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

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Even the Succubus Queen and Gargoyle Queen, who usually growl at each other, become bound together in a close comrade relationship in at least one aspect.

Both are among the few absolute loyalists to the Demon King within the Demon King’s Army. And in the case of loyalty disputes and public disputes, it’s troublesome if they can’t survive together. The political rivalry between the Gargoyle and Succubus differs fundamentally from the power struggles between the Dragon Lord and the Demon King, where each might think it’s okay for the other to die in battle.

As soon as the Gargoyle Queen learned that the Succubus was in danger, she mobilized an army of 100,000 to launch an immediate attack on the hero’s main force, and this was because of the connection between them.

Of course, there are reasons such as earning political debt or building up merit by saving the Succubus Queen that can be used later. However, fundamentally, if the Succubus Queen doesn’t survive, it becomes troublesome for the Gargoyle Queen as well. To disperse the forces of the Northern Expeditionary Force and save the Demon King’s mother, the Gargoyle Queen had to urgently mobilize her great army to confront the hero.

Naturally, Walter anticipated that Diana would move her army to attempt a diversionary tactic. However, just because he anticipated it didn’t mean he could easily defend against all attacks. Walter mobilized twenty legions of the Empire and four legions from Eramenia to counter it.

Margaret and Bernard both accompanied Walter’s elite forces. Due to the necessity of preparing a reserve army for unexpected situations and the need for an army to be sent with Rose to annihilate the Succubus Queen, Walter couldn’t move with an army exceeding 70,000.

“The movements indicate that the Gargoyle Queen was indeed to the west, and the Succubus Queen flanked us from the east. This battle is going to be tough, Princess Margaret.”

Walter said, tense. Margaret nodded, repeatedly fiddling with the bow in her hands.

“My compatibility with the Gargoyle Queen isn’t good. With the means I have, I find it difficult to hurt her.”

“Don’t worry. The Eramenia army will have its role. Let’s hold our position here. The Elf Corps will command the right flank. We will take care of the left flank and center.”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

The situation became urgent. Walter, in an effort to gain an edge in defense, built a barricade using a shallow stream. However, this stream that couldn’t even be called a river was too shallow and unimpressive to expect any significant losses due to enemy movement. Furthermore, as Walter feared, the Orc legion led by the Gargoyle Queen consisted of local soldiers familiar with the area.

The Demon races knew better than anyone how inconsequential the stream was that the Empire forces had chosen for defense.

As soon as the Orcs entered the range, Walter quickly ordered a firing command. For someone like Walter, who had not completed the formula for decisive victory, quick improvisation was extremely important.

Soon, archers rose from behind the Empire’s shield soldiers and shot arrows at the enemies. He could see the Orcs struck by the arrows falling one after another, but that alone didn’t guarantee any noticeable decrease in enemy numbers.

There were many soldiers under the Gargoyle Queen. If you saw it in person, it was so many that it was pointless to just say there were many.

It was like a wave rushing down from the high ground, an unreal disaster that appeared more bizarre the closer it was. Walter tried to place as many experienced soldiers at the forefront to prevent the formation from collapsing, but the very sight of the Orcs running without any cover or protection already caused disorder within the ranks.

The hero urgently drew the Holy Sword, raising it high into the sky. In a battle like this, if the formation crumbles, it’s all over. If you show fear to the enemy in this fight, there is no hope afterward.

“Bernard, do something!”

“Are you asking me to act against an army of 100,000 Orcs now?”

“You must have prepared something at the stream earlier!”

“You caught that, huh? It was supposed to be a surprise, well, watch!”

While looking at the charging Orcs from aside, Bernard aimed his portable crossbow. While it seemed at first glance that he aimed at the Orcs, a closer look revealed that he was actually pointing at the stream.

“Wait until the vanguard comes over…”

The Empire’s archers kept firing arrows tirelessly, but it was naturally difficult to stop the enemy’s advance with arrows. The Orcs and skeletons quickly approached just before the stream. And once the Orcs crossed that stream, they would immediately clash with the Empire’s shield soldiers.

The leading group of Orcs was already about to reach the stream, which couldn’t even be called a river, and at that moment, Bernard fired the crossbow at the ORC who had jumped into the stream first.

The bolt slightly missed the Orc and plunged straight into the stream. However, the blonde hunter wore an expression that showed no disappointment, as if that had been his intent all along.

And then the stream exploded. The entire long stretch of water surged upwards with a massive roar toward the sky, as if the groundwater lying beneath the surface had exploded all at once.

The Orcs attempting to cross the stream were naturally pierced by the surge of water, spraying blood and dying, and the Orcs rushing from behind hesitated and stopped in their tracks.

Unfortunately, there were no casualties caused by those who were crushed by the speed, but still, during the pause of the enemy, the Empire’s archers could continue to deplete their numbers.

Walter, looking a bit stunned, took off his glasses and blinked.

“What the hell is that? When did you learn magic?”

“It’s a precious item! It’s a transformation scroll trap that I had bought to catch a Kraken. It’s not cheap, so make sure to pay up after the battle.”

“I’ll give whatever amount you ask in gold coins. But is it okay to use such a precious thing now?”

“I’ve already given up when I heard about the battle in Harriet’s Territory. Park Jeongjae and Princess Margaret teamed up but could not deal with the Kraken directly, so that monster should be child’s play for this.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Bernard’s trap indeed delayed the enemy’s advance and provided a shock; however, it was still far from being a decisive blow. The Orcs, who seemed momentarily stunned, resumed their formation and attempted to charge across the watery barrier.

Soon, the armies clashed, and a bloody melee commenced at the front. Walter gestured to Bernard and issued orders.

“Bernard, get to the front line and kill as many of them as you can. But remember, if you want to be paid, come back alive.”

