"That's true, but..."
No matter what they talked about, the result of the defeat wouldn't change. Fumiya knew that. He knew, but he wanted to talk about the battle in various ways.
"More importantly, what happens next? Have you heard anything?"
"For the time being, we won't move."
"Eh, really? I'm more surprised by that decision."
Things were moving in a bad direction, yet they weren't taking any action. That was how Akemi took it. Of course, that wasn't the case.
"There is a reason for not moving. It means now is not the time to leave the front line thin."
"...If now isn't the time, then when is?"
"They are trying to somehow pinpoint the Undead Legion's location once more. Once that's known, the plan is apparently to deploy almost all their forces at once to annihilate them."
"Is that... perhaps, a rather bold strategy?"
Deploying all forces at once. If they did that in the rear, other places would become that much thinner. It was a different level of boldness than what Akemi had imagined.
"They're saying it's fine even if they're temporarily pushed back by the Demon King's army. They probably have confidence that they can push back again after crushing the Undead Legion."
"That just shows how much of a threat the Undead Legion in the rear is."
"...Well."
Fumiya showed a dissatisfied expression. He still didn't like that the Undead Legion led by Ray was being evaluated so highly.
"They should have just left it to us from the start. Hinata, you think so too, right?"
"Eh?"
"Why are you surprised there?"
"Because... I don't have the power to fight."
Hinata's specialty was recovery magic. She could help allies, but she couldn't defeat enemies. Ordinary enemies, at least.
"You think you're unrelated to combat, so you're not thinking about it at all, right?"
Akemi looked exasperated at Hinata's words.
"That's not true."
"That's exactly why. The Undead Legion consists of undead soldiers, right? What is the weakness of the undead?"
"Ah... that's true."
Light-attribute magic is effective against the undead. Hinata was a user of that light-attribute magic. In fighting the Undead Legion, she should be a vital asset.
"In that sense, General Sieg was underestimating things too."
"Apparently, undead are originally weak enemies. Most soldiers can win in a one-on-one."
"But they've continued to lose up to this point."
This wasn't the first time they had lost to undead soldiers. Many casualties had been suffered when undead soldiers appeared at the front line.
"It's because they use dirty tricks."
"In war, that's called a strategy. And they've been falling for those strategies perfectly. Professional soldiers being outplayed by someone who's supposed to be an amateur."
"...It's a fluke."
Akemi spoke in a way that praised Ray. Hearing that, Fumiya showed a dissatisfied face again.
"Whatever, but we'll be participating in the next battle, right?"
"I think so, but..."
In reality, Fumiya hadn't been told the detailed plan. The Hero is not a commander. He is not the one giving orders, but the one following them.
"We should at least prepare ourselves mentally... you too, Hinata. This isn't someone else's problem anymore."
"...I know."
"Anyway, what should we talk about next?"
"Huh?" "Eh?"
Fumiya tried to change the subject abruptly. Akemi and Hinata were bewildered by this.
"Isn't it rare for the three of us to be together like this?"
"...We're always together during meals, aren't we?"
"That's true, but other than that. Especially Hinata, you've been distant lately."
"T-that's..."
"So! Why don't the three of us talk for the first time in a while?"
Fumiya tried to cut off Hinata's words. He believed that Hinata's distance was his own fault. He thought she was still angry that he had pressed her.
From the start, the purpose of this gathering was to create an opportunity to repair their relationship. Thinking he would be rejected if he went alone, he had brought Akemi along.
"...I don't particularly mind."
In reality, Hinata didn't care about the matter with Fumiya. In her mind, she had drawn a line from the beginning, seeing Fumiya as nothing more than a friend.
Moreover, the current Hinata didn't have the luxury to care about such things.
"Then, what—"
"Excuse me!"
A voice interrupted Fumiya just as he was enthusiastically trying to start the conversation. Hearing that voice, a tremor of agitation ran through Hinata's heart.
"...You, what did you come here for?"
Fumiya asked dissatisfiedly toward Cecil, who had interrupted the conversation.
"It is time for Hinata-sama's studies."
