77 - Behind the Success
The battles between the Laurel Kingdom army and the Undead Legion had already taken place many times. Every single one of them ended in the Undead Legion's victory or dominance. This was a complete miscalculation for the Laurel Kingdom army. They believed that if they clashed head-on, they would certainly be able to win against the Undead Legion.
The cause of this miscalculation was clear. They had misjudged the abilities of the Undead Legion. The fact was that the Undead Legion possessed abilities that exceeded the knowledge of the undead held by the Laurel Kingdom.
"The enemy's number is three thousand. This is almost certain, correct?"
Sieg was analyzing the information from previous battles and attempting to restructure the strategy.
"Yes. I believe the possibility that there are forces they have not yet deployed is low."
"Why is that?"
"I have analyzed that Ray Tsukiya, who leads the Undead Legion, has a cautious personality. I cannot imagine that someone who avoids taking unnecessary risks would go so far as to reserve forces."
The Laurel Kingdom army was not only analyzing the details of the battles. They were also analyzing the personality of the commander, Ray.
"...You say that, but he must have continued to hide the true nature of the Undead Legion. Isn't it more likely that he is still hiding something even now?"
"I believe the current battle is different from the previous surprise attacks. It is true that they have a tendency to appear and disappear unpredictably, but the battle itself is a head-on clash. Moreover, it is with almost equal numbers."
The Laurel Kingdom army deployed in the rear was not gathered as a single unit. To capture the Undead Legion, they were deployed in several divided groups. The Undead Legion had exploited that point and defeated them one by one.
"...So he wouldn't do something like fight with reduced forces on purpose."
Attack the enemy's weak point with one's own maximum strength. Sieg thought that he, too, would naturally choose such a way of fighting.
"Are you satisfied with this explanation?"
"Yeah. Proceed."
Sieg did not intend to completely deny the possibility that there were reserved forces. He intended to keep the possibility in the back of his mind.
"Even at three thousand riders, it is a threatening number. Since the horses are also undead, the actual number being controlled is double, at six thousand."
According to the knowledge of the Laurel Kingdom, this was not a number that could be controlled by a single caster. If there were ten such casters, it would be an army of sixty thousand. Undead soldiers would certainly not be useless.
"...In the end, how many casters are there?"
Aside from the undead soldiers, six individuals had been confirmed. Ray, Sansei, and the others like Kai. The Laurel Kingdom army had grasped that much.
"Probably one or two. This is the minimum number confirmed on the battlefield."
There was a possibility that some casters had not shown themselves. However, the report deliberately leaned toward the smaller number. The reason was...
"Six thousand undead with only one or two people?"
Because this possibility was more threatening. If there were six people for six thousand, it would be a thousand per person. That is not a small number, but it is not surprising.
"It is merely a possibility, but..."
"...If there were six people."
There would be a possibility of controlling undead in the tens of thousands. Sieg felt a threat in this direction, but there was still a lack of information.
"If all six were casters and each could control three thousand to six thousand undead, they should have increased their numbers more."
"...I see. So you believe that regardless of the number of casters, the maximum is six thousand."
"Yes."
Many casualties had occurred even in the battles in the rear. That meant there were that many corpses to be turned into undead. However, the Undead Legion had stopped increasing their numbers at a certain point. That number was six thousand, including both soldiers and horses.
"Isn't it highly likely that there are six of them?"
"Yes. Based on the movements of the Undead Legion, that was my initial thought. It is not a movement that one or two casters could control."
The strength of the Undead Legion was not just in numbers. It was the fact that they divided into several units, each taking independent action. Just like a Human Race army. It was a movement as if multiple commanders were leading the units. Based on those movements, it would be normal to think there were multiple commanders or casters.
"But you decided it was not the case. Why?"
"I would have preferred to reach a conclusion after obtaining more combat information, but..."
"The casualties were higher than expected. It is difficult to fight solely for the sake of information gathering."
The reason the Undead Legion continued to win was not just because of their strength. The Laurel Kingdom army had decided to gather more information on the Undead Legion, who showed unexpected abilities. They had prioritized information gathering over victory in battle. However, in the battles for the purpose of information gathering, they suffered devastating losses and had abandoned further attempts.
