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Chapter 308 part 1

The Demon King’s Army, the pride of the demon nation Mundus Carnus, was undoubtedly one of the strongest forces on the planet during this era.

The core of the Demon King’s Army, led by four of the six Demon Generals, was forced to retreat without achieving their initial strategic goals, an unprecedented event in the army’s history.

The morale of the soldiers who had suffered defeat had greatly declined, and it would not have been strange for the commanders to be shifting blame for the defeat onto each other or trying to come up with excuses for their failure. However, the demon army was somewhat different in nature.

The two legions, having retreated from the front lines against the Arkrest Kingdom and the Romal Empire, regrouped at a location midway between the border of Mundus Carnus and the Bern territory, waiting to reorganize their forces and for reinforcements from the homeland.

At this time, the four demon generals who had led each army corps – Vengitta the living doll, the demon spider Quince of the God of War’s followers; the ancient demon Zandarza, and Galilius, the ancient goblin who serves as the vanguard of the gods – had gathered on Galilius’s flagship. They were about to begin discussions with their lord Yaheim via long-distance communication to report on the situation and discuss future plans.

Inside a metallic room, a glass-like screen covered the entire wall facing the entrance, where the four Demon Generals stood lined up. Only Quince was on a special platform due to her size.

Despite being leaders of a defeated army, none of them displayed a defeated demeanor. It was evident they were resolved to achieve victory and erase the dishonor of their defeat.

Soon after they assembled in the communications room, the initially black screen lit up, displaying Yaheim, his vizier Zarhamera, the faux dragon queen Mazfelo, and Trawl, chief of the troll tribe. Vengitta and the others bowed slightly to the mightiest king in Mundus Carnus.

After Vengitta and the others raised their heads, Yaheim, with a hint of amusement, addressed them.

「From the daily reports, I understand the situation of your battles. It is still somewhat hard to believe that both armies were repelled, Vengitta, Quince, Zandarza, Galilius.」
His tone was not accusatory. Of course, there would be responsibility for the soldiers who died and the equipment and supplies that were lost, but Zarhamela would handle the detailed questioning about that.
Galilius was the first to respond to the lord’s words, which were not a reprimand but had a teasing tone.

「It’s a bitter truth, but everyone, including myself, did their utmost. This is the result we have now. My lord, we are ashamed our strength wasn’t enough. The fault lies not with the soldiers but with us, the commanders. Please, do not blame the soldiers.」
「Understood, old Goblin. And our struggle is not entirely defeated yet. For a warrior, it’s exciting to face numerous formidable foes in both the Romal Empire and Arkrest Kingdom, but as a king, it’s an unexpected and troubling situation.」

Quince then raised her right foreleg, seeking permission to speak. The content she was about to voice could have come from Vengitta as well, but Vengitta was currently half-immersed in her own world, muttering to herself, and didn’t seem capable of reporting.

「My lord, our king, amongst these formidable enemies, I have something to report. The Lamia and Black Rose Spirit, as well as Baron Bern’s matters, have been reported, but I wish to convey new information obtained during our recent retreat.」

「Oh, for Quince to speak in such a solemn voice, I have no choice but to lend my ear.」

「During the last battle, we noted numerous sniper attacks from Bern’s forces. Eventually, we spotted the sniper – a vampire, and a special one capable of moving in daylight. The fact that it’s a vampire that can act during the day already raises the threat level, but this vampire – she was clad in what appeared to be divine artifacts all over her body.」

「Divine artifacts, you say? The number of vampires on this continent is small, but not nonexistent. It’s rare for one to be integrated into another race’s society, especially carrying divine artifacts. Vampires usually revere the moon goddess, the creator, and the night god. Fortunately, they have no ties to our ancestral gods. No need for concern. But there’s more to it than that, right, Quince?」

「Yes. Regarding the divine artifacts she was wearing, they were likely items created by gods for gods. Based on my observation and knowledge, I am certain that these are items bestowed by the gods with restrictions placed on them for use on earth. Even with restrictions, divine artifacts created by gods for gods are fundamentally different in caliber from those created by gods for earthly races.」

This was more than a metaphor; it was a serious matter for Yaheim and Zandarza, descendants of the war god Sagravas. Quince’s implication was clear.