“Is that something that’s going to go according to my will?”

Bernard ran forward, a crossbow in one hand, a short dagger in the other. Walter, after putting on his glasses once more, surveyed the front lines. The first clash occurred, and the legion commanders from this side began issuing orders for active counterattacks.

Winning was important, but equally important was minimizing casualties. The enemy could fight even if that army was annihilated, but if this army suffered significant damage even if they win, they would ultimately lose the war.

It’s easy to win by any means necessary. However, winning without the allies suffering almost any damage is an infinitely more challenging task.

Looking to the right, Walter swung the Holy Sword forward fiercely. Margaret, at the forefront of the Eramenian army, recognized Walter’s intent and ordered a full charge to the Elf Corps.

The powerful infantry of elves cleared the way for the wandering Orcs as they crossed the stream for the first time. Following the elite infantry were archers and then heavy infantry.

At the forefront of them was Margaret, also a commander of the Barlog. The elves’ shots were so accurate and rapid that it almost reminded one of gunfire rather than arrows. With such terrifying support behind them, it was only natural that the Eramenian cavalry and infantry were able to break through at speeds incomparable to the Empire soldiers.

The Eramenian army was strong. Even their weakest infantry could match the strongest of the royal knight brigade.

Their most emotionless heavy infantry possessed knowledge and skills surpassing those of the Empire’s legion commanders.

And even their poorest archers could not compare to the Empire’s best marksmen. The gap in combat power between humans and elves was a matter of racial difference, which is also the reason Walter often muttered, “If only there were one or two more legions of Eramenia…”

And among those elves, the strongest and noblest, Princess Margaret, was at the forefront today, wielding a longsword in one hand and a dagger in the other, crazily charging in and splitting the heads of Orcs. Though she had given one of her beloved longswords as a gift to a magic girl, such a petty issue seemed to have no effect on her combat power.

While the left flank and center didn’t falter, the right flank of the elf troops pushed against the enemy, breaking their formation. This was Walter’s intent from the beginning. The numbers of the enemies were not insignificant. The Empire’s soldiers could barely hold them off; driving them back was beyond hope.

Ultimately, hope lay only with Margaret and the Elf legions. And now that Margaret had penetrated deep into the enemy ranks, the enemy commander had no choice but to respond.

Walter clenched his sword tightly, waiting for any unusual signs to appear from Margaret. Soon, the Gargoyle Queen would reveal herself. There was no way she could continue to hide and watch this fight.

It was then that, among the Orcs, Margaret’s ears perked up as she sensed something and ducked her head.

Something fast whizzed just above the Elf lord’s head. Margaret evaded with instinctive reflexes, but her poor horse did not.

In the blink of an eye, the horse that Margaret was riding lost its head, leaving her mounted on a headless steed. She hastily leaped off the horse before the next wave of attacks hit, equipping blades on both feet. Walter witnessed Bernard, who had been darting around the battlefield, noticing Margaret’s situation and throwing her one of his daggers.

In any case, their coordination was deft. Though Bernard was known for primarily acting as Walter’s second, he had a habit of subtly taking advantage of Margaret’s unique versatility with various types of weapons.

With one of the longswords she used being given to Jenis, Margaret couldn’t possibly use her own style of swordsmanship without borrowing a dagger from Bernard.

Without saying a word of thanks, Margaret caught Bernard’s knife in one hand and as if to reciprocate with action, swept the Gargoyle Queen’s wings with her blade, diverting her attention to herself.

As the Gargoyle Queen turned her focus to Margaret, the duel between the two commanders began. In the midst of the fierce battlefield, the elf cavalry and the Orcs alike did not intervene in their clash. In fact, it would be more accurate to say they couldn’t intervene. Just when an elf infantryman seemed ready to jump in and assist Margaret, the Gargoyle Queen’s careless punch crushed his skull, killing him.

This shocking scene should have been especially devastating to the Eramenian forces, who had experienced very few casualties even in the fiercest battles.

No matter how noble one might be, they weren’t abnormally stronger, so Margaret did her utmost to avoid being hit by any of the Gargoyle Queen’s attacks. After deflecting the opponent’s strikes twice, Margaret broke the blade of her dagger and ultimately had to rely on Bernard to supply her with weapons twice due to her speedy movements.

The blades made with the fairies’ exquisite craftsmanship inflicted considerable wounds on the Gargoyle Queen’s body but did not deal significant damage that could threaten her life or impede her movements.

Certainly, if one were to judge by the number of hits scored, Margaret was superior over the Gargoyle Queen, who hadn’t landed a single hit while inflicting wounds on the opponent’s body over ten times.

However, the fact that even grazing a single blow could effectively kill the opponent meant the Gargoyle Queen held an overwhelmingly favorable position.

The intense duel stretched over fifteen minutes. With Margaret’s movements stagnating, the elves could not push the enemy back across the stream, and in this ambiguous situation, the stalemate persisted for ten minutes.

Time flowed like a single second in that situation. Walter watched nervously, keeping his grip on his sword, while observing the duel between the Gargoyle Queen and the Elf lord. He had suspected the enemy’s flag to be a decoy and began to think he should have left Rose here and sent Margaret to the east, but due to command authority issues with the Eramenia army, such a decision was not easily made.

Furthermore, if Walter’s calculations were correct, the enemy still had one final trump card left. This was the very reason he was trembling with anxiety yet did not sprint into action himself while judging that Margaret would be better off fighting on the west than Rose.

In the end, just as Walter ponders that it would be difficult to eliminate Margaret before the tides turned, the Gargoyle Queen brought out her trump card.

The roar of a beast cutting through the air resonated. A white dragon flew towards the sky.

With magical armor covering its entire body, Etrias the White Dragon soared into the air to join the fray.