Side: Seraria
I couldn't very well sit comfortably at home sipping tea during the siege of the Demon King's Castle. So, I joined the main camp last night and am now standing right before the gates of the enemy's castle town.
Now then, judging by the reports from Eris and my husband, the ones stationed at the first gate are supposedly the peaceful faction. It would be a huge help if they simply opened the gates for us thanks to Liliana's internal collusion, but we'll see.
I hear they're being closely watched from behind to prevent any betrayal, and the enemy has even set up a petty fire trap to burn everyone together if we breach the first gate. How should we make our move? We've brainstormed a lot of strategies in advance, but since Elju is the Supreme Commander of this Allied Army, forcing my opinion through would be an abuse of authority and look like a sister throwing her weight around.
"Well, what should we do?"
"Let's see..."
"For now, wouldn't it be best to wait for word from Liliana-dono's inside contact?"
"Considering the future, we must minimize casualties and avoid launching a reckless assault."
The other allied army leaders were exchanging opinions, but none seemed eager to attack aggressively.
Well, that makes sense. Even if we break through the castle town gate, we'd lose troops, and the real target — the Demon King's castle — still lies ahead. They want to preserve their forces.
"Well, there's no point in us discussing it among ourselves. Let's ask Elju for her opinion. She is the supreme commander of the allied army, after all."
When Lowelle said that, all eyes turned to Elju.
"Elju-sama, everyone is seeking your opinion."
"Eh? Ah... thank you, Oriel."
Ara? Was she focused on something?
She didn't even notice all the eyes on her.
What was she concentrating on before Oriel spoke to her?
"Yes. As everyone says, to successfully capture the Demon King's castle later, we must minimize unnecessary sacrifices here as much as possible."
Everyone nodded at Elju's words.
"However, even if we just stand here, the enemy won't come out. Unless we attack, the situation won't change. Also, I just received a message from the person Liliana-san sent for the internal revolt."
"Oh? What does it say?"
"It's about the current defense of the castle town gate. As you all know, the castle town gate has double walls and double doors for strong defense. I believe this was built because this area is a powerful monster habitat, allowing the demon race to defend it properly. During our meeting, the consensus was that breaking through the gate is the fastest way to capture it. The first gate of this castle town gate — meaning the outer one we are trying to break through now — is currently being defended by people whose families are being held hostage by the Demon King."
"What...? How despicable."
"Yes. But there's even worse news. From the second gate, the Demon King's direct subordinates are watching with bows ready. If there is betrayal or defeat, they plan to activate the fire trap set on the gate and burn us all together."
"Spoken like a true Demon King... What scum."
I see, I see. So she chose to disclose the gathered intel.
Well, since there's a trap involved, failing to keep it in mind could get our troops caught up in it, so it's a sensible choice. If it were up to me, I'd say leave the first gate alone and just storm the second one.
"That is the current defensive state of the first gate. Furthermore, our inside contact has sent a request detailing the action they wish for us to take."
"What kind of action?"
"Yes. They want us to stage a fierce, aggressive assault. Once the intense attack begins, the surveillance on them should slacken. They plan to use that window to throw open the gates for us and disable the fire trap."
"Hm... I see. But if they open the gate only for us to be ambushed inside and then subjected to fire attacks and a rain of arrows, it would amount to a meaningless death, would it not?"
"Are you saying you cannot trust Lilianna-dono's friend, Crack-dono?"
"No, that is not what I mean. I am simply saying that since they are the type of scum to use fellow demons as shields, they might have seen through the plot... or if they notice any strange behavior, they might intend to wipe out both sides at once."
"That possibility certainly exists..."
True. There's no absolute guarantee of success, so we definitely need to remain cautious. As long as a fire trap is set up, all it takes is for one person to light a match.
—As the group stood there agonizing over the dilemma, my husband took a step forward.
Since he's a military advisor, he generally doesn't speak up during leadership councils unless it directly affects the progress or safety of the army. Lowelle's advisor, Higil, stood right beside him in a similar fashion... Oh, look at that, it seems these two have been plotting something on the sly.
"May I offer a proposal?"
"Onii-sama... by all means, go ahead. Do you have a clever plan?"
Pfft!?
T-That was close... I nearly burst out laughing!
Right, to Elju, my husband would indeed be her brother-in-law.
Since she's only ever called him 'Yuki-san' before, hearing her call him that felt incredibly bizarre. But regardless of how things are inside Weed, this is the middle of an Allied coalition camp; she can't exactly address my husband casually.
"Yes. After consulting with Higil-dono, we believe we should play along with the proposal from Liliana-sama's friend, but launch our own separate operation simultaneously."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I shall explain the details. May I speak?"
