Volume 14 Chapter 35 The True Demon Dukedom Moves
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Young Repulus was so worked up by my surprise attack that he started combat himself.
”Hey! Rookie! If you’re in charge of the army, order your troops to surrender at once! Otherwise, there’s gonna be a massive waste of lives! Do you want your soldiers to die in vain?”
”Shut up! There’s no way I’m taking orders from a scavenger like you!”
The giant and the spearmen skillfully took down our soldiers one after another. Seeing the sacrifices mount, I instructed my men to force the surrendering soldiers at sword point.
”Don’t cause any more trouble! If you keep this up, I’ll cut down the soldiers!”
Repulus and his men were overwhelmed and subdued by the sheer number of soldiers when they saw the surrendering troops with swords to their throats, their sword arms growing dull.
”You cowards! Are you still calling yourselves warriors?!”
Captured, Repulus spat insults at me, but it felt like the distant barking of a dog without its master. With a glance, I turned back to Malte and Dunez.
”For now, we’ll take Felward Fortress and move out ahead of the main force to pursue Kent and Shifa’s troops.”
”How many men should we leave at Felward Fortress? There are about 3 thousand surrendered soldiers…”
”Five hundred should do. Even if we have 3 thousand prisoners, they’re all injured. That should be enough.”
”Understood. I’ll have the selection made promptly.”
As we were discussing the future, a guard who had been standing at the main gate rushed into the square in a panic.
”General Mild! It’s an emergency! A messenger from the True Demon Kingdom’s army led by Shifa has just arrived, reporting the death of Arbalest and Shifa’s retreat. The True Demon Kingdom’s army was cut off by Margrave South District and annihilated by a surprise attack from ‘another world monsters’ and beast monsters. They’re retreating towards Felward Fortress as we speak!”
The flustered guard reported without bowing, and without reprimanding him, I took in the contents of the report.
”So Shifa is retreating this way. That’s good to hear. I’ll gather the Armor Helmets from the Eastern Garuda Principality right away and capture Shifa.”
”Dooneys, Malte, mission change. Immediately, listen for the Armor Helmets of the Eastern Garuda Principality, and bring one officer with you. Capture Shifa and the key people.”
”You really enjoy this, huh? Well, I admit, fewer sacrifices is a good thing.”
”Dooneys. You just want to fight, right? If you want combat, you can have as much as you want when we face the Margrave South District. But right now, it’s time to execute General Mild’s plan.”
”Yeah, yeah. I’ll find an officer.”
”I’ll gather the military uniforms. About a thousand should be enough, right?”
”That should be fine. That’s enough. It’s just a welcoming force. We don’t want to look suspicious.”
”Understood.”
As Malte and Dooneys ran off, I also moved to select soldiers.
* * *
A few hours later, with night fully falling and darkness enveloping the area, I could still spot a few torches flickering in the distance. There were a few hundred of them, and as they retreated, it seemed like the army had lost its formation. Slowly, the torches got closer, and when we signaled them with our own torches, their pace slowed. Then, right before us, Shifa appeared with a pale face, wearing the Demon Lord’s Armor Helmet, allegedly taken from the royal castle. Behind him, a woman who had been an Arbalest guard, now hollow-eyed and drained of life, followed him.
The number of the retreating True Demon Kingdom army was about a thousand, and the rest seemed to have scattered.
”You saved me… I must keep my promise to Arbalest. Once I organize the scattered troops, I must send reinforcements to Kent.”
After removing his helmet, Shifa seemed completely relaxed, like any other soldier or general who had been spared. I immediately circled behind him and locked his joints, pressing my sword against his neck.
”Don’t resist! The True Demon Dukedom army has taken Demon Lord Shifa into custody! If you show resistance, we’ll kill the Demon Lord! Drop your weapons now!”
Caught off guard, Shifa and the soldiers who followed him lost their chance to resist and threw their weapons to the ground.
”Dammit!! Like the old man said, we should’ve killed Yaalan first!! The fact that you’re here means Felward Fortress has already fallen, right?!”
The man with the vicious look snaps back. He’s probably one of Arbalest’s trusted men, a bureaucrat named Quenelra.
”You’re surprisingly sharp. That’s right. Felward Fortress has already fallen, and by tomorrow morning, Sir Yaalan’s main force from the True Demon Dukedom will arrive. Until then, we’ll be holding you in Bind.”
”Didn’t Yaalan declare he wouldn’t move for the extermination campaign? That’s why he was stationed in the rear. To move now and capture us, his allies, is utterly shameless!”
Shifa, captured and furious, protests, but Sir Yaalan never said he wouldn’t fight. He had positioned himself in the rear, ready to join the battle once the situation favored them and victory seemed assured.
Thanks to the efforts of the kings and Kent’s group, the threat of ‘another world monsters’ causing a beast monster outbreak is fading. The scales are tipping in humanity’s favor, and now it’s time for us to join the fight, secure victory, and lay the foundation for future generations.
”I don’t think so. We’re not here on a charity mission, so once we can read the tide of battle, we’ll surely take action to claim our victory.”
”Those idiots! Apologize to the Heroes who’ve died!”
”The dead can neither move the country nor govern the people. Will you, Lord Shifa, join them? Luckily, this battle will be fierce, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Your Majesty the Demon Lord falls in battle…”
”Tch! Coward!”
Shifa glared at me, but then seemed to give up, as the soldiers tied him up and took him to Felward Fort. The remaining soldiers didn’t put up any resistance, so we decided to head back to Felward Fort.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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