Chapter 79 - Premonition
Having succeeded in containing the Demon Lord's army, the Royal Capital of Sertoria was beginning to regain the vitality it had before the Demon Lord's resurrection. Half of the six thousand troops of the Kingdom's Central Army had not yet returned. The money flowing into surrounding industries had decreased, but as a substitute, businesses had been dispatched to the various fortresses surrounding the Demon Lord's army to continue operations, so they were managing somehow.
Of course, the burden on the national treasury was significant, and it could hardly be said that the economy had been rebuilt. However, with the direct threat significantly reduced, an optimistic trend was spreading among the people.
Above all, the King, who had been continuously taking command at the front lines, had returned to the royal palace. It was only natural to think that the worst was over.
In the royal palace of Sertoria, several of the King's close associates met in the audience chamber's waiting room, coinciding with General Victor, the Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom Army, being summoned from the front lines.
The King, Chancellor Evans, General Victor, and Harris, the Secretary to the Archbishop of the Royal Capital, sat around a table, while Hughes, the Captain of the Royal Guard, stood near the door with his service cap tucked under his arm.
"Sorry for the trouble, Victor."
"No, don't worry about it. More importantly, has something happened, given that even Harris is here?"
Half-interrupting the King's apology, he looked at the face of Harris, who was wearing the red ritual vestments that signified an official visit. The Church does not interfere in administration. Normally, they rarely meet at the royal palace.
"I'll explain the reason for Harris being here later. More importantly, have you read the report from Roberts?"
"Yeah. It seems Gargoyles carried Orcs. This is no simple matter."
"Is there a way to prevent it?"
"If the enemy is numerous, yes. As long as we can find them, we can respond. If they disperse in small groups and attack villages all over the place, there's no way to prevent it."
Victor spread his hands as if to say he was at his wit's end.
"Will they really come to attack?"
Chancellor Evans, who was deep in thought with his elbows on the table and his chin resting on his folded hands, spoke as if to himself. His expression lacked his trademark smile.
"Are you saying they won't?"
Victor knew, of course, that Evans was not a man who spoke on a mere whim. Even knowing that, he couldn't help but turn a sharp gaze toward him.
Evans straightened his posture and gave a single nod.
"Even if they attack in small groups, if we dispatch garrison troops, we can suppress them. In other words, total annihilation is inevitable for the opponent as well. Since there's no point in occupying if they can't maintain it."
"That's true, but what we protect is people, not land. There's no point in reinforcements arriving after everyone has been slaughtered."
"That's true, but would they go out of their way to attack knowing they'll eventually be wiped out?"
"If it were a normal army, yes. The opponent is monsters. They might move solely for the purpose of killing people."
Evans's words, which tended toward an objective tone, sometimes sounded calculating. Even knowing this, Victor, being the straightforward type, deliberately spoke in a way that served as a warning.
"In the records so far, specifically regarding the Demon Lord's army, there have been no such cases. It seems even the Demon Lord's army seeks some kind of profit, rather than just killing humans."
"Stored food or weapons? Monsters that do not practice agriculture must rely on hunting as their means of survival. It's not impossible that they would target human villages for that. Killing people and plundering. Like bandits."
"In other words, there's no need to protect the entire territory twenty-four hours a day, right?"
That was the main point. He likely said it so that all participants would understand. Finally, Victor understood. It was almost the same as his own thinking.
"The times to be wary are the harvest season and winter. And the regions adjacent to the forests where the remnants of the Demon Lord's army dwell. The Royal Capital region can be excluded since the Demon Lord subjugation army is stationed there. The Eastern Plains should also be fine. Lately, the Eastern Plains Corps has been launching attacks on the Northeastern Forest."
"So the problem is the three regions: Nakanohara, Western Plains, and Uminohara?"
Likely picturing a map in his head, the King looked slightly upward and was counting on his fingers.
"Among them, in the Western Plains, one cannot reach the agricultural lands without passing through the mining district. In Uminohara, the coastal towns are close to the mountainous areas. In other words, early detection is possible."
"Which leaves only Nakanohara?"
"Most likely."
The King looked at Evans's face, then at Victor's. Victor also nodded. Their opinions matched even without having discussed it. There was likely no mistake.
"Regarding that Nakanohara, have you read Lord Roberts's other report?"
Evans turned back to Victor and asked.
"Yeah, the one about the possibility that those monsters were being controlled by someone."
"Hughes should be more familiar with that."
He looked at Hughes, the Captain of the Royal Guard, who was standing by the door.
"There is a monster tamer in Nakanohara."
Hughes began to speak in fragments.
"The man who uses something called Subordination, right?"
In place of Hughes, who was not good at speaking at length, Victor followed up to keep the conversation going. It had always been like this. Hughes's thoughts had been clarified through conversations with one of his comrades.
