I Planned a Su*cide Mission and Got Kicked Out of the Party

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The time has come when countermeasures against the cold are necessary. The central northern region of the continent, which the Walter House is gradually swallowing, is not as perpetually frigid as the territory of the Dragon Lord or the directly governed territory of the Demon King, but during this time of year, the winter boasts significant cold and heavy snowfall.

Fortunately, Walter had predicted he would need to endure winter on the battlefield, so he had prepared cold-weather gear in advance and could provide it to the soldiers at the appropriate time. Although he had to use the fur saved for research purposes, as there wasn’t enough to make enough clothing, the fur of dead demon tribe members was just a bit unpleasant but not particularly harmful to the body.

Walter approached Phineas as he observed the sight of tens of thousands of soldiers dressed in cold-weather clothing.

“I think the elves do not require specific measures against the cold.”

Walter said with a hint of envy. Phineas, who had taken command of the four elf legions in place of Margaret, turned his head to glance at the elves’ encampment.

The elves were spending their time maintaining their weapons or engaging in their hobbies, all dressed just like any regular day. Phineas turned back to Walter and replied.

“Our kind cannot truly distinguish between winter with thick ice and summer with soaring temperatures that even warm-blooded creatures can hardly endure. At least not by skin.”

“Romantic poets might argue that it’s not necessarily a good thing, but honestly, I only envy how the burden of supply for the commanders is lessened.”

Phineas let out a hearty laugh at Walter’s candidness.

“Indeed. I cannot deny it. No matter what tools they are given or what environment they are thrown into, it is the elves’ specialty to manage their share. Being somewhat dull with the flow of time, it may be tragic that we cannot feel seasonal changes well, but we are not so sentimental as to say such things when facing an enemy directly before us.”

Phineas Marblelius, having served as a direct subordinate to King Richard, was now fulfilling the role of commanding Margaret’s troops. In terms of military experience, he was even a veteran longer than Margaret.

However, unlike pure high elf Margaret, who descended from royal bloodlines, he was an ordinary fairy, making it impossible to compare natural talent with Margaret, especially since the elves’ decades-old isolationist policies had left them without extensive combat experience.

However, starting from around the age of a mere 100, and being a divine knight serving Margaret, who advocated for Eramenia’s active role in the continent’s affairs, he had a considerably friendly attitude toward humans, a major reason for his active service in this war.

“Honestly, I wish we could see more fairies on the battlefield. It would be really helpful.”

“Indeed, I don’t think my thoughts greatly differ from yours…”

Phineas shook his head. Not everyone in Eramenia agreed with King Richard’s opinion and supported isolationism. Margaret’s voice holds considerable appeal and influence within the kingdom; even the King, who often shows a gentle and weak side to his daughter, increasingly grants her more autonomy rather than actively rejecting or suppressing her opinions.

The elves, after undergoing countless tragedies, are believed to have fully overcome the internal strife. However, that does not mean there are no political conflicts within the elven kingdom. The battle between the expansionists and the disarmament factions in the Imperial Assembly is as fierce as the dispute between Eramenia’s isolationist faction and the interventionist faction.

Among them, there are many elves who argue that Richard’s policies interfere excessively with human affairs, insisting that Margaret’s directly governed legions be recalled and switch to limited supplies.

Of course, there are also extreme factions claiming that we should mobilize additional forces of at least 15 legions to advance north, in order to ensure total victory over the Demon King’s Army, in numbers that border on the unrealistic.

“Eramenia is a great nation, but it does not have a larger population than the Empire. The current deployment of four legions is, in some sense, truly the result of being squeezed dry.”

“Ah, I understand. I’m not trying to be burdensome. Truly.”

It’s difficult to statistically trust the population estimates from the Audrich Empire’s census, as the results vary each time, but Walter estimates the total population of the Empire to be around 6 million.

Even while nearly collapsing the Empire’s economy to maintain a standing army, the numbers barely reach 30 legions of infantry, totaling about 100,000 troops. Of course, this is just the number for the central army; when counting the total forces maintained by local lords within the Southern Alliance, an additional 25,000 can be expected. However, these 25,000 troops often include many local militia who primarily engage in agriculture, thereby making it impossible to purely compare them one-on-one to Walter’s House or Koesernis House forces.

On the other hand, Eramenia maintains a fairly constant population of about 200,000, which is quite small in comparison. Elves, by natural law, do not often bear many children. Nevertheless, they do not suffer particularly from a shortage of children. The population in Eramenia remains almost consistently stable. Whether this is a manifestation of species-specific willpower or if Eramenia’s magical forest only sustains elves who can optimally utilize its resources, it is impossible to tell; however, this is the genuine situation.

Elves do have an advantage in military operations as they do not require much labor-intensive work like agriculture. The forest provides an abundance, allowing elves to develop advanced skills in refining resources such as steel, gems, and precious metals, as well as high-level techniques like leather crafting and papermaking using wood from the forest.

Elves grow at a similar pace to humans but do not age much thereafter, allowing for significantly long and powerful periods of physical activity. Moreover, there are many cases where women’s physical abilities are not vastly inferior to men’s, leading to a disproportionately high ratio of women serving in the military compared to men.

With all these circumstances supporting them, the extreme factions in Eramenia assert that the elven kingdom can maintain a standing army of up to 100,000, which is half the population. The most radical claims suggest increasing Eramenia’s standing forces to 30 legions, with 15 legions sent north and 15 legions for defense of the forest.

For Walter, it’s a proposal that he would wholeheartedly welcome, but the reality is not that simple.

“Regardless, the maximum forces our country can maintain is limited to 40,000. Even that is merely one-fifth of the population, so it’s not exactly a small number.”

