43 Chapter 43: Hostage

"Your majesty!"

A messenger rushed into the throne room and dropped to his knees, lowering his head. Raising a scroll with both hands, he presented it to Regis Gremory, who was in the midst of discussing with his military commanders on how to deal with the current crisis.

"What is it?" Regis asked, breaking away from an intense debate to stare at the messenger. At a gesture, the messenger thumbed something in the scroll and a holographic image of Count Raum in all of his grand obesity materialized above, a gigantic, almost humorous caricature much larger than the real thing that further exaggerated his uh…excessive flab.

"Your majesty."

The words dripped with sarcasm at Count Raum's hologram glared at Regis Gremory, who met his gaze evenly.

"As you probably know by now, I have your daughter-in-law. If you do not want any harm to befall her, you are to accede to my demands." His greasy, chubby face twisted into a grotesque smile. "You are to hand me the title of Demon Lord and put all nobles and armies in the alliance under my command. Do not worry…I have no intention of killing the Gremory Clan. I recognize your loyalty, after all. I am a generous man – you will get to keep your domain, but obviously you'll swear fealty and pledge your armies to me."

"This is his plan to unite the whole of Morten under one rule?" Regis Gremory glanced at the rest of the commanders who were present. "To ransom me for the title of Demon Lord? By holding my daughter-in-law hostage?"

"…"

None of the commanders responded, probably too taken aback by Raum's sheer stupidity and audacity.

"Even if I wanted to, I can't hand over the title of the Demon Lord. You know it doesn't work that way." Regis Gremory scowled as he turned back to confront Count Raum's gray visage. "I don't even want to be the Demon Lord…it was thrust upon me the moment the previous Demon Lord fell before appointing an heir. And you know how it is hereditary. The system won't allow me to change the successor from my son to you, or allow me to step down. It will hold me to this position until my death."

"Then all I have to do is kill you," Raum replied simply. "In exchange for your daughter-in-law's life, I'll accept both yours and your son's."

"How dare you!"

"Insolent bastard!"

"We'll kill you!"

The military commanders in the room erupted into a furious furor, yelling at Raum's arrogant impudence. However, Raum suddenly dragged someone from off-screen. Dragon Princess Yuan struggled as he gripped on a metallic collar around her delicate neck and pulled her up front, as if to show her off.

"If you don't want harm to befall the crown princess, then I suggest you step down immediately."

"Yuan!" Richard cried, but Regis gestured for him to stand back. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Raum coldly.

"You know that's something I can't accede to. Even if you kill Yuan, I will not and cannot budge from my position. I bear the fate of the demon race on my shoulders – a burden you will never be able to endure. If I have to sacrifice her, I will. And I promise you this…I will make an example of you when all this is over."

"Big words," Raum scoffed, but he didn't look so sure anymore. Regaining his composure, he put on a bold front. "I'll be magnanimous and give you some time to think about it. When you change your mind, contact me…and I'll witness the ceremony of your seppuku."

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The commanders bristled at his arrogance, but a glance from Regis Gremory stayed them. Instead, the current Demon Lord merely smiled frostily.

"Oh, we'll definitely be seeing each other soon, Count Raum. Very soon."

A chill ran down Raum's spine and he growled. "D…don't you dare try anything funny! The life of your daughter-in-law is in my hands! If you so much as send an army toward my domain, I'll kill her!"

"Fool. If you see an army in your domain, they will probably be the humans. When that time comes, no alliance will be on hand to save you…I hope the nobles you drew into this reckless endeavor of yours will help you, but…quite frankly, I'm not sure if even your combined forces will be able to hold them off."

"Are you threatening me?" Raum made as if to haul Yuan back toward the screen. Regis merely chuckled.

"No, I'm only warning you. Even if I don't lift a hand to help…your demise will be inevitable."

With a snap of his fingers, Regis ordered the scroll shut down. The messenger switched it off and then hastily retreated. Turning toward his commanders, Regis Gremory put on a grim and contemplative expression.

