Volume 10 Chapter 7 The Decline Of Gwain
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Yes! I woke up with Your Excellency’s bow and punished this disrespectful fool. So please, I beg for your mercy.”
I got off my horse and walked to the man in charge. I quickly cut off his wrist.
”Aaaah!!! My hand!!”
”Shut up! If you’re in charge, take responsibility for your men’s mistakes! Blaming others is worse than trash. Sorry, but I take back what I said about helping you. Die!”
The man, losing his wrist, struggled on the ground. I delivered the final blow.
I stabbed him in the heart. He twitched for a bit, then stopped moving.
The soldiers of Footland watched silently.
”From now on, Footland is under the command of Your Excellency Mild! Footland soldiers, prepare for the expedition immediately. Our destination is the fortress of Ilsuka in the True Demon Dukedom. We are going to help the Dukedom Noble who supports Sir Gwain.”
The soldiers, watching the situation, responded to Marute’s instructions with a Kingdom-style salute.
The royal guard and Claude’s troops knew the purpose of the expedition, but for Footland and Helstahl’s soldiers, it was framed as reinforcements from Gwain.
Some clever soldiers and officers from those 2 territories might have guessed the real purpose, but no one left.
It seems Gwain has already lost the soldiers’ hearts… Even the guards stationed for years are in this state. It’s only a matter of time before Gwain falls…
”Your Excellency Mild, I will secure the supplies we need for the expedition, so I will borrow some soldiers. Please make sure to stay close to the royal guard and Claude.”
”I understand. Please prepare quickly. Once we take Ilsuka, Yaalan will move his army south. I need to see him before that.”
Malte ran with his soldiers to the supply depot.
I watched and called Claude and Denise over.
”We will use the soldiers from the 3 territories to help Ilsuka. Marching will train them too. Plus, if we need to retreat, it will be easier.”
”If we combine the 3 territories’ soldiers, we have 15 hundred. If Your Excellency leads 5 hundred of the guard, that makes 2 thousand. A scout from Footland said the Lord of Yaalan has only about 2 thousand. Is it safe to go there with almost the same number? I really don’t want to get cut down right away.”
”If we send a messenger ahead, it should be fine, right? They are watching us too.”
”That’s true. If we march with my flag up, they probably won’t attack.”
Before we left the base, I sent a messenger to Yuri for support, so raising my flag should not provoke the True Demon Dukedom army.
”I don’t want to go with too few soldiers and look weak. I want them to respect my skills.”
Denise also received support from Yuri, so she was worried about how Yaalan would see her as a new lord.
”Claude! Have the soldiers take care of their equipment. We can’t let them see worn-out gear when we march to Ilsuka.”
”Y-yes! I’ll make sure the soldiers clean their gear before resting!”
Denise seemed to think of the equipment care and gave new orders to the soldiers who were about to rest.
”Denise, don’t push the soldiers too hard. Especially the Helstahl troops have been marching hard. After they finish cleaning, let them have some drinks.”
The soldiers cheered when they heard me, and they worked faster on their equipment.
So, we successfully moved quickly through Helstahl, Esche, and Footland with fake orders and started marching to the Ilsuka fortress, where our new lord Yaalan was waiting, the next morning.
* * *
*Yaalan’s perspective
”Sir Yaalan, Mild has arrived. And he brought gifts.”
Yuri appeared while I rested on the tent bed.
”La—Lady Yuri… sorry for the messy sight.”
Naked Felia beside me scrambled to dress.
We’d been passing time by “developing” her body—a recent habit.
Felia, now mine, was a smart succubus who exceeded my expectations.
Originally Gwain’s, I’d claimed her as my own.
As Gwain’s treasurer, she managed finances flawlessly. This campaign cost nothing from the treasury, funded solely by donations from nobles I planned to disband.
”Felia’s really taken to you. Her skin’s glowing compared to before.”
True. Under Gwain, she’d barely gotten enough semen to avoid thirst, leaving her skin dry. Now, with my frequent “gifts,” she looked much younger.
”…I wish I’d met Sir Yaalan sooner…”
”Stay with me, and you’ll stay young. I’ll dote on you later.”
”…Understood. I’ll leave now.”
Felia dressed and left to avoid interrupting.
”How’s Felia?”
”She’s great. Not as good as you, but better than most from the village. Gwain trained her well—she’s level-headed. A valuable asset.”
”I’m glad the Succubus King approves. Now, about Mild…”
”Ah, did he bring Marte and Denise as his ‘gifts’?”
Mild brought the two people Yuri tried to recruit, so I have to give them some credit.
It was a tough task to bring 2 loyal followers of Gwain, even if Yuri’s plan was going well.
”No, Mild seems to have even greater talent than we thought. He brought gifts: the 3 territories of Footland, Esche, and Helstahl, plus Marute and Duneez.”
I touched my face and started to laugh.
”Hehehe, Haha! What an amazing talent! I never expected him to bring 3 territories as gifts! Yuri, make him my Chief General and give the lords of the 3 territories as our presents. He really showed his skills. Gwain is such a fool. Letting go of someone so talented because of his doubts.”
”Will you meet him?”
”Of course! Is there a point in leaving the castle without meeting my right-hand man?”
