Chapter 170
Chapter 170. The Invasion Begins
As my hometown village burned down—
I found myself wandering endlessly.
—I felt like I had that kind of dream.
When I opened my eyes, the fabric of the tent jumped into my view.
It was dim. A sliver of sunset peeked through the entrance gap.
“You seem to be awake,” said Ante’s calm voice.
Ah… The dream was terrible, but my body was well-rested.
Rising from my bed, I stepped outside to see rows of demon tents.
The black flag of the Demon Lord Kingdom and the flag of the Reiju Tribe, adorned with silver patterns on a black background, fluttered in the breeze.
I stood on a hill overlooking the capital of the Defteros Kingdom, Evaroti.
I was at the forward base of the Demon Lord’s army.
†††
The few days of traveling by carriage felt frustrating yet ended in the blink of an eye.
After a break in the occupied frontier city in the western part of the Defteros Kingdom, we had arrived at this forward base yesterday, using the skeleton carriage.
Liliana had been left behind with Garunya and Leila in that frontier city.
Everyone seemed eager to come along.
Liliana looked endlessly worried, and Garunya had become her caretaker lately, though his original role was as my attendant, making him wear a disgruntled expression. As for Leila, she seemed ready to jump in as a dragon to save me if any danger approached.
—Yet, I felt a little relieved that they were far from the war.
“Your Highness, have you awoken?”
Virosa, the Sword Saint, peered in from her guard post at the tent.
During last year’s assault on the Defteros Kingdom, the Izanis Tribe led by Emelgias was apparently ambushed by the hero and the sword saints.
To avoid repeating the same mistakes, strict vigilance had been imposed during the day for this war.
“I’ll bring you something to drink shortly.”
“Oh.”
I nodded quietly.
… I felt the tension rising within me.
I couldn’t act as casually as usual. However, Virosa didn’t seem to mind as she bowed and withdrew her head.
“…Huff.”
I cracked my neck, loosening my body with a light stretch.
Currently, the fighting strength of the Demon Lord’s army was 400 demon warriors from the Reiju Tribe and its allied tribes, 800 Night Elf soldiers, and 20,000 day battle forces composed of Beastmen and Ogres.
Additionally, there were numerous demon soldiers brought by the demon warriors (hundreds?), along with messengers from the Izanis Tribe, engineers from the Korvto Tribe, and personnel from the Vernas Tribe responsible for food refrigeration.
On the opposing side, the Allied Forces included 3,000 reinforcements from the Holy Church (including heroes, priests, and sword saints) and about 10,000 mixed soldiers from Human and Beastman races for the capital’s defense.
The capital’s defense forces comprised not only the Defteros Kingdom’s forces but also troops from neighboring countries and fallen nations conquered by the Demon Lord Kingdom. Including the militia, their numbers could swell to around 20,000.
Additionally, warriors from the Dwarven Alliance and Forest Elves of the Holy Great Tree Alliance might also be present…
“—Jilba-sama, here’s your water and light refreshments.”
Sophia appeared in the tent.
“Thank you.”
I accepted it, quenching my thirst and lightly satisfying my hunger.
With Sophia’s help, I got myself ready.
I put on boots imbued with protective magic, donned heavy cloth armor, and slipped into the scaly armor, Cyndikaios. I tightened the belt, hung Adamas at my waist, put on gauntlets made from soldiers’ bones, and equipped shin guards.
Finally, it was time for the helmet.
I had requested the dwarven blacksmith to make it over the winter. It was designed with an alloy frame, covered with leftover scales from Faravgi, balancing lightness and sturdiness. Of course, it also had magical resistance derived from the white dragon’s scales.
The sides featured slits, avoiding interference with the horns. This was reminiscent of hats or helmets for Beastmen that had holes for the ears on the top. Due to the varying horn placements of demon race individuals, headgear is often custom-made. Compared to the bucket-shaped hats that Humans can wear without hassle, it was rather inconvenient.
—While pondering this, I fitted my horns into the slits of the helmet. As expected from dwarven craftsmanship, it fit perfectly. Then, I donned the face guard to cover my brow and cheeks like a mask, completing my look.
Bouncing lightly on the spot.
Alright… This feels fine.
But really, for dark beings like me to be decked out in shiny silver armor is just way too tacky, isn’t it? My resistance to light elements is top-notch, though…
Having finished preparing, I stepped outside the tent.
The sun was nearly set. Only the sky remained a wistful shade of crimson.
However, even that slowly began to be dyed—dark.
“Alright, time for battle!”
“My arms are itching!”
“I’m going to score a big achievement this time!”
The demons marched out one after another from the tents, just like me.
Both men and women were spirited, as cheerful as if heading out for a picnic.
The Reiju Tribe and the warriors of their allied tribes seemed to have an abundance of youth among them.
“Your Highness!”
“It’s finally happening!”
“I’m all fired up!”
