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Chapter 283

After the first meeting with the delegation of Mundus Carnus, the governor-general of Galois finally arrived to receive the official letter from Demon Lord Yaheim. Another few days had passed after that. 

Christina had spent her days shuttling back and forth between her residence in Bern and Fort Nerodim. Presently, she was comparing a copy of the letter in her hand with a copy of the letter containing the response of Arkrest’s royal family. She then placed the letter she was holding on her desk without a word. 

In the office, a magical box was used to expel cool air to drive away the summer heat, while keeping the temperature and humidity in the room comfortable. The office also contained a communication device that allowed instantaneous communication over long distances, though this was an item owned by a handful of wealthy individuals and aristocrats. However, courtesy necessitated that the official letter be replied to by a person of appropriate rank with a letter rather than through a communication device. 

The original letter of reply had been handed over to the delegation, and they were making their way back to their homeland in the Dark Wilderness. With Mundus Carnus’s technological capabilities, it was very likely that they possessed communication devices to report back to the demon lord in their homeland. That being said, Christina briefly related the details of the letter of reply she had read to Dran’s other lovers in the room.

「Seems like His Majesty and his vassals aren’t favorable of the suggestion.」　

Dran and his merry band of lovers and comrades—with the exception of Lynette, Gundeus, and Kyrlinne in the Romal Empire—nodded their heads in agreement. These were not nods of acknowledgment of the contents of the delegation’s letter. Rather, they could envision that the opponent had come with peace terms impossible to accept for the sake of starting a war. 

「Fumu, I guess we’ve reached an expected answer. I’m sure our opponents are well aware that we are ready to fight at any moment and had anticipated their visit…」　

Dran was predicting the opponent’s next moves, but everyone present already shared a common understanding without his explanation. Dramina, who had not accompanied them to the meeting, even voiced that it was a matter that hardly needed any thought. 

「I’m sure they sent envoys to declare war as a mere formality. The next day, they’ll be invading with land warships and troops. The dragons of Mores Mountains are jittery from sensing the approach of faux dragons, so it’s likely that they will launch a simultaneous invasion by land and air.」　

Upon hearing the predictions unlikely to miss their mark, Selina mumbled inaudibly to herself with her arms crossed and a troubled expression on her face.

「We can deal with a fight on land somehow, but I feel apologetic that we have to rely on the dragons of Mores Mountains for the battle in the air.」　

Sadly, Selina was right. The Barony of Bern lacked an air force or air combat power. This was not just a concern for Bern, but Bern simply lacked time despite its abundance of funds, contacts, and land. 

Generally speaking, the core of air combat forces was made up of flying magical beasts and large birds tamed by humans, as well as knights mounted on flying dragons and airships equipped with cannons. Magic users skilled in both flight and offensive magic could be considered part of such a combat force, but such powerful individuals were difficult to find in large numbers. Rarely any nation had such numerous magic users in operation. 

Christina nodded her head in agreement with Selina. 

「It has been impossible to procure magical beasts and flying dragons due to the monopoly on them from the intensifying war between the East and West. We were able to procure several used airships, but there wasn’t enough time for cannon installations and hull modifications to turn them into warships. The ports for mooring warships have yet to be constructed fully for use or maintenance works, but that’s out of our hands. That’s a military project, so we can’t hire civilian workers. We can only use a large number of Dran’s golems to speed up the construction.」　

「Even if my golems can keep everything running, we lack the manpower to operate the airships. These airborne warships can be easily remodeled for remote operation by thought through me and Dramina, but Bern will be in a fix once both of us are away. Even if they can’t be used at the start of the war, they’ll come in handy if the war drags on. Let’s settle for using these airships as transport vehicles for now without modifying them.」　

A season had passed since the Barony of Bern had begun its operations. Finally, they were forced to confront the harsh reality of their limited governance methods. 

