CH 342

Chapter 342 – In the Depths of the Empire(2)

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“Center of the Empire, is it?”

Marbas smiled bitterly. Was that simply rhetoric or was he implying that he knew of their plan? If that was what he was implying, then how much did he know……?

Marbas stared straight into Dantalian’s eyes.

“The enemy has rallied a large army. The king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is personally commanding his troops. This will be a difficult fight for us without reinforcements.”

“No matter how many troops they gather, how could they possibly defeat Your Highness?”

His eyes which were as dark as wells glimmered happily.

It was because of those eyes. Dantalian’s eyes partially resembled that of a weak herbivore. It felt like he would immediately surrender if someone were to charge at him right this moment.

This was why people would unknowingly begin to look down on Dantalian while dealing with him. However, if you lower your guard and go for the attack, then you will receive a relentless counterattack.

He’ll prevent you from using any weapons and surround you on all sides. By the time you come to your senses, your limbs will have already been bound. He was like a spider. A venomous spider that misleads hunters…….

Dantalian was one of two options. He either had an innate camouflaging ability, or he was a prodigal actor that could even control his facial expressions freely. Either way, he was dangerous.

“No matter how hard I try, it would be impossible for me to handle an army with tens of thousands of soldiers.”

“I heard that the wisest course of action is to win without fighting. I believe that the Imperial Father is the best tactician in the Demon Lord Army.”

So he knows…….

Marbas adjusted his monocle. Dantalian was more concerned about him than he was the massive army of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. He was basically declaring that he had seen through Marbas’ intent.

“I apologize, but could the rest of you leave? There is something I wish to discuss with Dantalian.”

Marbas sent the other Demon Lords and officers outside. Most of the Neutral Faction Demon Lords had a favorable opinion of Dantalian, so they didn’t mind leaving their respected commander with him.

The barracks became quiet. Marbas got straight to the point once the spectators were gone.

“When did you notice?”

“Your Highness did not immediately ask for reinforcements even though the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was personally rallying his troops. I concluded that you had no desire to win this war.”

Dantalian immediately answered.

“If what you want is defeat instead of victory……then what could you gain by losing? It was not very hard to piece the puzzle together by working in reverse.”

“It really does sound simple if you put it like that.”

Marbas felt like he had become a child.

However, the other party thought differently. Dantalian spoke in a serious tone.

“Your Highness knew that I would see through your plan. Is that not why you did not act upon your plan? We can consider this a draw since both sides were able to figure each other out.”

“A draw, is it……?”

In other words, they were evenly matched. Although people would normally be offended if they were told they were on the same level as someone else, Marbas strangely felt pleased.

“I personally enjoy having political battles like this with Your Highness.”

Dantalian now had a grin on his face.

“To be honest, our comrades do not provide me with much stimulation. They are rather boring people.”

“Hah. Are you treating the management of the Empire as some sort of recreation?”

“Do you not think that there are too many people in the world who confuse seriousness with tedium?”

Dantalian spoke in a low tone as if he were whispering a secret. Marbas let out a laugh.

“You are right. A Demon Lord should be able to distinguish the two.”

“Very much so.”

“But, Dantalian, I cannot help but have a question. This war must be won in order to stop my plan, which means reinforcements are essential. Despite this, you came here by yourself.”

What are you planning, Marbas’ gaze posed this question to Dantalian.

“What are you saying, O lofty Demon Lord? Your reinforcements have already arrived.”

“Oh? Are you saying that you alone are enough?”

Even this arrogant statement was entertaining for Marbas.

“Please leave it to me. The massive army of thirty thousand soldiers from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth will retreat without being able to capture even a single fortress.”

Two months had passed since the ranking between Demon Lords was re-established at the palace. The Demon Lord before him had most definitely taken hold of the Empire within that short amount of time. It might be entertaining to watch his skills from the side as well, Marbas thought to himself as he nodded.

“Very well, then. What do you need?”

Dantalian spread his arms out as if he were performing. He then lowered his back as he spoke.

“Every single soldier in the Neutral Faction.”

Two days later, the Neutral Faction’s army which consisted of 15,000 troops started their march.

The king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth promptly led his troops out as if he had been waiting for this moment. The two armies arrived at a vast, open field as if they had promised to do so beforehand.

Putting the two armies together, this was going to be a clash of almost 40,000 soldiers. The people of the continent, who were hoping that peace might finally come to the continent, were now trembling with unease again. The people of the continent worried for their own safety as their attention focused on Whist Plains.

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The two armies faced each other on the vast plains.

The sight of tens of thousands of soldiers lined up on an expansive field is always a sight to behold. Even more so when it’s right before they clash. Unease, nervousness, excitement, and fear……all of these emotions mixed together into a dense layer of fog and settled over the earth.

Most commanders are unable to endure this pressure. It isn’t because they’re cowards. It’s because they know that they can’t control the numerous soldiers before them once the battle starts.

Orcs that smell blood will get excited and rampage on their own, the goblins will charge by themselves with the sight of human flesh before them, and Demon Lords will end up getting worked up as well since these emotions are shared with them. Demon Lord armies tend to become a blob of chaos if they don’t have years of experience.

An overwhelming sense of excitement that you could get lost in. It was because of this that Demon Lords would often lose their rationality and charge forward.

