Chapter 32

While we were resting in the waiting room, a letter was delivered to us. After finishing reading it, Sefiro opened his mouth and said,

"The method of the duel has been decided."

"Is it a one-on-one battle?"

"That's not the case."

"Isn't a duel usually like that?"

"Lord Dairokuten, that eccentric and bizarre person, wouldn't decide the battle with such a simple method."

Sefiro firmly stated this and began to explain the method of the duel.

"The method of the duel is a 50 vs 50 mock battle. It will continue until one side is completely wiped out or rendered unable to fight."

"50 vs 50?"

"That's right."

"That's unusual. A group battle...?"

Hmm, he tilted his head, as expected of the Demon Lord. He really is a strange person.

"In that case, we need to find skilled demons from each brigade. Currently, there are 8 brigade leaders in our brigade. We'll select the capable ones from among them—"

As I was thinking about the faces of the remaining brigade leaders, Sefiro stopped me.

"No, that's not necessary."

"What do you mean?"

"The participants for the duel will be provided by the Demon Lord."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It seems the Demon Lord wants to see which of us, me or Basteo, has the potential to be a general."

"I see, that's why the Demon Lord will provide the soldiers."

"He probably wants to test our abilities as commanders purely."

Sefiro stated this firmly.

"In that case, the abilities of the brigade leader and Basteo as commanders will be tested, right?"

I muttered, and when Sefiro heard this, he laughed his usual laugh.

"Hehehe!"

"What's so funny?"

—Well, I had a pretty good idea.

"Actually, the rules of this battle allow the brigade leader to not participate."

"Meaning, we can appoint a proxy?"

"That's right."

Sefiro answered immediately.

"But, this is a duel where the brigade leader's life is at stake. Wouldn't it be better to face it yourself?"

I added that it's not like the brigade leader to entrust his life to someone else.

"Aik, you know I'm a calculating woman, right?"

"…Yes, from childhood, to the bone, I know it well."

"Then you should understand. I bet on the better odds."

"What do you mean?"

"You're still as naive as ever. In other words, as a commander, you've long surpassed me."

"…So, you're saying I should take command as a proxy?"

"What's with that face? You look like you're saying, 'I'm still not ready.'"

"…That's exactly it. There's no way I could be better than the brigade leader. I'm just a kid who's only lived for a few decades. How could I surpass a leader who has lived for hundreds of years—"

I hastily stopped speaking.

It's taboo to talk about age in front of Sefiro.

As expected, she frowned but deliberately didn't mention it, and concluded,

"However, don't misunderstand. As a 'commander,' you're better, but as a 'brigade leader,' I'm still superior."

Sefiro stated this firmly and proudly puffed out her large chest.

In this aspect, she's childish, regardless of her age.

The Demon Lord, who looks younger, seems more mature.

Mischievous, childish, competitive, rough with people, reckless, and the worst boss, but I've known her since childhood, and I don't dislike her.

Rather, I like her.

"Alright, I'll do my best to help this 'older sister.'"

I muttered this to myself so she wouldn't hear, and immediately began to think about the surefire way to win this duel.

†

The duel is scheduled for exactly one month later, in the duel room of the Demon Lord's castle, Dovolberg.

The rules are a 50 vs 50 group battle.

The representative commander can give commands but cannot directly participate in the battle.

It seems the purpose is to evaluate the commander's abilities.

The soldiers participating in the group battle are called 'puppet soldiers,' magical creatures made of mud.

They move exactly as the caster wishes, and there is no difference in their abilities.

In essence, it's a game played under completely fair rules.

No, Sefiro's life is at stake, so approaching it as a game is dangerous.

I must win at all costs.

I returned to my territory, Ivalice, and had the maid, Sati, bring me tea.

I actually prefer coffee, but there seems to be no coffee in this world, so I have to settle for tea.

Is it impolite to compromise?

The tea Sati carefully prepared is quite delicious.

I enjoyed the aroma of the tea and took a sip, then asked Sati,

"By the way, Sati, do you know the surefire way to win a battle?"

Sati, with a puzzled look, replied,

"…I don't know."

"Well, that's to be expected."

If there were such a thing, it wouldn't be a challenge.

I didn't really expect to get an answer from Sati.

However, this girl is quite smart and sometimes hits the core of the issue.

So, whenever I hit a wall, I consult her.

Even if I don't get the answer, I might get a hint that leads to the solution.

"Then, for example, let's say Sati is fighting with a girl of the same age and height. How would you fight?"

"…I don't want to fight."

"…That's like you, Sati. But no, the premise is that you have to fight, and you have to win."

Sati, hearing this, crossed her arms and pondered.

After repeating the same words for a while, she seemed to reach a conclusion.

"I would fight with a broom. I would hit the opponent with a 'smack!'"

"That's a good answer. The basic principle of tactics is to attack from a distance. A dagger is less effective than a sword, a sword less effective than a spear, a spear less effective than a long spear, a long spear less effective than a bow, and a bow less effective than a longbow. Attacking from outside the opponent's reach is overwhelmingly advantageous."

As long as you're not caught off guard.

"Hmm."

I muttered to myself.

"Then, should the puppet soldiers be equipped with bows?"

I pondered.

Equipping 20 puppet soldiers with bows, 20 with spears, and 10 with swords might be reasonable.

Using spears to keep the enemy at bay, while using bows for long-range attacks, and swords to exploit any openings and overwhelm the enemy, might be the best strategy.

"…No."

But the opponent might think the same way.

The opponent is the 3rd Brigade Leader of the Demon Lord's army.

It's not someone to underestimate.

If we use the same strategy, we might lose.

We need to outdo the opponent.

I racked my brain.

"Hmm, something better than bows…?"

"…Better than bows? The lord of Arsenam said that crossbows are very powerful."

"Crossbows are perfect for soldiers who haven't been trained. Bows are actually quite troublesome weapons; you need a lot of training to use them properly. On the other hand, crossbows can be used effectively even by untrained peasants. However, the problem is that they can't be fired rapidly. …Hmm?"

I reacted to my own words.

Untrained peasants can use them effectively—

I also recalled my conversation with Sati earlier.

The best tactic is to attack from outside the enemy's range.

The reason is that you won't receive counterattacks.

Combining these ideas, the silhouette of the ultimate weapon became clear.

I said the name of the weapon aloud.

"Got it! We should make guns!"

Sati, surprised either by the loud voice or the unfamiliar word, looked startled.

"…Guns?"

"Yes, that's it. We should make guns."

"…I don't know about them, but are these guns powerful?"

"They're not just powerful. They can penetrate armor, attack from hundreds of meters away, and a single hit to the torso or head can be fatal. Even a hit to the limbs can be fatal if proper treatment isn't received, due to infection."

"…That's a terrifying weapon."

Sati was frightened. She really is a timid girl.

She asked hesitantly,

"But, my lord, how do you make these guns? I don't know much, but I've never heard of such weapons in this country."

Well, not in this country, but in this different world, that's the correct answer, but I don't need to explain it in detail.

She knows I'm human, but she doesn't know I have memories from my previous life.

To avoid the hassle, I didn't explain it, but I had an idea of how to make guns.

I explained it to her.

"As I've said before, our 7th Brigade Leader is a mad alchemist."

"Is she a witch?"

"She is a witch by race, but essentially an alchemist."

You could also call her a scientist or a machine enthusiast.

Sefiro would probably make a gun without any trouble.

She would confidently say,

"There's nothing I can't do!"

I imagined Sefiro's face as she said this and headed to her castle, Valenzer.