Normally, one would feel beaten down if the protection of one’s territory against enemy forces was left to allies. However, this was the Barony of Bern. If Dran had not been bound by restrictions, he would be a monster of phenomenal power. There would not be the slightest shred of this gloom pervading the office as well. 

The spirit of the black rose had brought chairs for everyone and was seated in one as well. She was not concerned about the difference in strength, but the means to overturn the disadvantage.

「I understand our air combat situation, but Baroness, Aide, what are your thoughts on the prospects of air warfare? Will Vaje and the others be able to handle it? Do you think it’s necessary for us to enter the skies? I could probably do it, but I won’t be very skilled.」　

「Diadora, will you fight in the skies?」　

Diadora’s words sparked images in Selina’s mind. She imagined Diadora shooting thorns extended from the ground like bullets at airships high up in the sky, like pollen carried by the wind to the airships. 

Ordinary flower spirits would never be able to pull off such a feat, but Diadora was certainly capable of it. Selina’s mind was filled with bizarre images, but she reckoned the results would be extraordinary. 

「Well, I’m sure Diadora will be more proficient with pollen. That being said, if the pilots collapse from poison, those airships would spiral out of control and crash to the ground…」　

「Selina is right. We want to secure those warships with a scratch on them, and the ideal would be to poison the troops enough to numb their senses enough for an emergency landing. But we have no experience with living demons on the ground either. If we go ahead with this, we’ll have to use it on prisoners of war first.」

Diadora offered an even more terrifying suggestion, but the first point made was still to capture the entire enemy fleet without any damage. The second point on crashing warships made by Selina pointed out the issues with Diadora targeting the airships. 

Despite this concern, there was a simple solution to the potential disaster on the ground. Dramina was the one who pitched in a suggestion. 

「The falling airships won’t be an issue if we shoot them down in spots where the crashes won’t pose a problem. I’m sure there will be gains for us even from crashed ships. However, it will be hard to offer a proper memorial service for the dead enemy soldiers.」　

「Now that you mention that, I have not bothered to mourn the remains of the dead lately. There have been too many instances where fights with enemies end with them vanishing or the entire battlefield disappearing. If we treat our enemies in such a manner, they will do the same with us. Holding a proper memorial service for the dead is a manner of proper courtesy, is it not? It’ll be trouble if they turn into the undead.」

「Yes, it would be terribly dismal, lonely, and upsetting to leave the wreckage to decay in the wilderness…」　

「If we’re driven into a corner, we won’t have the luxury to consider such matters. That being said, we have the time now to consider it since we aren’t strung up despite the approaching war. By the way, what about Dramina?」　

「With Dramina, we can have her infiltrate the airships and break the spirits of the troops with her charms as we subdue them. We can also adopt a swifter method of shooting them down from the ground. If we go with the former, we are likely to fulfill our rather ambitious goals.」　

「If we ignore all consequences, the fastest and easiest tactic would be to blow them up without a trace. After all, we’re pretty monstrous in our powers.」　

There was no hint of self-mockery or remorse in Diadora’s voice. Rather, she meant what she had said, and the other women present agreed with her. 

Dramina was the strongest vampire to exist before she had met Dran, so she could easily destroy the fleet single-handedly. On the other hand, the other three would not have been capable of such a feat if they had not encountered Dran.

「Hahaha, it would be a piece of cake for Dramina.」　

「Selina, you may laugh, but it’s easy for you to fend them off as well. Jaanura lacks range, but you’re capable of paralysis with your serpent eyes. You can put an entire warship out of commission with a single gaze, can’t you? You just have to look at them, which makes you more potent than my poison that has to reach its target to work.」　

「Huh? I’m not capable of that much… Hey, wait, hm… If I’m faced with those magic users from the land warships like that day, I might be capable of what Diadora mentioned even in the midst of a battle」　

「Selina, I see that you’re aware of how phenomenally threatening you have become」　

「Yes, of course. Every single day, I notice that my power surges far greater than an ordinary Lamia.」　

「Selina, your self-awareness is still pretty low. You made this judgment based on Dran’s scouting report on the flight altitude of those airships, didn’t you? If you were to activate your serpent eyes at full capacity, even the largest flying monsters and dragons would be paralyzed and unable to escape the fate of crashing to the ground.」

「I-Is that so?」　

Diadora’s statement seemed to spark Selina’s skepticism about her own abilities. However, that doubt slowly morphed into certainty that she would be able to deliver as Diadora had suggested. Clearly, Selina’s personality was a combination of timidity with a strangely self-assured nature for certain matters.

