NOVEL NEXT Chapter 59
The sun was neither fully bright nor completely set, a vague twilight. Looking at the approaching black army, Walter thought it was good that he had an early dinner. No matter how much of a hero one was, fighting on an empty stomach was unappealing.
A hungry general not only lacked power but also had his nerves frayed. More terrifying than not being able to fight properly was the situation where one, due to frayed nerves, took out their frustrations on those around them.
Standing atop the fortress walls, Walter adjusted his binoculars to confirm the number of approaching legions and their commander. A total of seven legions. Their troops numbered roughly around 20,000.
In terms of numbers, the orcs positioned at the center made up half, while the remaining half consisted of various mixed units. On the flanks, many shadow knights and winged succubi were visible, likely planning to quickly encircle the fortress. It seemed they had gathered every available force, with goblins and skeletons clumsily following behind.
Dozens of ogres, each towering at about four meters, were also noticeable. Rather than thinking of siege engines, it had become commonplace among the Demon King’s army to bring ogres for the siege, unless one was a high-ranking member of the demon race like the Gargoyle Queen, who had the strength to destroy fortresses with her bare hands.
Finally, after spotting the commander at the front, Walter couldn’t help but smirk. In her provocative attire, with long horns protruding from her head and black wings unfurled behind her, that being, in simple terms, could be regarded as undeniably the Succubus Queen, the one with the greatest seduction ability on the continent.
Walter put away his binoculars and gazed up at the sky. Although he could guess from the time that something was coming, there were no signs of dragons or even a wyvern appearing in the sky.
“So the Dragon Lord is saving strength till this point,” Walter muttered. Rose tilted her head as she approached him.
“Dragons prefer to fight at night. It’s only natural, right?”
“That’s not only fortunate for us but something to be grateful for, Rose. Look, the Succubus Queen has come personally to lead an army. Seven whole legions, no less.”
“Seduction can be dangerous. Recently, Bernard was attacked by assassins under a spell of seduction, right?”
“It was a tremendously powerful seduction. Perhaps the culprit is right in front of us.”
The Succubus Queen, having reached just in front of the No Member Fortress, halted her army and stepped forward, flapping her wings.
The Demon King’s army didn’t dare to quickly surround the fortress. Knowing the enemy commander was a hero who wasn’t easy to sway with simple pressure, they perhaps intended to open a path for retreat rather than trying to forcibly besiege a fortress the size of a massive city.
The Succubus Queen, who briefly met Walter’s gaze, turned to her subordinates and shouted in a booming voice.
“Look! Demon race! The human commander is right above those walls! How brazen to show their face! Just moments ago, those walls were turned to rubble as they locked our soldiers in the flames! It seems, today at least, they haven’t made a run for it, suggesting they might aim to atone for the soldiers who died trapped in that fire!”
At the Succubus Queen’s shouting, the demon race raised their weapons to the sky and rallied in unison. Walter slightly frowned but suddenly erupted in laughter, clapping his hands.
“Impressive! How marvelous! It seems the Demon King knows you well! Sending the demon commander I despise most to the land I’m trying to defend! Truly, the Demon King knows how to fight! Isn’t this precisely what the enemy hates most?”
“Does that mean you’re scared of the name of this Succubus Queen, Hero?”
The Succubus Queen asked, unable to hide her slight unease. Walter’s tone was charged with mockery rather than fear.
“Of course, I’m scared! Who wouldn’t be, facing some girl overwhelmed with such a filthy stench? Just being around your presence overwhelms my senses; you surely know how to make the enemy uncomfortable even before fighting! I commend you! Thanks to you, I’m seriously considering giving my subordinates nose clips instead of helmets!”
At Walter’s words, the soldiers atop the walls burst into laughter. Some were genuinely amused by Walter’s insult, but most did it as a performance to humiliate the hated demon commander.
The laughter that enveloped the fortress made the Succubus Queen’s expression sour, her lips trembling as she fluttered her wings.
“I’d prefer you didn’t recommend that, Walter Hellhound. My seductive pheromones can invade not only your nose but penetrate all your senses. Your subordinates will be rendered powerless by simply getting close to me.”
