NOVEL NEXT Chapter 56 - Episode 56: Departure Invasion Strategy Meeting
Episode 56: Departure Invasion Strategy Meeting
We were having a meeting.
It was a conference on the domination of the world by the Demon Duke.
“Mishiri, how are the diplomatic relations with Rontomelda going?”
“Yes. We are currently exchanging letters.”
“I see.”
She is a girl, a priestess who was childhood friends with the hero. She is fifteen years old, kind, and smart.
“I’m being careful with the wording. I try to write in a way that benefits them as much as possible, as peacefully as possible.”
Negotiating with monsters directly can easily become intimidating. So, we use letters to cushion the situation and gauge their reactions. It’s a natural approach, but she seems to be acting on her own initiative.
Compared to when she was appointed, her expression is more lively. Perhaps it was the right decision to appoint her as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
“We are attaching reports to the replies from Rontomelda as they come in.”
“I see.”
“We are also sending letters to villages in Rontomelda. Among them, things are going well with my hometown, Hajime Village. It may become part of the Demon Duke’s territory soon.”
“If that happens, you’ll be able to return to your hometown from the Demon Duke’s castle anytime.”
“Yes. Hehehe. There are almost only benefits to offer. So, even if the villagers come under Zaus’s rule, they won’t hold a grudge. So, it seems like I’ll be able to return home easily. Thank you very much for appointing me as Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
Her reports are being supported mainly by Caphrodyte and Meel. Invading the human realm can be left to them. It’s best to invade with as few casualties as possible.
Now then,
“Next, let’s talk about the invasion of the Demon Lord’s army. Gobutarou, what’s the situation on the outskirts of the Demon Duke’s territory?”
“Yes. The surveillance crystals are in good condition, gob. With Caphrodyte-sama’s cooperation, we have also increased the number of crystals, gob. We can now monitor nearly 300 locations remotely, gob. We’ve expanded the monitoring room to three rooms. With shifts arranged by Meel, monsters are monitoring in rotation, gob.”
Hmm.
“Surveillance seems to be in perfect condition. What about the enemy’s vanguard since then?”
“There has been no word from Kakgaridan’s invasion, gob. Monsters are regularly patrolling the area, but nothing unusual has been found, gob.”
“I see. Keep on high alert. What about the Zaus Heavy Knights?”
A monster with a pig’s face answered my question.
It’s Buu, the glutton. He’s usually carefree, talking only about food, but he looks dignified during meetings.
“Everything is going smoothly, buu. The Zaus Heavy Knights, consisting only of orc species, have the strongest defense in the Demon Duke’s territory, buu. We are ready to invade at any time, buu.”
“I see. Be prepared to fight at any time.”
“Leave it to us, buu.”
“But we won’t be invading.”
“Huh? Why, buu?? Our Heavy Knights are invincible, buu. Clad in sturdy armor obtained from the Infinite Dungeon, they are impervious to ordinary attacks, buu. Their weapon is a massive hammer. With a single swing, they can shatter even large trees, buu. We are ready to attack at any time, buu.”
“Yeah. I trust in your strength.”
“Hehehe. Then, let us be of service, buu.”
“However, the Heavy Knights are only defensive. When the Demon Lord’s army invades, it’s not just the citizens of Zaus Town but also the farmland in the Demon Duke’s territory that will suffer if damaged. We want to minimize the damage as much as possible. So, defend against enemy attacks and protect the Demon Duke’s territory.”
“Leave it to us, buu! …But, in that case, who will lead the invasion of the Demon Lord’s territory, buu?”
Hehehe.
I’ve actually already thought about that.
“Come in.”
At my call, the door to the conference room opens, and a girl enters.
“She is Stasa. She has been working as a spy for the hero Cea.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“I appoint her as Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Demon Lord’s territory.”
Arjena raised an eyebrow.
“I see. Mishiri for human territory and Stasa for the Demon Lord’s territory. Is that the plan?”
“Yes. That’s the plan.”
“So, you have no intention of fighting humans thoroughly?”
“Yes. If they come under my rule, the damage will be minimized. That’s the rule.”