This was precisely the state of the Barony of Bern. When it came to facing an air fleet, Bern would inevitably have to rely on certain formidable individuals who could easily turn the tides and overwhelm any tactics to gain victory. 

Christina was once again reminded of this reality, causing her to be painfully aware of her inadequacies as a lord. The beautiful baroness with silvery-white hair unknowingly let out a small sigh and began to organize her thoughts.

「This time, our general plan is to rely on our allies in Mores Mountains. We have no other choice at present. The other regions have air combat forces, but the dragon species are rather eager. The opponent is likely to attack us before we launch an offensive, and we’ll have to rely on our dragon allies.」　

As for the tactics involving Diadora and Dramina voiced earlier, they would be put into use if they were facing a decisive defeat. Based on Dran’s judgment, Vaje and the others from Mores Mountains would not be able to fend off the demon lord’s faux dragons alone.

「In that case, I guess we have to do our best from the ground to help. Dran, what do the dragons of Mores Mountains think?」　

「They claim to be unbothered, and that seems to be genuine. The dragons on the ground are so ingrained with the nature to fight against faux dragons that it’s natural for them to start a war even without our request. The best we can do is to let them do as they wish and extend a helping hand when they are in real danger. Bern, as well as everyone present here, would find it arduous to keep up with dragons in our current situation.」　

「Thank you for your honest opinion, my capable aide.」　

「Fufu, perhaps my honesty has upset you, My Lord?」　

「Just a little. It’s harsh, no… In fact, I’ve been struck by the dismal lack of time right now and my inadequacy. I do not mean to chide you.」　

Christina excused herself with a slightly flustered demeanor, explaining that she did not mean to take out her emotions on Dran. In response, Dran offered a wane smile.

「Certainly, I understand. The basic tactic of the demon lord’s army is to strike their enemy’s front line with faux dragons and air combat forces. After that, they will proceed with an invasion by ground forces. Even if the first wave of attack is kept under control, the battle on the ground will still be extremely rough. We must be prepared for that.」　

「Yes, I am aware of that. I have resolved to stand firm on the battlefield without any cowardice many, many times.」　

「Funmu, if our lord stands on the front lines, the end of the war will be written. With Chris, there will certainly be no hitch if she chooses to do so from the very start, but that’s what troubles me.」

「Others may think she is insane or an amateur at war, but this is the nature of Bern’s baroness.」　

「That being said, it will be troubling if we forge an unpleasing tradition where the lords of Bern have to take their place at the vanguard.」　

Dran shrugged, while Christina envisioned a future where she had children. With this image in mind, she could only agree with Dran. Christina understood that even if this posed no issue in their generation, it did not necessarily mean that future generations would be able to live up to the standards they set. 

Christina nodded her head repeatedly without realizing it. She could now understand Dran’s reasons for pushing for systems and mechanisms that did not rely on individual capabilities. 

「I understand what Dran means. For the sake of our children, grandchildren, and generations to come, defeat in this battle is not an option. I am once again convinced of this. I feel apologetic to Mundus Carnus and the demon lord’s army, but I have decided to use Dreadnought if the need arises just like Dran chooses to adapt his course of action to the situation at hand.」　

Everyone—including Dreadnought—shared the opinion that such a move would demolish the entire Dark Wilderness if Christina were to make a mistake. Christina was the only one who did not bear such a thought. 

Ten days after Christina made a decision the demon lord’s army never wished for, envoys from the demon lord’s army arrived to declare war.