0.0000001% Demon King - 0DK Chapter 51: A Human’s Warfare (3)

 

“Are you really going to entrust it to him?”

“Better than you or me doing it.”

“Hmm.”

Irina looked displeased.

“Instead of a mercenary, I should just…”

“Stop it if you don’t want to lose your territory.”

Karos had seen incompetent commanders ruin everything many times. He had no intention of being one of them.

“Um…”

The skinny man stood there blankly, not understanding the situation.

“Wha…”

“Just wait.”

There was no guarantee that the mercenary would command better than them. Karos was thinking of a suitable way to verify it.

“Is that the deployment map?”

The skinny man, who had been looking around, glanced at the map on the table.

“It’s a rough estimate. Want to take a look?”

“If you’ll show me…”

The skinny man scanned the map and then spoke.

“It’s simple.”

“…Simple?”

“Isn’t it? It’s just placing less than a hundred men and noting the enemy’s expected deployment. The terrain is flat too.”

Irina’s pupils shook at his calm words. She had struggled to read the map. Karos let out a surprised sigh.

“Could a mercenary read something like this?”

“Of course a mercenary can read this.”

“Your brother couldn’t read it, though.”

“…That’s why I did it for him.”

It wasn’t just that. All the brainwork had been handled by him because there was no one else capable.

“Hmm.”

Karos stroked his chin. The skinny man had managed an entire mercenary group by himself. He must have been a pretty excellent commander. It was evident from how his brother, despite his stupidity, had survived so long.

Karos made a decision.

“Hey.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Want to try commanding?”

“…Pardon?”

The skinny man looked startled.

* * *

“Hmmm.”

The skinny man groaned after hearing the explanation.

“Commanding a war… That’s a problem.”

Having survived the battlefield as a mercenary, the skinny man knew the importance of a commander. Even in a small fight, the presence of a commander made a huge difference.

“Is there no one else?”

“There are some of Irina’s retainers, but they wouldn’t have learned about warfare.”

“Right. That’s usually the case in places like this.”

A mere rural territory, far from the frontlines. It was natural they knew nothing about battles, having never fought before.

“Then the lord should do it himself…”

“Neither of us knows anything about this. You do, don’t you?”

“I know the basics.”

“Then give it a try. It’s a good opportunity for you too.”

Karos smiled.

“You might need some reassurance, right?”

“…That’s true.”

The skinny man gave a wry smile.

Honestly, he was uneasy. Though Karos said he wouldn’t abandon them, he wasn’t naive enough to believe a demon king’s words without certainty.

He needed assurance. That the demon king wouldn’t or couldn’t abandon them.

But the skinny man still looked uncomfortable.

“Still, wouldn’t it be better for the lord or the demon king to do it directly? The soldiers might not follow me.”

It was a matter of trust. Soldiers wouldn’t take kindly to being commanded by a mercenary who came from nowhere.

“The figurehead will be Irina. They don’t know you.”

“…Let’s hear it then. What would you two do if you were to command?”

Karos and Irina each explained their methods. The skinny man listened quietly to all of it.

“My goodness.”

Then he was horrified.

“Are you planning to ruin it on purpose?”

“…Is it that bad?”

Karos asked, taken aback by the reaction.

“It’s beyond bad, it’s just stupid.”

“Stu…pid?”

Irina muttered in shock.

“First, Karos, what do you plan to do by abandoning the center and focusing on the flanks?”

“Well, the enemy will charge the center, right? Then we’ll surround and encircle them…”

“That tactic is only used when the center isn’t breached. What do you plan to do by leaving the center open?”

“Didn’t you humans use such tactics before?”

“Are you referring to the Battle of Palanka? That was a cliff terrain, wasn’t it? They did it because the enemy couldn’t retreat. Who does that on flat ground?”

Karos fell silent. The skinny man turned to Irina.

“And Irina.”

“Y-yes?”

Irina, who had been listening blankly, was startled. The skinny man spoke to her.

“A thick hammer to break through. It’s a standard tactic.”

“R-right?”

Her face brightened, but then froze at his next words.

“But why is all your force acting as the hammer?”

“Wouldn’t more troops make it stronger?”

“Do you think just gathering them makes them stronger? Without breakthrough power, they’ll be surrounded and annihilated.”

“But in actual history…”

“History does have such instances.”

The skinny man sighed.

“But those were cases of overwhelming force.”

They were already outnumbered.

“Didn’t you think of that?”

“…”

Irina did not respond.

“Oh dear.”

The skinny man was exasperated.