「So, more prestigious than my divine sword, Galandain, and divine armor, Vanaria?」

Yaheim, with a trace of bitterness in his words, seemed somewhat delighted. Despite his descent from the war god, his fondness for battle was excessive.

「We won’t break them head-on, so don’t worry too much. But remember, under Baron Bern, we face enemies beyond our usual advantage in armament. Even though Bern himself isn’t of particularly high superhuman rank, he’s a formidable foe, almost demigod-like. His domain, along with the Arkrest Kingdom, seems to host individuals even more unique than us.」

「Hahaha, indeed, how delightful. It’s wonderful. Exploration and adventure in uncharted lands are splendid, but battles against possibly unbeatable foes are our true calling. Indeed, the world is vast. Perhaps we should have ceased internal conflicts sooner and looked beyond the wilderness, right, Zandarza?」

Zandarza, who had fought Yaheim until the last during Mundus Carnus’s unification and was once the prime candidate for unification in the era of Mundus Carnus’s civil wars, now healed from his deadly battle with Hausen, returned to his usual demeanor. He laughed in response to Yaheim’s sarcastically tinged words.

「It’s because of those battles back then that we are where we are today. There’s no point in talking about past actions that can’t be changed. Don’t pick on old folks, you young whippersnapper.」

「Kukuku, well, old folks have short time left, you know. If we don’t tease them while we can, we might regret not having said something later.」

「You’re quite the cheeky one. Well, if you weren’t at least that much, there’d be no point in trying to slit your throat in your sleep.」

「If it were you, you’d come directly for my head, not just sneak up on me.」

「Ah, the strongest enemy is often the best understander. But for now, our top priority is dealing with Arkrest and Romal. We have no issues if we fight them with our normal forces. If we fight normally, we should win. The Dragonkin of Mores Mountains, the exceptional forces of Baron Bern, and the Twelve Wing Generals of Romal Empire are our formidable foes. We must address them.」

「I see, so I must go there directly.」

「The ancient guardians of the Romal Empire won’t act against foreign enemies, so we can largely ignore them until they invade the vicinity of the Imperial City again. However, a contractor might act out of emotion or calculation beyond the contract. Still, with a guardian, we might be able to use some of the Deva’s legacy to a certain extent.」

「A legacy for dealing with one faction among the many star people. This is from long before I was born, isn’t it? There are probably few in Mundus Canus who know about this, starting with you, Zandarza.」

「Indeed. The legacies still operational might be few, but if legacies like the 「Eye of Heaven,」 「Peeping Star,」and 「Watching Satellite」 are still active, the capital and geography of Mundus Carnus would be virtually exposed. If they come with the momentum of defeating us, there’s a possibility they’ll invade our familiar lands.」

「Hm. So there’s a possibility they might invade our mainland after we have repelled their attack? This only means we need to be more determined.」

「Hmph, truly descendants of the God of War. Trawl and the others seem rather disheartened, don’t they?」

While agreeing wholeheartedly with Yaheim, whose smile shone even brighter, Zandarza turned his gaze to the Troll chief. The Trolls led by Trawl weren’t descendants of Sagurabases or his kin, but originally lived in a corner of the Dark Wilderness. Hence, they don’t share Yaheim and Zandarza’s enjoyment of battling formidable enemies.

「They don’t dislike battle, but both the Demon King and Zandarza might go into battle without concern for defeat. Watching from the sidelines isn’t easy.」

Yaheim and Zandarza both gave a wry smile at the white-bearded Troll who sighed dramatically. Perhaps they felt a bit guilty.