However, the Neutral Faction currently had a firm lineup. Even though a fair amount of time had passed since everyone had gotten in position, not a single Demon Lord suggested to Marbas that they should commence their attack.

The units at the front were strictly maintaining their formations. A small number of young Demon Lords were twitching with anticipation because of their bloodlust, but that was it.

Along with Marbas, the Neutral Faction Demon Lords were all staring at the enemy forces across the plains with calm eyes. They would occasionally joke around to lighten the mood.

They were like veteran generals leading elite soldiers. They didn’t have prominent generals like the Plains Faction, but this side displayed a model example of how an army should be. A normal army couldn’t possibly compare to them.

However, other than being far superior to the average army, they didn’t have much else. In the game, Marbas would lead his army against Elizabeth but lose his head to the hero after they are set out in a do-or-die squad…….

“Everyone is in position. What do you intend to do now, Dantalian?”

Marbas looked incredibly at ease. It was as if he were saying that no matter what happened from this point forth, it wasn’t his responsibility but mine.

“Please prepare the white flag.”

“Are you planning to negotiate before the battle has even begun?”

“I will negotiate directly with the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.”

I brought only three cavalry knights with me to the center of the plains.

One of the knights was holding a white flag that symbolized that we were envoys. Another knight was holding a flag with a red eagle which represented the imperial family of the Habsburg Empire. The last knight was holding a flag that represented Demon Lord Dantalian.

We arrived at the exact area between the two armies.

Shortly after, a group of cavalrymen was sent out from the Commonwealth’s side. They were carrying a red and white flag that represented the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. I responded to their approach by directing my horse to them.

The two parties met under the watchful eyes of 40,000 soldiers.

“Are you here to announce your surrender, Demon Lord?”

Stephen Bathory.

The Giant of the East.

The greatest ruler throughout the entire history of the Commonwealth.

The man with a large frame stroked his beard. The great king wearing a golden cape was sitting upright in a way that made him appear as if he were fused together with his horse. His solemn voice resonated like small horse hooves in my ears.

He must be twice my height, I thought to myself as I smiled.

“O Great King, there is no surrender.”

“There will only be war, then. Any courtesy beyond this is unnecessary on a battlefield.”

“Should a king not tread the path between two extremes?”

Great King Bathory let out a low chuckle.

“The path between two extremes is nothing more than a term that makes a result with no fruition sound nice. I came here with an elite army of 50,000 strong. Is there a price that corresponds to this?”

“Pardon me, but I do not believe that you came here expecting to win.”

The Great King furrowed his brows with an unpleasant look.

“I did not hear that a Demon Lord could be eloquent.”

“You did not get the approval of your national council before coming out on this military expedition. This declaration of war was not done as the king of the Commonwealth, but simply under your own name.”

A large amount of funding is required to move an army, and that funding has to be covered by taxes. However, a national council that consists of nobles wouldn’t pay those taxes with no strings attached.

The nobles of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had agreed to pay a special war tax for their king. However, they didn’t want him to go to war with their names on his shoulders. They wanted the king to take responsibility if a war were to occur.

Despite agreeing to the necessity of war, they refused to listen to their people’s grudges. Well, Demon Lords would think, “Isn’t a declaration of war from the king the same thing as having received one from their nation itself?”, but it isn’t that simple in the world of politics within the human world.

“O Great Bathory, your current situation must not be particularly pleasant.”

The Great King stared down at me with cold eyes.

“Get to the point, Demon Lord.”

“You most likely never expected our Empire to have its national standing guaranteed back when you cooperated with Consul Elizabeth. That is why you cooperated with the Consul to fight back against the Crescent Alliance.”

However, the situation was flipped over.

Currently, the only nations hostile to the Empire were the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and the Habsburg Republic. The Great King Bathory must be feeling uneasy as his nation becomes gradually isolated.

“Your goal is to go to war with us a bit before ending it with some negotiations……. In other words, in order to reconcile with us.”

“With what proof are you making these assumptions about my intentions?”

“You did not request reinforcements from any other nation.”

If Great King Bathory truly did intend to have a decisive battle with the Demon Lord Army, then he would’ve advertised this war as a war against the evil Demon Lords.

However, similar to how Marbas didn’t ask for reinforcements, Great King Bathory didn’t put forward his cause to the other nations around him. He was simply leading his soldiers as the king of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

This meant that he didn’t want to wreak national havoc and that he had no desire to muddy the current diplomatic situation throughout the continent. Great King Bathory was aiming for a treaty and not a decisive victory.

There’s a simple reason why he would want to reconcile with us.

“You wish to slowly distance yourself from the Republic.”

To replace his rotting rope with a new one.

Great King Bathory let out a low chuckle.

“Let us say that you are right and I want an armistice. Would a battle not be even more necessary? It is impossible to establish an armistice without any sort of cause. I also have to preserve my dignity.”

As expected of the Great King of a nation, he understood quickly.

In other words, he was saying that he wanted an armistice. However, establishing one after having lost some of his land would make others look down on him as a weak ruler, so an appropriate amount of war was necessary. War is inevitable if he can’t maintain his dignity to a degree.

I respectfully bowed my head.

“There is a way for us to become friends without shedding even a single drop of blood, O Great King.”