”Then, prepare at once.”
Yuri eagerly helped fix my clothes and led me to where Mild was waiting in another tent.
* * *
”You must be Mild Dracul. Thank you for coming so far to see me.”
In the tent guided by Yuri, Mild and others were waiting.
Mild was a man in his thirties with a handsome face and a muscular body, perfect for a soldier.
He looked like someone women would like. His golden hair was cut short like a soldier.
”You are Lord Yaalan… I fell into the trap you set and ended up here. I hope you like the gifts I brought.”
Mild had a confident smile as he looked at me.
He seemed to suggest he saw through this scheme, but if he stayed with Gwain, the same would likely happen to him soon.
”I am very happy with your unexpected gift. To you, Lord Mild, I grant the 3 territories of Footland, Esche, and Helstahl as the head General of my True DemonDukedom. You were a noble born in the Dracul family, so please accept this small land.”
Mild and the others looked shocked with their mouths open.
”What!? Don’t joke! What king makes a newly loyal man the head of the army? And Footland, Esche, and Helstahl are some of the richest lands in the north! Are you making fun of me?”
Mild was very angry and thought I was joking.
”No, I am serious. My True Demon Dukedom army has not had a big war for a long time, and we need a commander. So, I want you to lead the army as head General. I know it will take resources, so I offer you the 3 territories. Are you unhappy?”
”…Are you serious?”
”Yes.”
Mild looked deep into my eyes, trying to see my thoughts.
”Fine. I will take the head General position and the 3 territories. The army can follow my orders, right?”
”You have my trust. By the way, can you start by taking Ilsuka? I’m surrounding it from a distance to avoid heavy losses, but the enemy is very stubborn.”
”That’s easy for me. I’ll use my army… well, I’ll use the True Demon Dukedom army to train.”
Mild quickly asked for a map of the area.
Ilsuka is surrounded by mountains, with only one way to attack, so a big army could not push in, and they were slowly tightening the noose.
I could have just attacked forcefully, but I didn’t want to lose many people and wanted to work on negotiations with Mild and his group.
If Mild has switched sides, there’s no point in laying siege here. We should crush them quickly and move to the 3 territories Mild has taken, aiming to capture Daracallia before Gwain arrives to help.
”How do you plan to attack?”
”We can sneak in as reinforcements. Pull back our siege so the enemy thinks we’ve retreated. We enter the castle and signal at night, then strike all at once. This way, we save time and keep our losses low. But, this plan only works if Lord Yaalan trusts us.”
Mild’s strategy was to break the siege and sneak in as reinforcements, attacking the careless enemy at night.
If it goes well, this plan could make taking the castle easy.
”This seems like a good plan. Let’s break the siege now. Should we send about a thousand soldiers?”
”…Does Lord Yaalan not doubt this? It could backfire!”
”I understand, but I believe Mr. Mild is not that kind of person.”
Mild scratched his short hair, looking troubled.
”Lord Yaalan is not a fool, but maybe too clever. Simple tricks won’t work. Fine, I’ll prove I can trust Lord Yaalan. We’ll attack with 3 hundred men. But let Denise lead, she knows battle better than many officers.”
The blue-haired succubus standing behind Mild gave me a bow.
I heard she’s a former officer, but she seems to have been a soldier for a long time, saluting like a true kingdom soldier.
”You must be Lady Denise. I’ve heard many stories from Yuri. They say you’ve been in the military since you were 8. I’m sure our soldiers will follow your lead gladly.”
”Thank you for your trust. I will do my best!”
Denise pretends she isn’t worried about thirst, but Yuri says she’s scared of getting old and her cravings are strong.
I heard Marte is also scared of her thirst and is trying hard not to be Gwain’s toy.
Both succubi have a lot of experience and are better than those who grew up in the village.
So, I plan to change ownership soon, but I want to check their abilities first.
”Marte, I hear you provided food for my army. Thank you!”
”No, it’s just a little. Please accept it.”
Marte, with her red hair, bows to me.
I heard she was Felia’s assistant before joining the honor guard.
She says she is good at support, and I will let her handle the army’s supply.
”We will prepare a suitable position for you, so please do your best.”
”Y-yes. I will do my best!”
”Alright, let’s get moving quickly!”
So, the strategy Mild suggested begins.
After breaking the siege, 20 men led by Mild enter Ilsuka Fortress, pretending to be Gwain’s reinforcements.
They trick the people inside that help is coming tomorrow.
Then, Denise leads a surprise attack at night with a thousand men, and around 3 hundred break in, successfully taking the fortress and capturing the enemy.
The night attack has only 2 injuries, ending in a complete victory, and the captured nobles from Gwain lose their heads quickly. With the fall of Ilsuka Fortress, all of Gwain’s faction in the True Demon Dukedom is wiped out.
Then, as Mild moves south to control 3 territories, the army grows to 6 thousand. The isolated Daracallia defense team quickly gives up and surrenders, causing Gwain to lose much power and territory.
~New Character~
Claude, a young man from the Majin Clan, was drafted into the army during the Gertroud War.
During the war, he led his unit without following proper rules and gained victories, so he became an officer as a special case.
His fighting style focuses on survival, but within the army, people see him as an outcast.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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