Chapter 70

The battle against the coalition of kings led by E·Lodre was carried out as a frontal assault.

It's not that we didn't have the luxury to launch a surprise attack.

However, I deliberately chose not to.

I thought it would be futile.

The area around the fortified city of Alesta is nothing but a vast plain, offering no room for a surprise attack.

There was no other way but to engage in a frontal battle.

Of course, we didn't rush into the enemy ranks without a plan.

I asked the orc strategist Jiron:

"Is everything prepared for the special operation?"

"Yes, I had Gunther make it. But, will it be okay? We don't know if it will be effective in actual combat."

"It's Gunther. He will have prepared something reliable."

In fact, the craftsmen Gunther brought were excellent.

I had no worries about that.

What I was worried about was the dwarf unit under Gunther's command...

I looked at the dwarf unit on the right flank with concern.

It seemed that my worries were unfounded.

The dwarves, as a race, were not only skilled craftsmen but also formidable warriors.

They were holding their own against the enemy knights.

On the other hand, the newly added human soldiers were also putting up a good fight.

This was because they had been given matchlock guns.

At first, the other unit commanders strongly opposed this, but I decided to arm the humans with guns.

There were two reasons for this:

1. Matchlock guns could be handled by untrained humans to a certain extent.

2. Humans were more dexterous than goblins or orcs.

As archers, they were expected to be more skilled.

That was my judgment.

However, I understood why the unit commanders strongly opposed it.

Their concerns were valid.

"Matchlock guns"

The question was whether it was right to give this powerful weapon to a new unit, especially one that might betray us.

On this point, there was no other choice.

"Trust me and the humans."

That's what I said.

Honestly, their concerns were valid, and if I were a unit commander, I would have opposed it too.

But under these circumstances, there was no other way to win.

It was a gamble, but it seemed I had won that bet.

Despite the limited training time, they were using the matchlock guns skillfully.

This was not a defensive battle but a field battle, and a frontal clash at that, so we didn't use the "three-stage firing" technique. However, they were using the guns efficiently.

As their comrades fired at the approaching enemy, the remaining humans advanced to buy time, while those with guns reloaded with gunpowder and bullets.

This could be called a uniquely human teamwork.

Seeing this, Jiron praised me, as if he had changed his mind.

"Of course, sir. I never doubted you from the beginning."

"Save the flattery for after we win."

I said this and looked at the left flank.

This was the demon unit led by Lillis.

I thought they would be overwhelming the enemy, but they were struggling unexpectedly.

"Sir, isn't this bad? Lillis and the others are having a hard time."

"It's as expected."

I wanted to say that, but this was not part of the plan.

Something must have happened.

Observing the situation, I quickly understood the reason.

Lillis and her unit were facing the enemy's main force, all clad in matching deep crimson armor.

"Those are the Red Dragon Knights, the direct subordinates of General E·Lodre."

"It seems so."

They were all uniformly dressed in the same armor.

Under King Fals, there is E·Lodre.

Under E·Lodre, there is the Red Dragon Knights.

This seems to be a well-known nursery rhyme in Fals.

It speaks of the formidable strength of the knights.

In this medieval-like world, it was unusual for a knight's armor to be uniform.

This was not a world of comics or dramas.

It was impossible for all knights to have the same equipment.

Each knight brought their own weapons and armor, each tailored to their own means and preferences.

Yet, the fact that they were all dressed almost the same was a testament to their strength.

They were likely well-funded by the king, allowing them to have high-quality equipment and extensive training, as well as the means to hire mages.

They seemed to be on par with, or even superior to, the elite of the Undying Legion.

The dragonman Sigan's unit and the magic swordsmen led by succubus Lillis were being defeated one after another.

I wanted to look away, but I couldn't.

It was my duty as a commander who had entrusted their lives to them.

I thought calmly.

This was the best and only way to minimize the losses of the legion.

The dwarves on the right flank were pushing back the enemy, but not overwhelmingly.

The humans in the center were fighting well, but it was their first battle. They had no spare capacity to support Lillis.