"What do you propose we do?"

"We send an army over to Raum's domain and crush him. Make an example out of him. Hedas willing, we will be able to bring all those nobles who sided with him back to our fold."

"I am indeed tempted to do that…if the human armies aren't already knocking on our doorstep." Regis Gremory stroked his chin. "Our lines are stretched thin as they are. We cannot afford to pull a brigade away to put down a petty rebellion. Besides, as I said yesterday, the true enemy is the humans. We cannot afford to have infighting among ourselves. After all my calls for unity and peaceful negotiations with breakaway clans yesterday, I will be making a fool out of myself if I go back on my word and start a civil war out of my own accord."

"…"

The military commanders fell silent, knowing that Regis Gremory was right. Not only would it be a hypocritical act, if Regis Gremory chose to solve this by force, he would lose the trust of the majority of the loyalist nobles and damage any chances he had of negotiating an alliance with those clans that had already broken away.

"Do we leave Princess Yuan to her fate, then?"

"N…no way!"

Richard Gremory jolted upright at the suggestion and glared at the commander who voiced it. He turned pleadingly to his father.

"Father, we can't just let Yuan die!"

"No," Regis Gremory agreed. "We will do our best to save Dragon Princess Yuan. However, you must understand…we cannot risk the whole of Morten just for her alone. We will not give in to Raum's demands just to save her life."

"I…understand."

"Well," Marquis Kratz spoke up. "If we can't subdue Raum by military force, then how do we save her?"

"We can send a small, specialized team to infiltrate Raum's castle, and then rescue her. Go in, extract the hostage, go out, and escape safely while avoiding any battle."

It was the Earl of Grim who proposed that. The commanders nodded thoughtfully, acknowledging that it was the most practical course of action.

"That will be difficult." It was Baron Dressia. "Raum's castle is heavily fortified. Even a siege will last for months…will a strike team be able to breach and infiltrate such formidable defenses? Even if they do, there is an entire garrison of guardsmen station within its thick walls."

"Well, if they're not sieging, I don't see why not…"

"Problem is how they're going to escape with the princess while evading an entire garrison of warriors on alert…"

"That's for the team to strategize, isn't it? Grim pointed out. "We can discuss this all day and get nowhere, or we can assign the task to the team most appropriate for the job. The question now is who is the most suitable team…? Any recommendations?"

The commanders fell silent, and then Kratz voiced out.

"Colonel Karim…his Shadow Wolf Corps is one of the best there is. If there's anyone who can accomplish the mission, it's him."

"Isn't Colonel Karim currently engaged in a furious battle with the Havian army on Helsreach? It will be difficult to pull his forces out."

"And we can't afford to distract him," Regis Gremory agreed. "If we pull out our most competent commander in that area, the humans will seize advantage of the sudden gap in our defenses and break through."

"Then…Major Drake?"

"Scouting deep inside enemy lines. Do you have any way of contacting him?"

"…no. and even if I did, there's no way he'll make it back here in time…"

"About that…"

Everyone turned to stare at me. Judging from their surprise, it seemed that no one had noticed that I had been present in the meeting all along. I had kept quiet the entire time, listening without saying a single word, so when I spoke up, they jumped as if a ghost had just shown up in their midst.

"Sir Tanaka." Regis Gremory smiled indulgently. Even though he had been impressed by my feat of defeating Asakura, it was clear that he didn't trust me completely. At the very least, he still regarded me as an amateur brat.

But fortunately he wasn't dismissive enough to ignore me.

"Do you have some sort of idea?"

"Yes. I would like to volunteer for this rescue mission."

"Oh…!"

The demon commanders chattered amongst themselves. Some looked intrigued, several looked skeptical, and others harbored suspicion. But none of them could dismiss me outright because I had slain one of Evelyn's Chosen right in front of their eyes just a couple of days ago.

"Hmm…you think you can save Dragon Princess Yuan?"

