Chapter 14

The attack by Rosaria's army, the White Rose Knights, came at dawn the next day.

We, who had anticipated this, took out bows and arrows from the armory and made thorough preparations.

The weapons were top-notch, sent from the rear cities. Some even bore the mark of a renowned dwarf workshop. It was evidence that the Demon King's occupation policy was working well.

In the past, the Demon King's army had no concept of logistics; they didn't even receive supplies of food, let alone weapons.

In other words, everything had to be procured locally. Naturally, the occupied humans would strongly resist. The demons would suppress them to quell the rebellion. The humans would resist even more. As a result, there would be a massive influx of refugees and continuous uprisings among the residents.

If such things happened in the rear, the front-line combat units would be in no position to fight.

In terms of numbers, humans far outnumbered the demons (excluding orcs and goblins).

If outnumbered from both the front and the rear, even the Demon King's army, which had demons capable of taking on a thousand, would be in serious trouble.

"But now, the occupation policy is working well. It shouldn't be the same, right?"

That was Jiron's comment.

I replied with a dignified "Of course," but inside, I was nervous.

Indeed, the Demon King's occupation policy was working well so far.

The city of Ivalice, which I was in charge of, had not seen a single uprising yet.

However, if asked whether it would continue to be so in the future, I couldn't say for sure. I understood the human perspective.

After all, it's not a pleasant feeling to see demons wandering around the city.

Orcs are as ugly as pigs. Goblins' glowing eyes and green skin are creepy. Trolls' size inspires fear.

In reality, these are all major misconceptions.

Orcs are indeed ugly, but they have a certain charm when you look closely, and they are actually clean creatures, unlike pigs. The rumor that orcs kidnap and rape human women to increase their population is completely false.

Jiron, for example, has three wives and twelve children.

Goblins, while creepy in appearance, are actually quite pleasant to talk to. They may lack intelligence, but they can show lively dances when you share a drink with them.

However, the humans don't know this.

On the other hand, the monsters also view humans with similar prejudices. The current situation is one of mutual surveillance through biased lenses.

A minor incident could lead to a chain reaction, causing the residents of the occupied cities to rebel.

"For example, if we lose this battle."

Or something like that.

I muttered to myself.

"It's a very plausible scenario."

Currently, we are imposing the same taxes as when the human lords were in charge, but it's better for a human to sit on the throne rather than a monster.

If we lose this battle, we won't even be allowed to fortify and will be forced to retreat.

—If we lose, that is.

Unfortunately, the person in charge of this city was stubborn and hated losing.

I looked down from the city walls at the approaching White Rose Knights and ordered a group of heavily armed orcs to charge from the front.

They were covered in full plate armor, equipped with large shields, and armed with long spears.

This was a dense formation, a tactic used by Alexander the Great in ancient Greece.

The advantage of this formation is that it allows soldiers to protect each other with their shields, and it prevents soldiers from fleeing due to low morale.

However, this formation requires rigorous training. If even one soldier is a coward, the formation will collapse.

"Your daily training has paid off," Jiron, the orc strategist, said with a relaxed expression.

"The results are beyond my expectations," I replied.

"Usually, one knight is matched by five orcs."

"That's right."

Unfortunately, orcs are weak. They are often treated as cannon fodder in novels, and it's the same in this world. A regular knight can easily handle about five orcs.

The fact that they are holding their own in equal numbers demonstrates the effectiveness of this formation.

I paid homage to the inventor of this formation and then ordered the goblin archers to fire their arrows.

The arrows, launched from the city walls, drew parabolic arcs and rained down on the knights.

"Ugh!"

The knights' cries of pain, which should have been inaudible, seemed to reach us. They must not have expected to be shot at from the city walls.

Of course, the Demon King's army also has monsters that use bows, but organizing them into a unit was likely a first for my troops.

Using goblins as archers was something that neither humans nor demons, and probably not even the goblins themselves, had considered.

Handling a bow is surprisingly difficult, or rather, incredibly challenging.

Swinging a sword or thrusting a spear is something even a monkey can do, but handling a bow requires advanced training.

In fact, in Japan during the Sengoku period, archery and horsemanship were more fundamental for samurai than swordsmanship or spear handling. In medieval times, the English longbowmen, who wreaked havoc, were not just conscripted peasants but specialized units trained in archery.

When I took command of the Undying Brigade, the first thing I did was organize an archery unit.

Goblins, being clumsy, can focus on a single task, making them suitable for an archery unit.

...Well, you could also say they are simple-minded. In any case, my strategy was working perfectly.

The heavily armed orc infantry, unexpectedly strong, and the goblin archers, who shouldn't even exist as an organized unit, must have surprised the elite White Rose Knights, who had undergone rigorous training.

I didn't miss the opportunity to strike while they were disoriented and immediately played my trump card.

I deployed the elite magic swordsmen, led by the succubus Lilith.

Usually, demons are stronger than trained knights. They are born with robust bodies and powerful magic. It might take ten skilled knights to take down one demon. That's how strong they are.

However, high-ranking demons are limited in number, and they all have strong egos, requiring careful handling.

—Though Lilith is head over heels for me, so I don't have to worry about that.

Moreover, her skills are beyond reproach.

Lilith, with a laugh, tore through the knights' formation, declaring, "Behold the power of Lilith, the Undying Brigade's top magic swordsman and future wife of Lord Ike!"

"Indeed, her performance is as impressive as ever."

Her skills might even rival those of the brigade commander. Thanks to her, the White Rose Knights' formation was split in two, causing chaos.

The apparent commander, clad in white armor, ordered a retreat, saying, "This won't do. Fall back for now."

He fought until the end, creating a path for his subordinates to retreat.

"Quite a remarkable individual."

Ordinarily, commanders would be the first to flee to save their own lives, but this one stayed on the battlefield until the end, commanding his troops. It's not something a commoner could do.

"A commander with backbone," Jiron noted.

"Yes, nobles are often cowards. It's rare to find someone like that."

"Even among demons, there are few of that type. They usually run for their lives. ...Well, except for Lord Ike."

"No, flattery is unnecessary. Besides, I would be the first to run. If the commander dies, there's no one to lead the troops, and more soldiers will die as a result."

"So, that makes the commander incompetent, then."

"Indeed."

However, I continued, "In the end, that saved his life."

I began to chant a spell.

"Rise! Puppets with lingering attachments to this world!"

The incantation was actually more complex and difficult to pronounce, but in Japanese, it would sound something like that. The meaning was the same.

The moment I finished the incantation, bony arms emerged from the sand behind the retreating enemy forces, followed by human skulls.

"Ah, what is that!?"

Jiron, who had seen the scene through the "Far Sight" spell, seemed shocked.

I explained, "That area was sandy, so I had skeleton soldiers buried there in advance."

At the signal, they revived, ambushing and annihilating the enemy. This was the strategy I had devised. The enemy must have been shocked, as this tactic would never be used in a human conflict.

Being thoroughly defeated and then ambushed with such a trick, the enemy soldiers must have been in a dire situation. I felt sympathy for them, but I was responsible for my comrades' lives and couldn't afford to hold back.

This strategy proved to be the decisive blow.

The White Rose Knights, having lost their will to fight, could no longer form a formation and scattered.

In other words, I had won the defensive battle, and in a decisive manner.