"Then,"

I muttered and ordered Jiron.

"Prepare the flying unit we have in reserve."

Jiron was shocked to hear this.

"Huh? Is it okay? You said to wait a bit longer, at least until the enemy archers were pinned down."

"There's no time for that. It's a gamble, but we need to deploy them now."

"Sir, it's rare for you to take a gamble."

"Sometimes, a man has to take a risk."

I said this and asked Jiron:

"By the way, what do you think of this plan?"

"I always trust you, sir."

"That's not what I mean. If you were in my position, would you deploy them now?"

Jiron, hearing this, folded his arms and pondered.

In the past, when I was indecisive, I would choose the opposite of Jiron's plan.

That way, it would always succeed.

Since this man was hesitating, it meant that either choice had a 50% chance of success.

So, I decided to deploy them now.

If the chances were 50%, it was better to deploy them sooner.

The sooner the battle was decided, the fewer casualties on our side.

With this decision, I gave the reserve flying unit a special weapon.

It was the "fire bomb" made by the dwarf craftsmen.

A fire bomb is a weapon similar to a modern hand grenade, made by putting gunpowder in a ceramic jar and attaching a fuse.

You can think of it as a larger version of a modern hand grenade.

Of course, being larger, it had some disadvantages, such as being difficult to transport.

However, this was a different world, and our army was the Demon Army.

The strength of the demons was their ability to use tactics that humans couldn't.

I intended to have the gargoyle-led evil-winged creatures carry the fire bombs and drop them from the air.

In essence, I was using the gargoyles as bombers.

In a world where the concept of bombing didn't exist, this would be a shock to the enemy.

I was confident in this plan, but whether it would work was unknown.

As I mentioned before, the weakness of the flying unit was the archers.

Flying creatures were easy targets.

I was hesitant to deploy them, but a clever idea came to mind.

I ordered the large demon races in the demon units to return to the main camp as soon as the flying unit took off.

"But Lillis and the others are struggling. Is it okay to do this?"

Jiron, the strategist, naturally expressed his concern, but I simply said, "It's fine."

Jiron's suggestion was unusually reasonable, but the situation was turning against us.

To avoid losing, Lillis and Sigan had to hold their ground.

While waiting for the large demons to arrive, I thought about the situation.

The large demons that arrived were giants, giant treants, and particularly large trolls.

They were all of impressive size.

They could be considered the elite of our legion.

Although it was temporary, I felt bad for the unit commanders whose elites were being pulled out, but I gave them orders for victory.

It wasn't a complicated task.

I just had to give them the fire bombs and have them throw them.

However, when giants and treants, who were nearly 10 meters tall, threw them, it was quite something.

They could easily throw the fire bombs hundreds of meters to their targets.

Of course, the targets were the enemy archers.

The enemy archers were just about to draw their bows to shoot down the gargoyles when the gargoyles were saved at the last moment.

Although the fire bombs were less powerful than modern hand grenades or fragmentation bombs, the shock of an unknown weapon raining down on them was evident.

Without even using the "Far Sight" spell, I could see the enemy archers becoming flustered.

I gave the gargoyles the signal to act.

"Now! Fly over the archers."

As a signal, I cast the "Lightning" spell into the sky and made it explode in mid-air.

Seeing this, the gargoyles flew over the archers and charged towards the enemy siege weapons, dropping the fire bombs precisely.

The wooden siege weapons burned well, and the enemy's siege weapons were neutralized.

In essence, the 7th Legion led by Sefiro no longer had to fear the enemy's catapults and ballistae.

There was no need for a "signal" anymore.

My respected superior, Sefiro, was not incompetent.

She was surely watching the situation closely.

Sure enough, she didn't miss the moment.

Seeing the enemy become flustered, she opened the city gates of Alesta.

Or perhaps she was waiting for this moment, trusting in me.

"That guy will surely come to my rescue. After all, he changed my diapers when I was a baby."

I could imagine her boasting to the other legion commanders.