Phineas explained. Walter nodded in agreement with a look of understanding.

“I also understand that the most Margaret can command is up to four legions. After all, a daughter cannot manage more troops than her father.”

“Indeed. I can’t help but think how nice it would be to have at least two or three more legions, but I am just a mere soldier.”

“This isn’t exactly a long-lasting occupation.”

“In the midst of such a wretched war, there really are no words that better describe this occupation.”

Just then, a fairy on horseback rushed into the vicinity of the elven encampment where the two were walking. The rider was a young black-haired elf who seemed to be searching for someone to report to, scanning the area before rushing toward Walter and Phineas.

“General! And Hero!”

“What’s the matter? Is it a reconnaissance report?”

Phineas asked in a calm tone. The returning elf, who had gone on reconnaissance, nodded and replied.

“I just completed my exploration. The position of the enemy legion has finally been identified. They have once again set up a stronghold in the middle of a hill. From the looks of it, it seems there are quite a number of them.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Walter took a map of the surrounding terrain out of his pocket and said. Upon receiving Walter’s map and a piece of graphite, the elf realized the hero’s intentions without further explanation and marked a point on the map.

“This is it. I have firmly noted this in my head, so there’s no mistake.”

Walter and Phineas confirmed the location marked by the scout on the map together. Walter tilted his head.

“That’s not too far from here. It’s only about 15 km away.”

“That distance can be covered in a single day by cavalry. If the enemy numbers are manageable, I would love to borrow some knights and smash them alongside our cavalry.”

The hill where the enemy is stationed was not especially high, leading them to judge that if the numbers weren’t excessive, it would be worth attempting a surprise attack. However, the expression of the scout, having listened to the two generals, suddenly froze.

“But according to what I saw, they were not manageable numbers.”

“Not manageable numbers?”

Phineas questioned.

“How many were there that made it so?”

Walter chimed in. The elf cavalry clenched their lips and nodded.

“There were at least 200,000. They appeared to be not the troops we had driven off but rather orc marauders gathered from the surroundings.”

“The local populace here won’t be easy to get by.”

Most commanders would assume that the term ‘marauder’ indicates a lackluster combat capability, but Walter thought differently. The hero had always kept a watchful eye, knowing that under similar circumstances, the native demon tribes within the territory of the Demon King might rise up with arms to defend their lands.

In Walter’s combat strategy, information supremacy is essential. However, gaining a geographical and territorial advantage against native orcs is close to impossible. No matter how excellent his reconnaissance might be, aided by his glasses.

“We must encircle them and wipe them out. Even though these are mere marauders, once assembled, they will be drilled under the Demon King’s banner. It’s insufficient just to push them back. We have no choice but to surround them and squash them until the blood runs dry.”

Phineas stated coldly. Walter thought there was some truth to his words, but he couldn’t just agree blindly either.

“But how? The enemy outnumbers us over twofold; while encirclement is not impossible, it will be quite difficult. The enemy also has the capability to mobilize another 300,000 from elsewhere if we kill 200,000 of theirs. But for us humans, even if a thousand soldiers die, we will be restless since we cannot replace them in time.”

“So, do you intend to just sit back and watch, Walter Hellhound?”

“At the very least, we must hope for something dramatic to change. This is not a situation that can be resolved with one or two legions. It’s true we must tie things up before their numbers swell, but our current forces… No, even if Princess Margaret and Rose were to return…”

“Hey, Hero!”

Just then, a fairy with dark skin and golden hair, dressed noticeably differently with layers of fur, was waving at Walter as she hurried over. Upon seeing Bernard, Walter furrowed his brow.

“It would be better if you dressed appropriately, Bernard. If you waddle around like that on the battlefield, you won’t get another chance.”

“Goodness, is it your habit to curse as soon as you see me? But this isn’t the time for that. Two people have returned. Princess Margaret and Princess Rose! You must have been waiting desperately for their strength!”

At Bernard’s words, Walter’s face slightly brightened. It seemed that after three months, Walter’s face had become the color of a person who hadn’t gone to the bathroom for only a week.

Seeing Bernard grinning, Walter couldn’t help but ask.

“Why do you look even happier than I do?”

“Isn’t it because I no longer have to listen to your whining all day long! I’m seriously considering your proposal for the biography as well.”

“Oh? What? Are you planning to record the adventures and pass them down to posterity?”

“Absolutely! I feel a strong urge to confess how the world’s hero lived like a petty squabbler! Now, if that’s settled, I’ll head out to meet Princess Rose! I’ll take my leave now!”

As Walter placed a serious look on his face and laid a hand on Bernard’s shoulder, Bernard turned his head slightly.

“Bernard.”

“What is it?”

“A proper biographer must embellish the lacking parts. It’s part of the job duty.”

“Did you put your hand on my shoulder just to say that? Let go, let go!”

Bernard seemed to run off as if trying to escape from Walter. Even with the weight of his furs, he still managed to race away, slightly waddling as he did. Walter chose not to pursue him.

Phineas spoke to Walter.

“Regardless, it is a good thing that camaraderie among comrades flows well. There is no place where friends are as important as on the battlefield.”

“Friends, comrades, yes, that is true.”

Walter mumbled.

“To be honest, it’s not that I wouldn’t want a friend to be present right now. If that person’s here, it would make things much easier in the present moment. With him assisting while leading these forces, I wouldn’t be afraid to face those 200,000 enemies.”

Since his words were almost like talking to himself, Phineas chose not to respond. Walter quietly concluded his murmurs.

“But if I were to call him now, I would have to walk through a thorny path at the most critical moment.”