Saying this, Cecil entered the tent. She didn't need Hinata's permission.
"Studies? Hinata, you're studying?"
"Yes. Since there are many things she doesn't understand through self-study, I am teaching her," Cecil answered the question directed at Hinata.
"Is that not so, Hinata-sama?"
Cecil moved behind Hinata and whispered the question close to her ear.
"...Y-yes."
Hinata gave her agreement.
"I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but may I suggest that you all disperse for today?"
"Eh? Today should be fine, right? It's okay to take one day off."
Fumiya had no intention of complying with Cecil's request. He had finally created an opportunity to repair his relationship with Hinata.
However, even if Fumiya thought so.
"What shall we do? ...Perhaps I should let everyone watch the study session?"
Cecil whispered the latter half in Hinata's ear so the other two couldn't hear.
"...I-I'm sorry. I don't want to neglect my studies. There were circumstances where I asked Cecil-san to help me despite it being a burden."
Hinata succumbed to Cecil's threat. She believed Cecil was capable of actually doing it. That wasn't the only reason she gave in, though.
"Hah, as serious as ever. I don't mind. There's plenty of time to talk."
Akemi didn't particularly care about the three of them talking. In fact, she had felt lately that the relationship between the three of them wasn't going well, and she felt there was no need to force them to be together. She had noticed this change in her own heart.
"Well, see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that. There's no need to greet each other formally."
"...I guess so."
"But well, I'll at least say goodnight. Well then, goodnight."
"Yeah."
Akemi greeted them and left the tent. With that, Fumiya could no longer stay. Giving up and hoping for another opportunity, he left the tent.
"...Now then, let us learn plenty today as well."
"Cecil-san, I... I can't do this anymore..."
"Hinata-sama. Repetition is important in magic. Repeating the same thing over and over. That is how the response improves."
"...T-that's..."
It wasn't a conversation about magic. As she spoke, Cecil's hand was already slowly stroking Hinata's lower body. From bottom to top. Repeating it over and over.
Soon, Hinata's expression changed to one of distress. She was desperately enduring the urge to let out a moan.
"The response is certainly improving. You can tell yourself, can't you?"
"...Ah... n-no..."
Cecil's hand slid under the underwear. Her fingers directly stimulated Hinata's lower body.
"I shall continue. Repetition is important."
"Cecil-san... n-no... ah... n-no..."
Though she refused with her mouth, her body remained surrendered to Cecil. Hinata had truly become unable to resist Cecil.
"Today is a special lesson. Do you know my specialty magic?"
"...Freezing... right?"
"Correct. Magic that creates ice. Like this—"
With a short incantation, ice was born in Cecil's hand.
"Ah... c-cold..."
Hinata, who had the ice pressed against her chest, reacted to the coldness.
"It is cold, isn't it? How is this stimulation?"
Cecil slid the created ice across Hinata's chest and stomach. Hinata's body twitched in response to the cold.
"Is this reaction because it is cold?"
"Y-yes."
"Is that true? Is it not something more than that?"
"............"
Hinata answered Cecil's question with silence. Her body was dyed red.
"...You are hot. Let me cool you down."
"Ah, n-no... not there... ngh ah!"
"Does it feel good?"
"............"
"Still unable to be honest? Then let us make that today's goal. I shall continue tonight until Hinata-sama can be honest."
Cecil's fingers moved with increasing intensity.
"...N-no... ah... aah!"
Hinata immediately reacted to it.
"...Your response has truly improved. But we've only just begun. Once you know pleasure that never ceases, Hinata-sama, I am sure you will think this: that men are unnecessary."
"Eh..."
"I want Hinata-sama to protect her eternal purity. That is my wish."
"Ah... n-no... a-again... aah!"
The act between the two was repeated night after night. Little by little, Hinata was certainly being broken. The mask of earnestness and purity was being peeled away.
What would Ray think if he knew this? Would he think Cecil was acting as a proxy for his own revenge? He probably wouldn't see it that way. He would likely be repulsed by Cecil's madness, which was a different flavor from the one he knew.