“Is getting close the only way to render them powerless? Then how do I control you like a puppet? Should I give you a good smack every now and then? Didn’t you compel those troops here in that manner? Damn, it’s been about a week since I fortified this fortress; now I understand why you’ve only just now decided to enter. How many ogres, numbering in the thousands, did you sneak in each night?”
Walter’s reply prompted another round of laughter from the soldiers. This time, it seemed they genuinely found the remarks amusing, with some even laughing with a wheeze.
Hearing a hero’s rare risqué banter during wartime was unusual. Walter, with a smile on his lips, adjusted his gold-trimmed glasses. Though she was a succubus, the Succubus Queen, proud of her position, flushed red with humiliation at the ceaseless ridicule.
Suddenly, gathering black mana in one hand, she unleashed dark magic towards the hero on the walls. Walter retained a relaxed expression even as the dark sphere hurtled toward him.
Rose, standing beside Walter, lifted her arm faster than lightning to protect Walter’s face. The Succubus Queen’s provocation was deflected by the armored forearm Rose offered, causing it to bounce away and dissolve.
“What does this mean, demon? Is it seduction? Or a challenge? Unfortunately, I won’t be able to accommodate either. I’m already taken and not the kind to entertain your summons casually.”
Walter patted Rose’s shoulder, who had just defended him from the attack.
Rose turned back to Walter with a serious expression and bowed. Not as the Empire’s Crown Princess or as an equal comrade, but as the commander of the previous battle, she was ready to follow orders as a knight.
“Rose Caprice, go alone and kill that monster. Show them this battlefield is not one to push through with mere numbers.”
“Understood, Captain.”
Rose unsheathed her sword from her waist, clanking her armor as she descended behind the fortress walls. Walter and the Succubus Queen continued their sharp exchange with the fortress between them. A moment later, Rose revealed herself outside the fortress, mounted on her steed.
Shining in the light of the red sun, as if riding the dawn, her shining plate armor gleamed. Without wearing a helmet, her long red hair cascaded down, blending with the color of her armor, making her appear like a goddess of war.
Rose, bright atop her dazzling white horse, pointed her sword forward and charged at the Succubus Queen. She had no confidence in being witty enough to verbally dart back and forth with the Succubus Queen. What she could show was her sword and the divine protection of her armored form.
In support of Rose’s bold stand, Walter replaced the banner of his commander with Rose’s flag. The Succubus Queen didn’t evade or defend against Rose’s attack either.
The commander of the Demon King’s army, selfishly unwilling to lose in this prideful contest, stretched out her wings and swooped towards Rose. The clash of the knight’s sword and the Succubus’s claws marked the beginning of the first round.
Neither party gave way in the first attack. For a moment, the two women engaged in a tense power struggle, but eventually, Rose retreated slightly, and the Succubus Queen was also pushed back, creating distance anew. Without delay, Rose pushed forward, swinging her sword widely. The Succubus, having gained some distance, attempted to hinder her by firing black spheres in Rose’s direction.
Rose Caprice skillfully deflected or dodged the dark spheres with her swift sword swings. The spheres that went astray struck the fortress walls, causing a slight impact, but the meticulously fortified No Member Fortress wasn’t going to be greatly harmed by just two rounds of the monster’s magic.
Eventually, Rose successfully closed in on the Succubus Queen again, and the second clash began. The claws of the large, ferocious Succubus and the knight’s blade collided in swift succession.
“Walter certainly doesn’t make mistakes. That stench is especially vile. I must investigate just how you knew.”
Rose pushed against the Succubus vigorously with her blade as she spoke. The Succubus Queen seemed particularly sensitive to comments about her odor, swinging her forelimb in frustration and howling absurdly.
Even though it was an attack from the top-ranking officer of the Demon King’s army, it couldn’t deal a significant blow to Rose. She easily defended against the enemy’s assaults, but a passing claw grazed Rose, causing her to stumble forward and fall.
The Crown Princess barely managed to grab the reins to keep herself steady, deftly balancing on her horse. The white horse wasn’t critically injured, but it had a large wound in its side and collapsed with its front legs curled up.
“Even as the armored wall, it seems I can’t protect anything besides myself— cough!”
The Succubus Queen’s clumsy provocation was thwarted by the princess’s furious dropkick, striking directly at her generous chest, making her flap her wings desperately to flee. Yet, before she could fly away, Rose caught her left wing with a swifter pace.