From behind came the Three Fools, now sporting rather dignified faces.
“Yeah. I’m feeling a little tense,” I joked.
“Your Highness is nervous too?!” the Seire Knight exclaimed in disbelief.
“Of course. I’m only five years old, you know.”
“If you say that, it’s game over for us, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean by that, you punk?”
I bantered with them as we walked.
We entered the central area of the makeshift camp, a plaza also serving as a training ground. It was where the prepared soldiers and warriors gathered.
Night Elf soldiers lined up neatly, meticulously checking their bows and knives. The demon warriors relaxed and chatted among their friends. Of course, my subordinates, including Kuvirtar and three others, were present there as well. Messengers from the Izanis Tribe were likely sending orders to the front lines. The demon soldiers, seemingly even more freely than the demons themselves, lounged around, playing cards and lying in the air.
“It’s finally time.”
“Yeah.”
Kuvirtar spoke seriously, but I had been offering nothing but similar exchanges.
Well… At this point, I had nothing else to talk about.
“—Jilbagias-dono.”
Heavy footsteps approached, and upon turning around, I saw a well-built older demon man standing there. His face was etched deeply with wrinkles, one red eye piercing through them, bearing scars of holy attribute that even teleportation spells had failed to heal, stretching above his left eye. He radiated the presence of a seasoned warrior—
Veteranos, the Marquis of Reiju.
Now, in this battlefield, he held the highest position in both rank and honor—he was the de facto commander.
“I’ve heard it’s your first battlefield experience… Are you prepared?” he asked in a gravelly voice.
“Yes. Although I can’t say things are completely routine, I’m surprisingly calm,” I replied in a flat tone. I am a prince, but my rank is merely that of a viscount. In the Demon Lord Kingdom, rank directly connects to commanding positions on the battlefield. Here, I was treated as just a slightly special warrior.
… If I were in a human army, I would have likely been sidelined to command from the rear (in name only).
In contrast, among the demon race, it is merely considered ordinary for me to lead my troops into battle.
“Very well. The attack is scheduled to commence shortly.”
Veteranos looked up at the sky.
Ah—night had completely fallen.
From the hill, I could see their campfires blazing brightly as the human forces glanced over here, seemingly holding their breath.
They knew full well we would be attacking tonight. Earlier in the day, the day battle unit had taken a hit, and most importantly, several days ago, dragons had rained down warning messages from the sky.
In a typical war, this might be a call for surrender.
But the Demon Lord Kingdom does not do such things.
Tonight, we would attack. Just do your best to repel us—this was the general idea.
When the dragons rain down oil barrels from the sky, setting the city ablaze, it would likely cause tremendous damage.
However, the Demon Lord Kingdom wouldn’t do that, as it would lessen their achievements.
I almost found myself clenching my fists—while the allied forces were fighting desperately, we demons were feeling a rather thrilling sense of hunting. How ridiculous…!!
“…Huff.”
Yet, there was no point in getting riled up here.
Truly—there’s something almost comical about it, too.
“Now, everyone!”
Veteranos raised his voice, silencing the bustling training area.
“… It’s time. We shall now commence the invasion of Evaroti. But before that, we’ll hear some words from our Jilbagias-dono. Attention!”
Since we’d discussed this beforehand, I stepped forward without panic.
In the darkness, hundreds, thousands of eyes—
were watching me.
The Seventh Demon Lord’s Prince, Jilbagias.
“At last, the day has come. The invasion of Evaroti. … Many have been waiting for this, haven’t they?”
Wearing a mischievous smile, I closely observed the audience’s reactions.
“—I, too, am one of those waiting.”
As I added this in jest, laughter erupted from the demons.
“In fact, I have received words from the Demon Lord himself.”
However, with my next words, the laughter faded once more.
“—Show your full might. I am counting on you. That’s what he said.”
While it was directed at me, there was a palpable wave of excitement spreading.
“Then— as proud warriors of the Demon Lord Kingdom, there is only one thing we must do.”
Drawing my sword, I raised the spear to the heavens.
“To claim Evaroti for ourselves! Let us announce the Demon Lord Kingdom’s prowess to the entire continent!”
—Ooooh!, responded the demon warriors, raising their spears in answer.
Familiar Night Elf soldiers nodded, and the demon soldiers erupted into lively dancing.
Hahaha.
Who would have thought I, of all people, would be the one to boost the morale of the Demon Lord army?
“What a twist of fate.”
Now—only you stand by my side, Ante.
… Enjoy your moment, Demon Lord army.
Run blindly into the battlefield.
“—To battle!”
In response to my command, ““Oooo!!”” echoed from thousands of voices.
The Demon Lord army’s victory and the Defteros Kingdom’s defeat were nearly certain.
But even so.
I will, in my own way.
Claim some achievements.
“Let’s go.”
I led my subordinates into the battlefield—
—To glory for the alliance.
To death for the dark beings!