“Hehehe. As expected of Zaus. You’re thorough.”
“There are many places where humans live in the Demon Lord’s territory. Stasa will mediate, and we will rule without fighting.”
“For humans, it’s a disaster. They’ll be caught up in a war between demons.”
“That’s right. Humans are not at fault.”
“But will they easily switch sides to our favor?”
“If they come under my rule, they will prioritize benefits. I’ll offer things like reduced taxes and provide resources produced in the Demon Duke’s territory.”
“I see! The products from Zaus Town and the crops made by subordinate monsters are all of high quality! If we can get those, there’s only benefits!!”
“Plus, we’ll provide absolute security by our subordinate monsters.”
“So, it’s the turn of the Heavy Knights?”
“We will thoroughly defend. We will definitely prevent attacks from the Demon Lord’s army. We have no intention of causing harm to humans.”
The great sage Caphrodyte furrowed her brow.
She looked like a primary school student who had left a large amount of summer homework undone.
“Expanding territory is a good thing. But that means increasing the territory for surveillance and security.”
“Yes. That’s why we can never have too many subordinate monsters. We want as many as possible.”
The caretaker Meel flipped through some documents.
“The ten-child policy advocated by Lord Zaus, should we reconsider it?”
The ten-child policy.
This was a plan I had proposed.
Monster couples mate and produce offspring, but according to our research, they usually produce around five offspring. The reason is that producing more would make life difficult for them.
So, why not provide benefits to couples who have more children?
The policy is to provide bonuses to couples who produce more than ten children, in addition to their monthly support income. It’s not mandatory, but families with many children receive a lot of assistance from the Demon Duke’s castle. There are significant benefits for families that have many children. This way, monsters will continue to increase in number.
“All right. Let’s increase it to twenty.”
“Changing it to a twenty-child policy. Understood.”
“Now, Zaus. Won’t it be difficult to educate the increased number of monster children?”
Ah, as expected of the great sage.
That had been a concern for some time.
The battle with the Demon Lord’s army might become a long one.
Should we invest in the future?
“While it’s good for monster children to grow up freely, it seems difficult to manage them.”
“Perhaps this is an opportunity to consider establishing schools.”
“Huh? Monster schools?”
“Yes. In the Demon Duke’s territory, there are two types of monsters: combat types and agricultural types. If monsters choose their own future, it might be better to educate them during their childhood by establishing schools.”
“A monster academy… with combat and agricultural divisions. Hehehe. That might be interesting. But it’s amazing how you come up with such ideas. Zaus might be a genius. Even after living for 1100 years, I would never have thought of that.”
Hahaha…
Well, I did graduate from compulsory education and a third-rate university, so perhaps that’s why.
“Then, shall we assign the responsibility of the school to Caphrodyte?”
“Huh!? M-me?”
“Do you not want to?”
“Does Zaus want me to do it?”
“Yes. I thought you were the most suitable for the job.”
“Uh… if you ask me, I can’t refuse. Because, Zaus, you’re my future… Gufufu.”
“Shall I ask someone else…?”
“I’ll do it!”
Well, well.
But it’s fun.
Thinking about the development of the territory fills me with excitement.
All right.
Let’s get back on track.
I pointed to the map on the wall of the conference room.
“Now, I want to expand the territory as soon as possible.”
In other words, it’s an invasion of the Demon Lord’s territory.
Let’s start from a place close to my territory.
“There is a village called Yorno here. We’ll start from here. Stasa, can you handle it?”
“Yes! I’ll do my best!!”
Hmm.
I’ll make sure to provide her with adequate protection from subordinate monsters.
She must be tired of being a hostage. I don’t want to subject her to such a bitter experience again. And she deserves a reward for her hard work.
“This village is famous for a dish called Subutta. It’s very delicious with pineapples in it. If we bring it under our control, you can eat as much as you want.”
Everyone swallowed hard with anticipation.
Hehehe.
Subutta is, well, it’s basically sweet and sour pork.
If we can control Yorno Village, Subutta might become popular in Zaus Town.
Now, it’s time to set out for the invasion.