The information the group gathered through the conversation between the two was as follows:
• It was likely the priests of the Ruined Town who raised the monster tamer.
• The one approaching the King of Engrio is Servetus, the chairman of the council of the Ruined Town.
• If one uses Forbidden Magic, they can learn to mimic others' magic.
• There is a possibility that multiple monster tamers are controlling monsters.
As they listened to Hughes's information, which he likely obtained at the cost of quite a few casualties, everyone's expressions changed. Something serious was happening in Engrio.
"Can we predict when they will attack Nakanohara?"
The King was feigning composure, but his mouth was tight, and he stared at Hughes as if to pierce through him. It was already assumed they would attack. He was slightly lacking in calmness.
"It can be predicted by the movements of the Engrio army."
The King and the General leaned forward.
"There is no sign of them moving north right now. They will likely go west."
Here, the King's mouth finally relaxed.
"If they attack the west, it will be during the dead of winter. There will be no northward movement until spring."
Finally, the tension in the room eased. Monster food supplies would be depleted during the winter. The conditions would be harsh, but there were plans to launch an offensive against the remnants of the Demon Lord's army. And Evans had reported that surviving this winter safely would be a sign of economic recovery.
"In other words, from spring onward, if we monitor Engrio's movements, we can also predict the movements of the remnants of the Demon Lord's army, right?"
When Evans confirmed this, Hughes nodded slowly.
"Victor. What do you think? Engrio will go west at least for the winter; if they attack after that?"
"At the earliest, the end of summer."
Hearing Victor's reply, Evans straightened his posture toward the King.
"Shall we decide to think of some counter-proposal for this matter by spring? It's likely impossible for wild monsters to team up with Gargoyles. And let's issue a warning to the two countries to the west."
"Very well."
The King breathed a sigh of relief.
"Victor. It will be tough during the winter, but do your best. I'll also make an appearance."
"Sorry about that. If Your Majesty comes, the soldiers will be pleased."
A difficult problem had been postponed, but it was confirmed that an emergency situation had been avoided.
The next item was what could be called good news.
"Regarding the report from the Eastern Plains Jaeger Corps, a new tactic was created during the joint operation between Nakanohara and the Eastern Plains in the Northeastern Forest."
Evans regained his usual smiling face.
"I read that too. It seems they attacked monsters by using catapults to launch jars filled with holy water and stones inscribed with magic circles."
Victor's previous tension was gone as he laughed and reached for the wine placed on the table.
"What do you think, Victor? Could it be used by the subjugation army as well?"
"We need quantity. First, we rain down jars filled with holy water to drive away nearby enemies. After that, if we keep sending in divine attack magic circles with catapults while advancing with loud shouts, the monsters will have no choice but to retreat. If we line up the magic circles, they can also be used for defense. The problem is the cost. After all, things related to holy magic are expensive."
Here, Victor realized the reason why Harris, the Archbishop's Secretary, was showing his face.
"Gather those who can draw magic circles in the army. We can't discount the price of the magic circles, but we can dispatch those who can use intermediate or higher holy magic for just travel and food expenses. They can just imbue the magic on the front lines. Of course, as a policy of the Church."
"That's quite generous."
"However, we will charge the regular fee for the consecration of holy water."
"How much was that?"
"Five gold coins for a large barrel."
"That should be enough for one offensive. However, it will add up quite a bit for the entire winter offensive."
Here, a smile appeared on Harris's lips.
"If the conversation were only this far, there would be no need for me to take off my hat here. I'll show you something good."
He took a piece of parchment from his breast pocket and handed it to Victor.
"This is a list of unaffiliated priests living in the Royal Capital region. Of course, it's limited to those who can use high-level holy magic and can perform the consecration of holy water. There are five of them. They are former Church priests or people employed by the wealthy. If you hire some of them as mercenaries, it will be cheaper."
Victor's eyes widened. Wouldn't that be a betrayal of the Church?
"Don't worry. It doesn't violate any Church policies. After all, when the economy is this bad, donations to the Church also decrease. Please drive away the monsters with gusto and improve the economy of the Royal Capital."
He was smirking.
Seeing that expression, Victor tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
"No, how should I put it... you're quite dark."
When he accidentally let that slip, laughter leaked from everyone. Even Hughes was looking down.
"Dark is fine. Monsters are the enemies of the Church. We don't participate in conflicts between humans, but for monster extermination, we use both the front and the back."
Victor stared intently at Harris's face as he laughed fearlessly, then looked at the King.
"Victor. I'll leave the hiring of mercenaries to you. Hire them as cheaply as possible."
While everyone harmoniously sipped their wine, Victor alone stared at the parchment.