"Please, Higil-dono."
"Thank you. The key point to focus on here is that our ultimate objective is to defeat the Demon King in his castle. In other words, we do not strictly have to breach this particular West Gate."
"Then do we move to the South Gate instead? That feels like a waste of effort, Higil."
"No, General Lowelle, it is not. The important thing to consider is why they are defending the gates in the first place."
"Ah, I see. The gates are the key defensive nodes meant to prevent an army from marching upon the Demon King's Castle."
"Precisely, Crack-dono. Meaning, even if the West Gate where we stand holds, if any of the other gates—North, South, or East—fall, their entire defensive line becomes completely meaningless."
"In short, you mean we should launch offensives against the other gates as well?"
"Yes. That will force the enemy to divide their forces whether they like it or not, and even the mere hint of our movement will compel them to allocate troops elsewhere. It also serves to prevent the enemy from forming a separate detachment from another gate to strike our rear."
"True. If we focus entirely on the West Gate, it wouldn't be surprising if a flanking unit emerged from elsewhere. It would be prime real estate for an ambush."
"Therefore, I suggest sending five hundred men each to the North, South, and East gates to act as sentries. If feasible, have them attempt to capture the gates to rattle the enemy. The likelihood of fire traps being prepared at the other gates is low, as doing so would, in the worst-case scenario, trap the defenders inside."
"Agreed. Furthermore, trying to submerge areas housing gates of this size into a sea of fire would require an absurd amount of oil. It's highly unlikely they've prepared fire traps for every single gate, even if they managed it for one."
"It would be best to timing the launch of our assault on the West Gate after the detachments heading for the other gates have departed. That way, our inside contact can make their move, and if a fire trap does come, we can simply retreat out of the gate normally. Of course, since it would be disastrous if they pulled any cheap tricks at the gate itself, we should form a gate-defense unit tasked with securing the area and disabling any mechanisms. That concludes my proposal."
With that, Higil and my husband stepped back.
I see. Normally, launching simultaneous attacks from multiple directions is a tactic reserved for when you heavily outnumber the opponent and have troops to spare. If you spread your military strength too thin, your chances of losing skyrocket.
But in this specific instance, the enemy at the West Gate is utilizing the peaceful faction as a frontline shield while monitoring them. They can't easily reduce their surveillance, and if an army moves toward the other gates, they'll have to scramble to respond, which will naturally slacken their watch over the peaceful faction.
In their attempt to gather a large number of troops to monitor a potential betrayal, they've essentially tied a noose around their own necks.
"I support Higil-dono's strategy. If the diversion succeeds, it will make the internal collusion much easier to execute and minimize our casualties."
Just like Elju, no one else had any objections. Units tasked with both the diversion and breaching the other gates were immediately formed and began their march.
Coordinating with their departure, our main force initiated the assault on the First West Gate. Unless my husband relies on weaponry that defies the common sense of this world, attacks on gates and walls boil down to using archers to suppress the enemy atop the ramparts while infantry swarms the gate to force it open. They were placing ladders against the walls as well, but it was a standard back-and-forth. Since this was a staged performance, we couldn't just recklessly force our way inside.
"Dear, what do you think will happen with the inside plot?"
"Hmm. I want it to succeed, but the enemy's surveillance is a bit too tight right now."
"Well, considering a betrayal already occurred at the barrier, that's only natural."
"Yeah. But since we sent detachments to the other gates, the enemy's numbers are scattering nicely. Look."
With that, my husband showed me a dungeon monitor.
Since this area is already under the dungeon's jurisdiction, we can monitor everything in real-time just like in Weed. Honestly, when you have access to this much information, it's harder to lose than it is to win.
"Oh, people are gathering at the gates. The forces at the second gate are dispersing quite a bit. Will it open soon?"
"It looks like the diversion went well. Now it's just a matter of how we evade the fire trap."
As we watched the monitor, the gate began to swing open from the inside. Up on the ramparts, soldiers could be seen waving white flags to welcome us.
"Alright, notify all units!! Advance into the gate, but do not forget to look out for mechanisms and prepare for the fire trap!!"
"""OHHHH!!!"""
The heavily armored Gartz units led by Lowelle charged in first to clear the path, acting on the strategy that even if a trap was sprung, Gartz could successfully hold the line and retreat.
Following them, Roshure units moved in to eliminate hostile forces within the gate area, Rithea provided support, and the Weed units pushed straight ahead to capture the second gate.
Now then, I wonder how long the second gate will last. Eris should be making her move soon as well; I'm looking forward to seeing how it unfolds.