I don't know what the other legion commanders thought of this, but when the city gates opened, the 7th Legion charged out with momentum.

Leading the charge was Beio, the leader of the werewolf unit.

Werewolves were particularly robust demons. Their agility and speed were among the best in the demon race.

Regardless of their personality and strategy, they were among the best in the 7th Legion in terms of combat.

They attacked the humans waiting at the city gates, tearing through their armor with their claws and biting into their throats with their fangs.

It was a typical Beio-style battle.

On the other hand, Kshana, the leader of the Manticore unit, fought in a more intellectual manner.

Unlike Beio, who charged recklessly, Kshana methodically eliminated the soldiers Beio had missed.

While Beio's style might have been more brutal, Kshana's was more calculated and ruthless.

Both were typical demon fighting styles. The enemy soldiers fell one after another.

Seeing this, I felt relieved.

The outcome of the battle was now clear.

I was certain of victory when Sefiro's direct subordinate, the mage unit "Black Cauldron," emerged from the gate.

She used her skilled mages to cast spells at the enemy soldiers one after another, as if to vent their frustrations.

There was a parade of standard spells like "Lightning," "Fireball," "Slash," and "Flame Pillar," but some mages were even using forbidden-level spells.

As expected of the elite of the 7th Legion, they all possessed terrifying magical power.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but exclaim:

"We've won."

On the other hand, the enemy commander, E·Lodre, might have been muttering:

"Have we lost?"

The enemy commander was not incompetent.

Even though we were currently on the offensive, he must have known that it was impossible to win against the Demon Army's elite legions.

In war, the moment the commander thinks they have lost, the battle is over.

In fact, the moment I had that thought, the enemy soldiers began to falter.

The units led by Lillis and Sigan, who had been struggling, regained their strength and began to push back the enemy.

The core of the enemy, the "Red Dragon Knights," was in this situation.

On other fronts, we began to overwhelm the enemy.

If this continued, we would win.

In fact, the enemy soldiers were clearly decreasing in number.

The orc strategist Jiron said:

"If this continues, we will win."

"Yes."

I answered briefly.

"Let's surround and annihilate the enemy army."

Jiron, unusually, offered a suggestion, but I doubted it would go that smoothly.

I didn't underestimate the enemy commander.

E·Lodre would soon start to retreat.

Sure enough, just as I whispered to Jiron, "It won't go that way," the enemy army began to retreat.

Jiron was surprised by the accuracy of my prediction.

"How did you know, sir?"

"War is a game of deception."

Reading the enemy commander's mind and striking at their weak point was the art of war.

At least, that was my position, given our inferior numbers.

However, I couldn't read the enemy commander's mind completely.

The Red Dragon Knights fought bravely to the end to cover their comrades' retreat and withdrew in an orderly manner.

It was a magnificent display, even from the enemy.

After the battle, he sent a messenger with a letter.

The content was brief but bold.

"I am impressed by your command, even as an enemy. Stay strong until our next battle."

It seemed that E·Lodre was not only capable but also a romantic.

Normally, one wouldn't write such a letter to an enemy they had just defeated.

In essence, his letter could be translated as:

"I won't lose next time, so be ready."

When I read the letter, I sighed.

Thinking that I would have to fight this man again someday, I could imagine the trouble it would bring.

I am not a masochist.

I would prefer the enemy commander to be weaker.

Thinking this, Jiron asked:

"Should we send a reply? It would be annoying if the demons were considered rude."

I said, "Yes," and mounted my horse.

"Sir, where are you going?"

"To see the faces of the unit leaders. I want to make sure they are safe."

"What about the reply to E·Lodre?"

"I'll leave that to you."

The enemy army was completely defeated.

I thought it was interesting that he sent such a letter, but I was more curious about Sefiro's reaction.

Sefiro still treated me like a child.

I hoped this battle would change that, but I wondered.

Would she show signs of regret?

Or would she puff out her cheeks?

Either way, I was sure to see an interesting expression.

Thinking this, I spurred my horse forward.