Chapter 48

One after another, the brigade commanders of the 7th Legion gathered in the city of Ivalice.

Currently, the 7th Legion has eight brigades, but they seem to be amazed by the city I govern.

First, the brigade commander of the Trolls, known as the War Demon of Crushing, exclaimed in astonishment.

"Is this the city of Ivalice!?"

I believe this Troll, along with the legion commander Sefiro, was involved in the conquest of Ivalice.

The image of the city gate destroyed by the legion commander's "Meteor Fall" spell must have been etched in his mind.

He seems to be surprised by the gate that has become even more magnificent than before.

"Aike, what kind of magic did you use to repair this gate?"

"It's a rotation system. And a little bit of know-how, perhaps."

I don't hold back knowledge from my comrades.

The stronger the 7th Legion becomes, the closer I get to my dream.

"I see, a rotation system. I'll take that into consideration. Is there any other secret?"

"Well, paying humans properly, perhaps."

"I already do that. Because of the legion commander's orders."

As he said this, the War Demon of Crushing placed his hand on his chin.

"At first, I was skeptical. What's the point of giving the treasures we've gathered to humans? But when I actually tried it, it was far more efficient than forcing humans to work. It's quite surprising."

Interrupting this conversation was the werewolf Bayo.

It seems he had just arrived, leading his proud werewolf unit through the gates of Ivalice.

"That's right, that's right. It's surprising, isn't it? It makes the old days of working with whips seem ridiculous."

"Sometimes, a bit of sugar is necessary, too," the War Demon concluded.

"Exactly," I said, and led them to the manor of Ivalice.

Upon seeing the manor, the War Demon of Crushing muttered, "It's small."

Bayo also expressed a similar opinion.

"It's a modest manor, isn't it?"

"We're using the previous lord's manor as it is."

Upon hearing this, both were surprised.

Normally, when demons take control of a city, they build a new manor.

Large demons like the Troll in front of me need high ceilings, and show-offs like Bayo would build a new manor to display their power.

I don't completely deny this approach.

It's a good opportunity to show one's power, and as mentioned, it can be troublesome for some demons.

Even Tokugawa Ieyasu and Toyotomi Hideyoshi did something similar.

However, I simply redirected the funds for building a luxurious mansion to invest in the city.

This difference might be the gap between their cities and mine, but it's not necessary to point it out.

I knew that if I said too much, I would receive backlash.

And I would be scolded by Sefiro again.

"You've been warned many times that you are in a position to receive envy and jealousy," she would say.

I led the two to the conference room, where the other brigade commanders were already waiting.

Kushana the Manticore was there, as well as the legion commander.

They seemed to have already had a drink, holding a bottle of wine and pouring it for themselves.

As soon as she saw me, she called out in a displeased tone.

"I told you to prepare Peruna wine, didn't I?"

Here, I decided to apologize sincerely.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't get it."

Incidentally, the bottle had a label from another region, but the contents were Peruna wine.

Good, I'm sure of it.

This person can't tell the difference in the taste of wine.

From now on, I can just put a Peruna label on cheap wine and satisfy him.

After confirming this, I spoke to Sefiro.

"It seems everyone is here."

"Yes," she nodded, turned to everyone, and declared, "Let's begin the military council."

Everyone responded with a respectful "Hai!" but Sefiro yawned uninterestedly and said,

"I'll delegate full authority to the deputy legion commander."

And she started drinking again.

As declared at the previous military council, she seems to be leaving everything to me.

I'm not sure if it's because she finds it troublesome or because she trusts me, but in any case, I decided to proceed with the military council in her place.

"As the legion commander mentioned, I will be leading this council."

I spoke assertively rather than politely.

Due to my habits from my previous life, I still find it difficult to speak authoritatively to seniors, but I can adapt to the situation.

The brigade commanders here listened to my words without any issues.

After confirming this, I decided to explain the outline of the plan.

"As I mentioned before, we are heading to rescue Arsenam."

Kushana the Manticore, who had heard this before, spoke up.

"What we want to know is how we can defeat a large human army with such a small force."

Kushana is one of the senior brigade commanders in the 7th Legion.

He knows more about warfare and strategy than anyone else.

When I became a brigade commander, this old man taught me many things.

Therefore, I understood his concerns.

In fact, I would be more troubled if he were overly optimistic.

What I am about to do completely ignores the basics of military strategy.

"I understand your concerns. Normally, a large force crushes a smaller one. That's the way of military strategy."

Bayo the werewolf countered.

"Our werewolf brigade can hunt five knights with one werewolf."

"But the number is small, isn't it?"

"..."

Bayo fell silent, as he was hit with the truth.

"Your werewolf brigade is indeed powerful, but the enemy is a regular army of 10,000 centered around the knights. It won't be that easy."

"Can't we request reinforcements from other legions?"

The War Demon of Crushing, the Troll, asked.

"As I mentioned at the previous council, that's not possible. Every legion is busy maintaining their own front lines. Our legion is one of the few that can act freely now."

To be honest, the 7th Legion isn't that well-off either.

It's just slightly better than the others.

As evidence, we could only mobilize about 2,000 soldiers this time.

We left the minimum force to occupy the territory.

So, we have to fight 10,000 humans with 2,000 soldiers.

As Bayo said, if we had powerful demons, a 5-to-1 ratio wouldn't be a problem. However, as I mentioned before, not all of the Demon King's army are demons.

The number of demons who can bear the name is limited to a few in each brigade.

Most of them are composed of lower-level monsters like goblins, orcs, and kobolds.

I said 2,000 soldiers, but the actual disparity in strength might be even greater.

"..."

I almost sighed but held it back.

It's not a good attitude to show to my subordinates before the battle.

A commander's lack of confidence spreads to the officers, and the officers' lack of confidence spreads to the soldiers.

That's how an army works.

There's nothing good about showing weakness here.

I made an effort to sound calm and dignified and declared,

"I understand what everyone is thinking. But this time, I need you to follow my plan completely."

No one asked, "A young man with no achievements?"

My achievements are well-known within the Demon King's army.

Even Bayo, who is usually argumentative, didn't complain.

Perhaps he was still frustrated, but he asked maliciously at the end,

"What will you do if we lose, Deputy Legion Commander?"

I didn't have to answer, but I did.

"In that case, I will resign from both my positions as deputy legion commander and brigade commander."

I meant every word.

I am ordering the other brigade commanders to engage in a battle that should never be fought.

Without such resolve, I don't have the right to send my comrades to their deaths.

Perhaps my resolve was conveyed, as the conference room fell silent.

Bayo, perhaps conceding, said unusually solemnly,

"I'll fight with all my strength, so don't give me a lousy command."

His competitiveness remains, but he seems to trust me in his own way.

I was a little grateful for his consideration.