NOVEL NEXT Chapter 62
The Succubus Queen, who had somewhat resigned to the fact that she was guarding the Rose, did not react with rage or despair even when she received the severed head of her subordinate.
She herself had not been able to achieve any proper results for over a week at the northern gate. Although a siege typically assumes battles lasting several months as a way of encampment, Nomember was not that far from Caprice.
The imperial army, which had realized that the situation was unusual, was at a distance where they could send reinforcements to lift the siege. The legions that were not directly commanded by the Succubus Queen were merely a rabble that could be easily chased away by the regular imperial army, and the units directly under the Queen’s command were not that reliable either.
Moreover, she was concerned that after a few days of being stuck in reason, she might get compared to the Gargoyle Queen for her failures.
While the Gargoyle Queen had also failed to conquer Nomember and had suffered great injuries, her forces had been annihilated and she had received a scolding from the Demon King, at least she had destroyed the fortress. If the Succubus Queen returned empty-handed after wasting troops and resources, she would only achieve even more pathetic results than her.
“The siege formation should not have been established in the first place. No matter who you are, a body is just one. I have no way to command the scattered units alone, and even if I had a reliable subordinate, the formation is not one that can effectively respond to sudden external attacks. And looking at the head of this foolish girl in my hands, it seems I have no proper subordinate to rely on.”
The Succubus Queen muttered to herself. She thought that if there was even one dragon capable of breathing fire from the sky, this battle wouldn’t be such a headache.
Or at the very least, a powerful siege weapon to break down that wall. No, on second thought, having a siege weapon could be meaningless. No matter how much she bombarded the wall with magically enhanced shells, if the Crown Princess personally stepped in to take the hits, they could end up being hurt by their own ricochet.
Moreover, no matter how numerous the Demon King’s Army was, the actual number of Liches capable of using real magic was extremely small, unable to produce enough magical ammunition to create a ‘cannon’.
Even the empire, with its greater supply of magic users, was pouring all its effort into producing enchanted swords, and using siege weapons with the Demon King’s Army would be beyond extravagance. Thus, the Succubus Queen understood that she had to breach the fortress without such weapons.
At least, couldn’t she borrow a dragon or a wyvern somehow? If there was even one dragon, or if there were two, the situation could have changed significantly from now.
When begging the Dragon Lord for a dragon before the expedition, he had firmly refused, saying:
“No matter how much you aim for a quick victory, if it’s a fortress waiting with iron walls and heroes, it will take days to capture. My dragons sleep a lot at night and are completely vulnerable while sleeping. Their size means they cannot hide anywhere, and if enemies were to open the gate at midnight and take out our troops while they are asleep, are you confident you can completely prevent that?
They are monsters who can leisurely invade our military commanders during the day and return to their territory. No matter how well we prepare, if they set their minds to it, they can easily take the heads of the sleeping dragons near the fortress and return inside.”
The Succubus Queen promised that she would take all precautions to prevent such an event, but the Dragon Lord did not trust her words. Comparing to the Gargoyle Queen’s achievements, which had destroyed Nomember without any air support, the Succubus Queen ultimately could not stand it and gave up on obtaining support from the Dragon Lord.
Reflecting on the situation now, hearing that Rose had cut off the commander’s head alone amidst thousands of soldiers made her think that the Dragon Lord was indeed right. If she had brought one dragon and Walter had withstood that assault, it was very likely that the dragon would have ended up a headless corpse that night.
Even if the Succubus Queen had anticipated and prepared for that ambush. How could she possibly defend against those who could not break through without relying on a single horse during the day?
“Your Excellency! A messenger has arrived from the west. May I let him in?”
The shadow knight, her personal aide, shouted loudly from outside the tent. The Succubus Queen instructed him to let the messenger in.
In order to avoid the worst scenario of her commander dying on the first day of battle repeating itself, she had ordered the shadow knight stationed at the gate to report daily on the tactics and situation of that day. Today, it seemed there had been no notable offensive from the enemy as the shadow knight who had been responsible for the gate approached hesitantly into the tent.
The Succubus Queen crossed her legs as she flicked her tail, gazing indifferently at the knight. She appeared enchanting and deadly, but from the perspective of a subordinate who was struggling due to the current situation, she could be perceived as quite perilous in a different sense.