"We attempted concentrated attacks on the casters many times. We should have succeeded many times in forcing the casters to concentrate their consciousness on their own battles."
If the caster's consciousness were pulled away from the undead, their movements would become sluggish. That was how it was supposed to work, and the Laurel Kingdom army had devised their tactics based on that.
"...Did the legion's movements not change?"
"No. On the contrary, it seems there were times when they let their guard down because of that and received unexpected attacks."
"I don't get it. If that's the case, wouldn't the conclusion be that there are more casters?"
If the legion continued to move unchanged even when the caster's concentration was broken, it would be normal to think another caster was filling the role. That was how Sieg thought.
"There is unconfirmed information. Information we have just obtained."
"...I'm listening."
"Among the Undead Legion, there are six people other than the undead. Four of them are of the Vampio race."
"I've heard that."
"Yes. The additional information is that not only the Vampio race, but the Demon Race in general loathe the undead, and it is unthinkable for such demons to control undead soldiers."
"...Where did that information come from?"
"It is unconfirmed, but there is a possibility of an insider."
"The possibility of a trap is higher."
The possibility of the Demon Race siding with the Human Race is low. Common sense dictates that for the Demon Race, the Human Race are enemies who can never be accepted. While not an absolute truth, something close to it exists. Kamiira, who accepted Ray, was the exception.
"That is true, but there is one more piece of information."
"What is it?"
"That they are prepared to reveal the location of the Undead Legion."
"...What?"
Information apparently brought by an insider. The suspicion did not vanish, but the location of the Undead Legion was an intriguing prospect.
"Of course, the possibility of a trap is high. However, if the enemy is truly there, taking the bait could be one option."
"It is a dangerous gamble."
Swallowing the enemy along with the trap. It was not as if such a method didn't exist, but if the enemy anticipated that, they wouldn't place a large army there in the first place, but would instead think of a plan to defeat them. It was not a difficult thing. Lure them into a forest and set it on fire. That was all it took.
"I don't think we can just take the bait easily. However, if we reach a situation where we can be reasonably certain that the information is true..."
"Will we?"
"It seems that further information provision has been promised for that purpose."
"...So they are trying to make us believe them. Is it a trap, or do they seriously want the Undead Legion to be defeated? There are internal conflicts even within the Demon King's army. Perhaps they simply hate the undead."
He had not yet obtained anything that could confirm the information was true. Even so, he could not suppress the desire to believe it. The location of the Undead Legion was that attractive of a piece of information.
"Take your time to confirm it. I want to investigate the identity of the information provider, but is that difficult?"
No matter how attractive it was, Sieg had the steadiness not to jump into it easily. It was not that Sieg was special, but it was the minimum requirement for a general.
"I will do what I can."
"...Also, this matter is to be kept confidential. Those who have already heard it cannot be helped, but do not speak of it anywhere else. The only place to discuss it will be in meetings where I am present."
"Understood."
"However, I want to maintain an immediate combat posture. No, would that let them read our movements? Let's wait until things become a bit clearer. Alright, that is all for today."
"Yes, sir."
◇◇◇
Around the time the Laurel Kingdom army was about to start a new movement, the Undead Legion had also begun to move. It was not a proactive motive. They had fought the Laurel Kingdom army many times. The battles were proceeding in their favor. Despite that, the main force of the Demon King's army had not moved. At this point, he had no choice but to judge that there was no movement.
How to win against the Laurel Kingdom without relying on the main force of the Demon King's army. No matter how much he thought about it, a certain answer did not come. As a result, Ray decided that he had no choice but to do the best he could with what he had.
"...Ray. Do you intend to become a king or something?"
"No way."
"Then why occupy a city?"
As a result of his decision, Ray had taken a city in the Laurel Kingdom with the Undead Legion. He had attacked villages and small towns before, but this time the scale was different. He had occupied a city with walls surrounding it and a reasonable amount of defensive power.