Stroking his chin thoughtfully, Regis Gremory asked me. I shrugged.

"I hope I can. I offer no guarantees, but I will definitely make the effort and do my best to save her. Of course…" I narrowed my eyes. "I trust you will have no complaints if I am forced to fight back and decimate Count Raum's forces…and quite possibly be forced to kill him in an attempt to escape."

"…"

The commanders exchanged uneasy glances but none of them voiced any objections. They understood the nature of war. Things happened and people died in these sort of things. It was only natural.

"I understand. If Count Raum dies as a result of the rescue mission, you will not be held responsible. It is just an inevitable consequence of self-defense against a traitor who was insolent enough to take the crown princess hostage."

"Thank you."

"Do you intend to just waltz into Raum's castle alone and save Dragon Princess Yuan by yourself?" Baron Dressia demanded.

"If I have to."

"How many men do you need?" Marquis Kratz asked, deep in thought. "We might not be able to bring in the best soldiers, but we can still assemble a team for you, to help you out. Even if you're the Hero Slayer, it'll be difficult for you to fight an entire garrison of soldiers by yourself."

"True enough." I paused and thought for a bit. "A company of soldiers is enough. Or a platoon if you can't afford to spare more."

"Ha ha ha, a company it is." Regis Gremory leaned forward with a smile. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

"Uh…well, I don't know anyone from the military so…I guess…Lieutenant Kratz's company?"

Stunned silence filled the air. There was an almost imperceptible twitch in Kratz's temple, but he said nothing.

"I see. Well, you've only just arrived a couple of days ago." Regis Gremory studied me for a moment before glancing at Kratz, who had managed to compose himself. "Hmm…speaking of which, I remembered a report that your daughter submitted a couple of weeks ago, Marquis Kratz. She reported having worked with Sir Tanaka. And Sir Tanaka, you mentioned two days ago that she can vouch for your identity."

Kratz blinked, but otherwise revealed no other emotion.

"Your majesty, you don't mean…"

"I'm thinking of assigning Lieutenant Elia Kratz's company to Sir Tanaka's command. Unless you think…?"

"No objections, your majesty." Kratz lowered his head emotionlessly. "I'm sure my daughter will be honored."

I sighed in relief. I had encountered Elia Kratz and her company of soldiers before, when fighting against Tsukishima Tomoyo and Kijima Takeshi, and they were the only ones I knew.

Therefore they were the only ones I could probably trust. It was funny – when I helped them that one time, I didn't actually expect to see them again like this.

"Is that really all you need, Sir Tanaka? If you need more manpower…"

"N…no, I don't believe so, your majesty. I will be pleased to work with Lieutenant Kratz again. Thank you very much."

Bowing my head respectfully, I expressed my gratitude.

*

"They're still cautious."

Lowering her binoculars, Lieutenant Elia Kratz grumbled after seeing the sentries patrolling the walls of Raum's castle.

"You sure about this, boss?"

Leaning back against the rocky ledge that his commanding officer was sitting on, with his hands knitted behind his head, Sergeant Gio Vanni sighed.

"I mean, sending even more of us over won't change anything…"

"…other than making us just as dead as the ones that went before."

Putting her binoculars back, Elia stood up firmly.

"Nonetheless, we'll do as we're commanded."

"Yeah, yeah…even though it's impossible."

"Nothing's impossible," Elia snapped at Gio's defeatist attitude. But before he could come up with a snarky retort, I stepped in.

"Uh, wait? Who died? We haven't sent anyone over yet, have we?"

"Oh, Sir Tanaka." Elia snapped a salute when she caught sight of me. "No, not us…the remnants of the royal guard who were accompanying Prince Richard. Apparently a contingent of them stayed behind and attempted to siege the castle in an attempt to rescue Dragon Princess Yuan."

"And as you can see, they paid for it dearly with their lives."