“Your Excellency. I have come to give you today’s report.”
Dressed in black armor with a black cloak, shadows swirled around his face. Although he was a formless being without a clear shape or expression, in front of the Demon King’s closest bloodline, the shadow knight displayed clear signs of fear and tension. The Succubus Queen accepted that aura with a nonchalant expression, nodding her head as if she was about to yawn.
“Proceed with the report.”
“Today, we have completed the construction of trenches 295 meters away from the gate. That is more than a 5-meter advancement from the previous day.”
“Is that so? So we are holding our position properly, then?”
“Yes, indeed. After our trenches were completed, the enemy has begun to be cautious about the possibility of entry through tunnels, and they are no longer daring to rush out of the gate for ambushes as before. At this rate, it seems that maintaining a long-term standoff should not be a problem.”
Of course, they did not actually plan to dig tunnels to launch an invasion. If they were to consider being cooped up in front of the fortress for months and attempting a siege, that would’ve required ten times the manpower.
What the Succubus Queen had ordered the shadow knight was to prevent Rose from lowering her guard, keeping her stuck at the gate. At the very least, she hoped the troops sent west could distract the enemies at the northern gate. Digging siege trenches while advancing was primarily because there was no real intention to attack the walls properly.
But would this be fine? For delaying at the gate to be meaningful, there should be a castle at the northern side. Walter Hellhound jumps down from the walls whenever he gets bored, targeting only the ogres on this side with his Holy Sword. Whenever Walter appeared on the battlefield, a state of emergency is declared, and the Succubus Queen must confront him directly, but she does not have the power to contain the Hero.
The Hero also feels pressure when directly facing the Succubus Queen, retreating in response, but the fact remains that the one being forced to suffer is only the Demon King’s Army.
With the exception of a soldier who had fallen due to a stray arrow, the imperial army had not recorded any fatalities in a week. Considering that death was essentially a mishap, the Demon King’s Army had achieved no successes in battle when they had not even managed to damage the gate.
On the other hand, without proper defensive facilities and fully exposed to enemy attacks, the attacking side was experiencing an increasing number of casualties day by day. Already they had lost five ogres and hundreds of miscellaneous soldiers. At this rate, it would be challenging to maintain their formation adequately.
“Do not advance the trenches any further. Solidify our defensive posture at this position. Minimize the possibility of being attacked from the sides as we retreat.”
After much deliberation, the Succubus Queen finally issued the command. The shadow knight seemed to hesitate and asked.
“But Your Excellency, do you mean to retreat?”
“Maintaining the siege any longer is perilous. In three days, we will gather all troops at the northern gate and, under my command, launch a full-scale attack. There’s no need to squeeze the fortress. If we can break through just one gate, we can drive them out.”
“Then we must also prepare to ensure that the Crown Princess does not unexpectedly attack our flank when we retreat to the north.”
“That’s why I commanded the enhancement of the trenches. If possible, make it serve as a trap to prevent any reckless attacks from the gate. If we’re not careful, we could be caught up on our way to the north and annihilated.”
It may sound somewhat absurd that 5,000 troops could be neatly cut down by a mere 300 defenders from a flank, but reality was as such. The enemy’s morale was sky-high while theirs was sinking down. The Succubus Queen was convinced that she had been thrown into a battlefield of mistakes from the start.
But somehow she had to achieve results. A fortress was necessary. In the face of the most terrifying being in the world, the one with the greatest power, she needed to inflict some damage on the enemy, even if she couldn’t conquer the fortress.
To make even the smallest excuse in front of the most powerful child born from the Succubus Queen, the Demon King, she had to do it…
Meanwhile, just as the shadow knight had left to report to the commander, Rose was secretly moving towards the north gate to have a conversation with Walter.
Walter had sent a messenger to call her, claiming he had urgent matters to discuss.
Rose rushed northward in the middle of the night, her armor clanking, and met Walter. He wore a strangely confident expression, speaking excitedly.
“The time will come, Rose. It will come.”
“Stop cutting off the context when you talk. Does everyone think they’re a genius like you with such convenient tools?”
Rose, who had run without sleeping and was now wearing armor, was sharp in her response. Walter, perceiving her sharpness as cute, affectionately patted her head and laughed cheerfully.