"The Demon King's army wasn't doing it, so we just did it ourselves."
"Even so, can a normal person just do that?"
Taking a city, especially one with defensive power, should not be an easy thing, but the Undead Legion had succeeded in it.
"Have insiders run wild inside the castle and cause confusion. The castle gates are weak against attacks from the inside. While that is happening, the main army invades from the outside. It is not a particularly rare strategy."
"If it weren't for the fact that the dead did it."
"It only works once. It succeeded only because no one had considered the possibility of undead becoming insiders until now."
Create undead soldiers in the city's cemetery. Not only that. He let skeleton soldiers, which he had secretly transported in, run wild in the darkness of night and open the gates by exploiting a gap. After that, it was just a normal battle.
"...Still, you're scary for making it succeed."
"If you strengthen the defense of one place, other parts become thinner. I just attacked the city where it was thin."
Always aim for the enemy's weak point. That policy had not changed this time either. It was just that the scale of the city was large.
"I understand that. But is this necessary? It just reveals your location."
"Once the residents are driven out, we'll flee immediately."
"Huh?"
Ray said he would immediately let go of the city he had gone to the trouble of taking. Sansei, who felt no necessity in occupying a city, was appalled by this.
"A reasonably large city was taken by the Demon King's army. If this information spreads, this operation is a success."
"And what happens then?"
"Ambition might arise in other countries. The Laurel Kingdom is struggling in its fight against the demons. They will see a gap to exploit."
"Are you saying you want to crush the Laurel Kingdom by borrowing the power of other countries?"
"It is a plan on the level of 'it would be nice if that happened'."
The possibility of it working was low. He didn't think other countries would decide to invade just because one city fell. However, what would happen if he repeated this?
"Do you intend to become a king or something?"
"Why does it come to that question?"
"Moving a country is a king's job."
"Exaggeration. You can move a country even if you are not a king... isn't it simple?"
The people move the country. In this world, such a thing does not happen easily. It is a world where the idea of democracy has not been born in the slightest.
"...If that were possible... no, I don't have that kind of influence."
To make the people rise up and realize a democratic state. That would also lead to the destruction of the Laurel Kingdom, but Ray did not have such power. The people might have reasons to oppose the country, but they had neither the courage nor the power.
"Stop thinking and let's start preparing to flee quickly."
"True. First, drive the people out of the city and let the news that this place was taken by the Demon King's army spread. Then there is the timing of the escape... let's make it a certain one."
If the people knew the Undead Legion was gone, the city's residents would return immediately. Then the rumors would not spread, but he didn't feel like sticking around for long. If the rumors spread, the location of the Undead Legion would also be known. He should flee before the Laurel Kingdom army started moving.
"Alright, let's begin."
"Yeah."
Not losing his cautiousness. This was important. He had not forgotten that, but Ray had one lack of consideration. Due to the fact that he had taken this city, the evaluation of the Undead Legion in the Laurel Kingdom would increase more than ever.
Of course, that evaluation was in a bad sense. That evaluation would lead the Laurel Kingdom to the decision that they must destroy the Undead Legion as quickly as possible, above all else.
◇◇◇
Around the time the Laurel Kingdom army was about to start a new movement, the forces led by General Sieg, who had originally been facing the Undead Legion, were not moving much yet. Those who started moving were the others. The reinforcement army that left the royal capital, and the forces on the front line with the Demon King's army.
The situation was that the forces furthest from the location of the Undead Legion were moving in order. They would gather the forces from various regions and annihilate the Undead Legion all at once. Moreover, this was based on the information from the insider that had not yet been confirmed.
The action of taking a city had made the Laurel Kingdom decide to take a risk. Having taken the risk, they made the decision to mobilize a force large enough to blow that risk away. All forces on the front line with the Demon King's army were also to be deployed. They would abandon their positions. That frantic movement would naturally be known to the Demon King's army, but they did not care about that. This order was a Royal Decree. It was a direct order from the King. No matter what happened, there was no choice other than to obey.
――Tomorrow was finally the day of departure. Preparations for the march were already complete, and they were only waiting for dawn. Even so, the atmosphere within the camp was tense. They were on guard against the Demon King's army launching a night attack on the final night.