Gio waved his hand dismissively at the good number of corpses scattered in the clearing between our position and the castle. Even though it had only been one day since the kidnapping, the sheer carnage and number of dead were staggering.

"Sergeant Vanni!" Elia reprimanded sharply. "You should be showing more respect to our commanding officer…"

"That's okay, I'm just a kid with nominal command. I don't even have much experience, so you're actually the one in command here." I raised a hand to forestall her. Elia looked dismayed, and I quickly apologized. "Sorry. I mean…"

"Why are you apologizing?" Elia demanded and caught herself, then quickly bowed her head. "Sorry, sir. I'll go check on the troops."

"Uh, no. it's my fault."

I watched as Elia headed down the ledge and back toward the foot of the mountain where the rest of the company had taken up position in.

"Let's go back, I guess?" I muttered as I turned to Gio, who sighed again.

"Look, if you two keep apologizing to each other, it will never end. Just deal with it, kid…uh, sir. Both Lieutenant Kratz and you are nobles. Even though you've just gotten the position a week or two ago, you should start getting used to it."

I smirked. "You don't seem to treat me as a noble, though."

"Sorry about that, sir."

"Nah, forget it. I hate being treated like one. I never wanted to be one…"

"Oh, I hear you. I still can't believe you killed two of Evelyn's Chosen…no, was it three now? I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself."

Actually, my kill tally had increased to four, but I had no intention of bragging.

"Still, it's kind of funny you picked us for this mission. I mean, I don't mean to talk down about ourselves, but there's like so many more esteemed and reputable companies with more experience and skills than we do…in fact, most of our soldiers are still rookies, fresh from boot camp, especially after the beating we took during that last major battle…"

"Yeah, well…you guys are the only people I actually know and trust. Besides, Lieutenant Kratz is a pretty capable commander."

"Yeah, about that…she's the daughter of that terrifying Marquis. Of course she would inherit some of his talents." Gio frowned as he hopped to his feet. "That's the funny part, though. Why did someone as competent as her end up in the bushes with us lowly commoners? Especially considering her pedigree and bloodline, she could have gotten a far cushier job in Command. Yet somehow she's crawling in the dirt with the rest of us commoners. Wait…I could say the same thing for you, but at least you started out as one of us."

I scratched my head as I headed back to the company's tents.

"Well, it could be possible that Lieutenant Kratz wanted to prove her own ability. That she's capable of leading without needing to ride on her father's coattails. A pride thing. She wants to prove to everyone that Elia Kratz is a respectable and competent commander in her own right, and not be seen merely as Marquis Kratz's daughter."

Gio stopped momentarily to stare at me, impressed.

"Wow, Major. You understand our boss far more than I did, even though I've spent a couple of years working under her!"

"…"

The guy was obviously teasing me, so I ignored Gio and went after Kratz. She had already reached our encampment where the young soldiers were all nervously fidgeting and waiting. They were pale, frightened and clutching their weapons restlessly.

I noticed they were holding not swords or spears but…guns. Rifles. Muskets, from the look of it, complete with bayonets attached to the barrels.

Closing my eyes, I remembered the conversation I had with Elia Kratz when I first met with their company before moving out of Helsfort and traveling toward Raum's domain. I had paused, surprised, when I saw her soldiers loading the muskets into the carriages.

"Those weapons…"

"Ah, they are the new rifles invented by the dwarves of Moria," Kratz had explained. "When King Regis took over as the new Demon Lord, he renewed ties with the dwarf domain of Moria and resumed trade. In exchange for protection from the human invasion, they supplied us with new, technological weapons that can take out enemy soldiers from range."

"Heh…"

I didn't believe this. Restia was moving from medieval fantasy to a more technologically advanced period, just before the industrial revolution. Right, didn't Oda Nobunaga and many Daimyos begin to use muskets and ballistic projectile weapons during the Sengoku period? It completely changed the way warfare was waged and tipped the balance in the favor of those with technology.