“No, you already know, right? The enemy’s movements have slowed down, right? The Queen is feeling the pressure. Soon the enemy will either retreat en masse or concentrate their forces for a full-scale assault.”
“You said it wasn’t the Succubus Queen’s intention to lay siege to this fortress in the first place? If I were her, I’d gather my troops to the north and make an all-out assault leading with ogres instead of simply retreating. Wouldn’t she want an exhilarating attack after doing nothing?”
“Exactly. But this isn’t just a matter of impatience for her. It’s a question of what she would report to the Demon King when facing him. That’s why it’s easier for her to hold authority over military operations. Because she doesn’t have to make excuses in front of someone who is higher up.”
Walter said proudly as he puffed out his chest. Rose shook her head with a disappointed expression.
“Then there’s the Imperial Assembly that’s always nitpicking her. Every time she goes to report back to the Imperial Assembly, she comes out ten years older, what nonsense are you spouting?”
“Let’s stop talking about things that make my stomach turn just by thinking about it. Anyway, the important thing is that the enemy will soon show decisive movements. Armies are most vulnerable during retreats and withdrawals.”
“Aren’t those two almost the same thing? Is there really a need to differentiate them?”
Rose stuck out her tongue. Walter shook his head earnestly.
“They’re different. A fleeing army can expand its achievements just by pursuing it, but a withdrawing army must be struck at their weak points to be effective. This time, I plan to make the enemy panic while they’re retreating.”
“Hmm, I think I understand what you mean. I think I know what I need to do.”
“Oh, do you really understand?”
Walter’s eyes widened. Rose, pouting slightly, bit her tongue.
“I’m not an idiot. Alright. When the enemy starts moving north, I’ll aim for their sides and give them a punch. And if they also avoid the lake to the east, the enemies south must pass in front of my gate, so I’ll hunt them all down at once. No, should I make them escape to the north?”
“Exactly. Their numbers are so large that it would be difficult to wipe them out, but breaking their path will have little effect. However, if we can drive them north while luring them like prey, that confusion between the two sides will reach its peak.”
“And then, ta-da! The gate opens and the Hero appears. Isn’t that just perfect? I expect it might not go down as smoothly in practice though?”
“The plan will work well in practice as much as it’s perfect in theory, Rose.”
Walter looked like he couldn’t wait to execute his plan, shaking his legs with eagerness. Walter had a sensitive personality and was significantly impacted psychologically by the madness of war.
Yet at the same time, Walter also had a belligerent personality that enjoyed bewildering and smashing the enemy with his plans and operations. If these two opposing traits could not coexist within him, Walter would have either crumbled under the horrors of war, unable to wield his sword, or been consumed by excessive cruelty and become a blood-soaked war fanatic.
Walter was very aware of his character and tended to make the most of it. However, being human, there were times he struggled to control his temperament, and during those times, Rose’s role shone brilliantly. When he was afflicted by the wounds in his heart, she comforted him, and when he was seized by his madness, she calmed him.
Rose felt now that there was no need to calm Walter down. He was currently burning with proper pride, adequate confidence, and a sense of justice.
With a smile towards Walter, Rose took a step closer to him.
“Walter.”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“We’ve met again after a few days.”
“That’s true. The fights have been hectic.”
“Then this should be fine, right?”
Without waiting for Walter’s response, Rose stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his. Walter stumbled back in surprise.
“Wow! If you had ambushed the enemy with this level of surprise, you would have killed the Demon King by now!”
“Um, sorry. I don’t really know much about the Demon King.”
Rose had cast a playful smile at Walter. Walter made a puzzled expression.
“How can you not know much?”
“Why so, genius strategist? It’s common sense. The best ambush can only be executed when you know your target very well. This operation is going to succeed, Walter. I’ll guarantee it for you, Princess who knows you very well.”
Having left the dazed Walter, Rose turned and walked towards the north gate. After a moment of staring at her back, the Hero removed his glasses and chuckled.
“I think I know you pretty well too, but why can’t I outsmart you?”
The answer was clear. Walter had no intention of beating Rose. He was happy to be put in the position of losing to her. She was the only one he could accept defeat against.