"...Nn... ah... aaah... augh..."
In one of the tents within that camp. Hinata's moans continued to flow.
"Tonight is the final night. I'll be able to see Ray soon."
Cecil had been looking forward to the battle with the Undead Legion. Of course, the goal was not the fighting, but reuniting with Ray.
"Ah... ah, n-no... e-enough... a, aaah!"
The final night in this camp. Until that night, Hinata was being tormented by Cecil. She was made to climax over and over again. Moreover, tonight she was being tormented in a way that was even different from before.
"Hinata-sama, please look in the mirror properly. I went to the trouble of preparing it."
"...N-no."
A mirror was placed in front of Hinata.
"There is no need to dislike it. It is a very beautiful body."
"P-please. This kind of pose... is embarrassing."
Hinata was in her birthday suit, wearing nothing. Not only that. Her wide-spread legs were fixed by transparent ice. In that state, Hinata's lower body, as she crouched, was completely visible and clearly reflected in the mirror.
"I almost want to take this shameful sight of yours as a souvenir for Ray."
"...N-no."
"Why do you dislike it? Could it be that you like Ray?"
While asking, Cecil twisted Hinata's nipple with her finger.
"...N-no, I don't."
Hinata denied it while enduring the pain.
"That's right. You have no interest in men. Right?"
"...Y-yes. That's right."
She had no choice but to answer this way. She had no intention of saying she was interested in men, but if she didn't affirm it, there was a possibility she would receive even worse humiliation. In fact, that is what had been happening.
"You love being toyed with by a woman like this."
"............"
Hinata fell silent at this question. She was too embarrassed to affirm it.
"...Stubborn. Even though your body reacts sensitively, you continue to deny it with words."
Cecil intensified the caressing of the lower body, and at the same time, kneaded the breasts tightly.
"...Ah... n-no... nn... nnn..."
Hinata desperately endured it, but she knew she couldn't hold out. She had climaxed countless times until today by Cecil's caressing. Just as Cecil said, her body reacted sensitively. She had been trained that way.
"Does it feel good?"
"N-no... ah..."
"Does it feel good?"
"No."
"It feels good, doesn't it?"
"Ah... aaaah!! Nhaah!! Ah..."
Hinata finally could not endure it. She collapsed on the spot, but because her legs were fixed, her body arched back with her legs wide open. In that pose, her body trembled violently.
"What an embarrassing pose. I wonder if Ray would be happy if I froze you just like that and sent you to him?"
"...S-stop it."
Fearing she would truly be frozen, Hinata somehow supported herself with both arms and tried to regain her posture with her strengthless body.
"You can still say such things. You are different from me. You, who doesn't go mad even after being treated like this... are different from me..."
"...Cecil-san... what do you want to do? What meaning is there in making me like this?"
She had been toyed with for many days. Just as Cecil said, she had been made into an embarrassing body. Hinata did not understand the reason at all. She had no memory of doing anything to deserve this from Cecil.
"There is no meaning. I just wanted to stain you. You, who are beautiful and confident that you are correct..."
"...Cecil-san is the one who is beautiful."
It was not that she lacked confidence in her appearance. Even if she tried to be humble, if others always praised her appearance, she couldn't help but think that she was. Even from Hinata's perspective, Cecil was beautiful. Especially the current Cecil, who radiated a beauty that felt otherworldly. Even if that was an unnatural beauty brought about by madness.
"I am not happy to be told that by you."
"Then, what if it were Tsukiya-kun?"
"...Do you want to be killed?"
"N-no. But... the one Cecil-san likes is him..."
"That's right. I only have him. Only he can save me. I am his, and he is mine. I won't give him to anyone. I will never give him to a woman like you."
"C-Cecil-san, I... ah."
Hinata was not allowed to deny Cecil's delusions. She was kicked in the back and fell forward. Her legs were still fixed by ice. As a result, she ended up on all fours in front of the mirror.
"N-no... Cecil-san... this... ah... n-no... noooo!"