Chapter 69

I gaze at the town of Arista from a distance.

It's quite a large town. Although it doesn't match the scale of the first town I conquered in the Arcanum, it is larger than Ivalice.

The town is surrounded by a human army.

A considerable number. Initially, I heard it was 5,000, but it might be even more.

"Moreover, it's a rather formidable army," Lilith, my adjutant, points out.

"Indeed," I respond.

The strength of the army can be seen from how they systematically surround the town of Arista. They all form neat ranks and attack the castle without a single misstep. They have prepared various siege weapons, such as catapults, siege towers, and battering rams.

"This is the standard for human sieges. They don't have many with powerful magic, so they rely on such clever tactics," I say quietly, so she can't hear.

The fact that they have prepared so many siege weapons means the enemy general must have prepared them in advance. According to the Demon King, the town of Arista fell almost without resistance to the 7th Legion.

Deliberately letting the town fall, cutting off their food supply, immediately surrounding it, and cutting off their supply lines, the preparations for the siege are perfect.

"This is not the work of an ordinary general."

In fact, the 7th Legion, one of the strongest in the Demon King's army, is being outmaneuvered. Perhaps we should fear the enemy general's capabilities more than the difference in strength. I think this and warn my subordinates.

Lilith says, "Yes, sir."

Shigan says, "Understood."

Jiron says, "Got it."

They follow my orders, but I wonder if they truly understand. I am particularly worried about Lilith.

Thinking this, I sigh, but the Demon King, who is riding alongside me, observing the human army, seems to have reached the same conclusion as me.

"Indeed. To see through the enemy general's excellence at a glance is impressive."

"Even you, Demon King, think so?"

"Years of experience on the battlefield allow me to gauge the enemy general's strength just by looking at the troop deployment. What was the name of the enemy general?"

"According to Jiron's report, the enemy's supreme commander is a man named E·Lodre."

"Hmm, I've never heard of him."

"He is said to be a famous general of the Fals Kingdom in the west."

"I see. The world is full of men called great generals. There might be someone as excellent as you in the enemy army. We cannot be complacent."

"Indeed. We must stay focused."

In fact, E·Lodre's command is impressive. Although the siege is slow, he is steadily and surely cornering the 7th Legion.

Sefiro and his men use the large, fixed bows on the walls to counterattack, but they are immediately destroyed by the catapults.

Catapults, though simple in appearance, are difficult to aim. It requires mathematical knowledge. They must have very capable engineers.

On the other hand, Sefiro stands at the front, gathers the mages, and counters with magic, but it seems futile against the sheer number of the enemy.

At this rate, we will lose. That's my honest opinion. The Demon King seems to agree.

"We've come this far. I won't tell you to turn back now. What do you intend to do to defeat that large army?"

"I have a plan. Sort of."

"Can you tell me?"

"I'll keep it a secret."

"Hmm, even from me, the supreme commander of the Demon King's army?"

The Demon King says this with a slight pout.

"No, I just lack confidence. It would be embarrassing to boast about a strategy and then lose."

And I continue, "Besides, you came here to watch my command, didn't you? If I tell you everything, it wouldn't be interesting for you to watch."

When I say this, she smiles, "Indeed, you are right. I will watch your battle from here."

After saying this, she urges me to deploy. I don't need her encouragement. I give orders to my subordinates.

"Undead Legion, we are about to charge into the enemy ranks."

The Undead Legion, the newly added humans and dwarves, shout, "Oh!"

The Demon King comments, "They are all highly motivated."

"It is a blessing."

My subordinates, the demons, probably trust me based on my past performance. The humans and dwarves might be trying to repay their gratitude and friendship to me.

In any case, my duty is to minimize the casualties of my allies, defeat the enemy army, and rescue Sefiro and the others.

That is what I must do now. I completely block out the Demon King's presence and focus on the enemy army. Looking down at the large army from the hill is quite a spectacular sight.