People couldn't be swinging swords, firing arrows and thrusting spears forever. Civilization had to progress. The whole thousands of years of static technological advancement was a myth. Even now, I was witnessing the precursor of what would surely be a global revolution in Restia.

If these muskets and rifles were mass produced…

"Well, most brigades still don't have access to them, especially since they've to be retrained to use them. Fortunately, we just got a bunch of fresh meat from boot camp who were trained to use these new rifles."

Gio had explained that to me before we left when I wondered out loud why the demonic armies don't just use these new weapons. It would have provided them a tremendous advantage against the human armies. Furthermore, as I later learned, we have very limited supplies of these rifles because the Morian dwarves had yet to produce enough to equip the whole demonic army.

Soon they would build vast factories to assemble countless rifles, but Regis Gremory didn't have the time or resources to direct into building weapons just yet, not when his attention was ensnared by the massing human forces in Helsreach.

"Ugh…"

"Hedas wept, just look at these younglings. They're all about to piss their pants."

Gio rubbed his chin as he swept his grizzled gaze over the frightened rookies. I actually felt sorry for them. They looked so young, barely a year or two older than I was. I could smell the fear, sense their accelerated pulse, the rushing flow of blood in their veins, the spike in adrenaline…

Ugh, the whole vampire thing was annoying.

"They aren't ready for this," Gio grumbled as he threw his hands up in the air. Fortunately, he made sure not to do that in front of the troops or he would have demoralized them further. Not that it would have made much of a difference.

This was their first, virgin battle. I realized I had made a terrible mistake. I didn't realize how fresh, how young and how inexperienced this company was, made out of boys on the verge of adulthood. None of them had shot an enemy before.

And right now they were here, tasked with shooting their brethren. There was every chance they would freeze up in the critical moment, too scared to pull the trigger.

Kratz chewed her lip, trying to think of ideas to lift her men's spirits, to boost their morale and persuade them to fight for the greater good of the demonic alliance. But she couldn't think of anything. Just as she finally opened her mouth, however, laughter cut in from the back of the camp.

"You…!"

Elia strode over angrily, glaring at the bunch of grizzled veterans who were playing cards at the back of the camp on upturned crates.

"What do you think you're doing?! I thought I told you to prepare for tomorrow's engagement!"

"Yeah, we are, boss!" one of the grizzled veterans, an orc-ish humanoid raised his cards and chuckled. "One final gamble before we gamble our lives on this crazy venture of yours!"

"You…!"

"It's pointless, boss," Gio told her as he stepped in. "Leave them be. It's their own way of dealing with war. They know that tomorrow they'll be lying alongside the dead who have tried to siege Raum's castle."

Elia gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. "If they weren't such elite snipers, I wouldn't have brought them along…!"

That caught my attention. "Wait, they're snipers?"

"Yeah." Gio turned to me, taken aback by my sudden outburst. "Best scores in the range and highest kill tally with archery. Also the men who have adapted the best to the new rifles. They can hit a bird two kilometers away."

"Oh…" I grinned as an idea slowly drifted in my mind. This might just work. Clapping my hands, I strode over to the veterans and kicked their crates over. "All right, enough playing around. All of you, gather!"

The veterans glared at me, but a glance from Kratz (and a glower from Gio) was enough to put them in line. The rookies on the other hand anxiously formed a circle around me as I got them to assemble before me.

"Listen up." I had a sinister smile as I rested my eyes on the veterans, who shivered uncontrollably. "Tomorrow we will fight. And if you do as I say, we will win. I won't pretend that there won't be any casualties, but we can minimize them. In fact, if we're really lucky, we can pull this off without losing even a single man."

"Huh?"

"Are you serious?"

While the rookies remained silent from their nerves, the veterans murmured in disbelief. I nodded and looked at them challengingly.

"Of course I am. However…whether you survive or not, is entirely up to you." Snapping my fingers, I pointed at the veterans to emphasize my point. "I want to see if you so-called elite snipers are really up to the task."