“We could have been wiped out. Why did such smart people do something so stupid?”

Despite the harsh criticism, neither could refute.

“…Then how would you do it?”

Irina asked, like a scolded child talking back to an adult. The skinny man seemed to be wondering if there was any other way.

“It’s a contest of strength.”

“A contest of strength?”

“The enemy is also from a small territory. They probably don’t have a knight order either.”

A pure infantry fight. No complex strategies needed.

“And the lord will be waiting behind the troops. We just need to wear them down and capture the lord.”

“How can we get through? They have more troops.”

“That’s what we’re here for.”

“…Ah.”

Karos realized. The skinny man grimaced.

“Honestly, the soldiers of this rural territory are no match for us.”

They were the lowest rank because their dumb leader accepted bad commissions, but their skills were top-tier. Regular soldiers who never experienced real combat couldn’t stand against them.

“This isn’t a large-scale war. A small force can make a big difference. …Did you forget that?”

The skinny man gave a suspicious look.

“No, it’s not that.”

Karos tried to explain.

“To me, they all seem the same…”

As a demon king, he had seen countless monsters. Those who could single-handedly bring down a divine knight order. Those who could single-handedly kill the chosen demon king.

Weak beings didn’t exist around him. Even the succubus he had with him was someone ordinary humans couldn’t handle.

So he knew the mercenaries were strong, but he couldn’t accept it. Irina felt the same.

“My goodness.”

The skinny man was shocked by the realization.

“I will command. We almost got ruined.”

Neither could argue. Karos scratched his head.

“Then take the map. Divide the troops roughly.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, what’s your name?”

“…You didn’t know?”

“I’ve never heard it.”

Karos said indifferently.

“And I didn’t need to.”

To him, mercenaries were just pieces on a board. He never bothered to ask their names but now felt the need to know.

“Recognition from the demon king? Should I be happy or not?”

The skinny man said with a wry smile.

“I’m Vivaldi, my brother is Sor.”

Time passed. While Vivaldi was checking the troops, no letters or envoys were exchanged between the two territories.

A week passed like that.

The battle began.

* * *

A hundred soldiers lined up, waiting.

Some were rigid, some pale, some resolute, some excited, each reacting differently to the impending battle.

“There are more of them.”

Karos muttered from behind the soldiers. The enemy clearly had more troops.

About fifty more. Their equipment was also better. The odds were against them.

But they had mercenaries.

“Am I really commanding?”

“Why? You accepted it readily enough when asked.”

“No, it’s just that…”

Vivaldi looked uneasy.

“Seeing it objectively, this seems problematic.”

Everything depended on him. His decisions could lead them to ruin.

But Karos spoke calmly.

“Do you want us to command and get wiped out?”

“That’s…”

“Then do it. You doing it is better than us.”

Both Karos and Irina knew their limits. Unfortunately, neither had a talent for commanding wars.

“Don’t you want to advance? It’s a good opportunity.”

“It is, but…”

Vivaldi said slyly.

“If we fail, it’s not my fault?”

“We won’t blame you. We’d all lose our heads anyway.”

“…”

Vivaldi fell silent, looking reluctant.

“…Fight! Defeat the enemies, protect this land!”

“Finally done.”

Irina finished her speech. The soldiers, their faces excited, raised their spears and shouted. The ground shook with their resounding cries.

“Do it.”

Karos nodded at Vivaldi.

* * *

The battle began. Spears and swords clashed. Everyone, half-mad, forgot their pain and charged.

The most noticeable among them were the mercenaries.

“They’re really strong.”

Karos muttered. The mercenaries held the center of the battlefield.

“Argh!”

The mercenaries’ leader, Sor, let out a roar and swung his arm. The enemy soldiers gritted their teeth, trying to withstand it.

Boom!

“Argh!”

But the moment they touched the axe, they flew back. Smashed shields and broken spears scattered like an explosion.

“Ugh!”

Behind him, the mercenaries held firm, thrusting their spears. The frontline started to push back.

Their numerical disadvantage was laughable in the face of their overwhelming strength.

“No rural territory could stop my brother.”

Vivaldi seemed to have expected this outcome, looking indifferent.

“There are some mercenaries on the other side too.”

“They’re the lowest rank. Their strength can’t compare to ours.”

Vivaldi pressed on the map.

“Left flank. We’re losing ground. Send five from the right and center each.”

“Got it.”

Irina quickly relayed the orders. The left flank, barely holding, stabilized with the reinforcements.

‘We hit the jackpot.’

Karos admired Vivaldi.