“Let go! Right now! Not the wings!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t hold on for long.”
Rose grasped the opponent’s wing and pulled her close, throwing a strong punch toward the Succubus Queen’s face with her blade-wielding hand.
The reason for striking with her fist despite wielding a weapon was that Rose’s fist could serve as an excellent weapon, almost as good as her sword.
With pointy knuckles etched upon her gauntlets, Rose’s punch, enforced by the power of the armored wall, could crush the skull of any ordinary human with a single blow.
Even if the opponent was so solid that the blade couldn’t pierce through, seldom could such a fist ignore the shockwave this strike produced. Just as Rose expected, the Succubus Queen was staggered, unable to flap her wings.
With her sword now sheathed, Rose barreled into the enemy, throwing down the Succubus and beginning to rain down blows upon her face.
Completely in a mount position, the Crown Princess’s flurry of punches left the demon lord stunned, causing her to burst her nose. After about 15 seconds of swiftly beating down the opponent, certain that the opponent was near unconsciousness and could no longer resist with a shield, Rose prepared to draw her sword and finish it.
Of course, the assembled 20,000 demon legion wasn’t merely watching this scene.
In one-on-one duels between commanders, it was generally a principle not to interfere. However, in such a crucial situation, where the life of a vital member of the Demon race was on the line, they couldn’t merely watch it unfold due to customs.
Seeing the orcs rushing towards her, Rose hurriedly loosened her position and retreated. Walter, with a relaxed expression atop the walls, adjusted his binoculars, observing Rose hurriedly dragging her injured horse back toward the fortress.
Rose pointed dramatically at Walter and shouted.
“Hey! Are you going to open the gate for me or not?”
In her urgency, she had completely forgotten the earlier hierarchy. The hero, finding the sight of his girlfriend adorable, still wore a cheerful smile as he clapped his hands.
“Of course! Open it! Come in! Come in and rest! You did great! That was an amazing duel, Rose!”
With Walter’s command, the fortress gates opened, and Rose rushed in, leading her injured horse inside. The orcs, whose purpose was solely to keep the Succubus Queen safe, waited idly when the gates closed, not launching an immediate attack.
Rushing into the fortress’s outer grounds, Rose caught her breath, reaching Walter’s side on the walls.
“Whew, I really thought I was caught. The horse was a struggle.”
“You ran well, didn’t you? And would I just let you be captured? No way.”
“Why didn’t you come out to help seriously?”
“I trust you’ll do just fine. I believe in your abilities.”
Walter ruffled Rose’s hair casually. Though Rose made a dissatisfied face, she nodded.
“Still, I won. Even if I messed up at the end, I still won, right?”
“If it’s a duel, it was basically a surrender on their part. Now, for the record of this first engagement victory!”
The moment Walter snapped his fingers, the soldiers gathered on the fortress walls raised their weapons in unison, starting to chant Rose’s name.
“Long live Princess Rose! Long live Princess Rose! Long live Princess Rose! Waaah!”
Seeing her red banner flutter with their cheer, Rose finally allowed a satisfied smile, nodding her head.
“Anyway, I definitely established dominance. This will surely boost our morale on defense.”
“It’s not just morale that’s up, Rose. That duel was a significant event enough to influence the course of the battle.”
Walter removed his binoculars with a slightly fatigued look. Rose tilted her head.
“Besides our morale rising and theirs dropping, is there another significance?”
“You’ve sent the Succubus Queen into a state of unconsciousness. Now, no matter who commands, it’s someone below her capacity who will move the army. At the least, she knows how to use her wits. Such talent isn’t common in the Demon King’s army.”
“Hmm, frankly, I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to say.”
“If you had directly observed the construction process of this fortress, you would know, Rose. Think about it. This fortress is a city— a very large city. With the Succubus Queen now out of her mind, the commanding officer has disappeared along with her order to attack, meaning a deputy will have to move the army with some strategy.”
At his words, Rose nodded as if she understood Walter’s intent.
“They’ll likely try to besiege the fortress.”
“Go to the west and take defense duties. Let’s see what happens when they attempt to besiege a well-prepared fortress with much fewer troops than ours.”