* * *<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We found him in there\u2014in fine shape, as well, despite my concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPhew!<\/em> I thought I was a goner for a moment,\u201d he said, not looking like he encountered anything more dangerous than a stubbed toe. Adalmann\u2019s group was there with us; Ramiris and Veldora showed up later but left after they saw Gadora was okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I tell you, I went to the Imperial Council and argued against the war there, but I couldn\u2019t tip the trend away, sadly. I expected as much, so I decided to go to Emperor Ludora one last time and see if I couldn\u2019t appeal to him directly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He made the request for a meeting, which was accepted and scheduled for today. But inside the imperial palace, he said, he was stabbed by someone. This happened not even ten minutes ago. That definitely wasn\u2019t<\/em> all right; I felt guilty for asking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh\u2026 Right. I gave you a Resurrection Bracelet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHa-ha! Lady Ramiris\u2019s powers are truly amazing. They saved my life, in fact. I thought something like this might happen, so I set up a return spell in advance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judging by how healthy and unstabbed he was, I figured it was something like that. Pretty smart idea. If he could instantly teleport himself back to the labyrinth, the Resurrection Bracelet would save his life, no matter how badly he was hurt. Seeing a real-life example like this reminded me all over again just how effective Ramiris\u2019s abilities were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, though, Gadora\u2019s a pretty nimble guy himself. Setting up spells in advance like an alarm\u2026 He taught those tricks to Razen as well, apparently, and I\u2019d want to practice that later on. I had Hasten Thought, too, and combining it with this delay thing could produce some even bigger results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWho attacked you, then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There weren\u2019t too many people in our nation who could kill Gadora. He was always on his guard, keeping up a pretty stiff magic defense, and I didn\u2019t think he\u2019d fail to spot a sneak attack in time, but\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, the assassin managed to avoid my detection before they struck, so I wasn\u2019t able to see exactly who it was. There is<\/em> a suspect in my mind, but I must admit, it\u2019s a rather hard-to-believe one\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He showed me his back; there was a straight tear in his robe. His body was completely healed, but his clothing was still in the same condition. The tear was corroded in spots, too, so it clearly wasn\u2019t just a physical attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA single stab to the heart from behind, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour defenses were destroyed by magic, it would seem,\u201d Diablo added. \u201cQuite an interesting skill to use\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It had piqued Diablo\u2019s interest, and if so, this was no amateur assassin we were dealing with. I was sure the Empire had someone capable of killing me\u2014maybe it was Gadora\u2019s attacker, even, but I ought to have assumed there was more than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gadora himself didn\u2019t seem confident enough about his hunch to name a suspect, but he wanted to do some investigating, so I\u2019d leave that to him. I didn\u2019t think he was lying, and he honestly seemed perplexed about the whole thing. I wasn\u2019t about to trust him immediately, but I figured I\u2019d wait and see what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, I\u2019m glad you\u2019re all right, at least. It certainly shows us that the Empire shouldn\u2019t be trifled with. Let\u2019s all try to be a little more careful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are exactly right, Sir Rimuru,\u201d Diablo agreed. \u201cNo need to risk our necks further with them. I am sure there is little new information to find, regardless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gadora nearly died over the info he got for me, and I had to be satisfied with that. So after a few more kind words, I let him brief me on what he found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n As the old man put it, the Empire was making concrete moves toward war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whenever the Empire opened hostilities against another nation, they never bothered issuing a formal declaration of war. The emperor was defined to be the sole, unique presence that mattered, and they didn\u2019t even recognize the existence of other countries. That, of course, was lip service; they had diplomatic relations with the Dwarven Kingdom, for one, and they didn\u2019t meddle in their sovereign territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the Empire decided to invade, it only did so after careful, prudent preparation. They didn\u2019t declare war; they sent a letter advising the other side to surrender, and only once. If you followed it, fine; if not (as the stories went) the war was on, and they\u2019d no longer show any mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You really couldn\u2019t get much haughtier as a nation\u2014or more arrogant. If you\u2019re gonna be such a bother, guys, don\u2019t expect to make any friends in international society, okay? Not that they participated in it anyway. They hadn\u2019t ratified any of the international law enacted by the Council of the West, so once they started a war, all bets were off. Post-defeat agreements? Prisoner handling? Prohibited actions during war? They followed none of those, part of why the Western Nations feared the Empire so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which\u2026yeah, I can see why. At this rate, they might try to justify the mass killing of civilians\u2014and if you lost in war against the Empire, that meant losing everything. I doubted the word reparations<\/em> was in their vocabulary\u2014everything belonged to the Empire, so the losing nation would lose all their rights. If you wanted to reason with them, you had to at least fight them to a draw. We definitely couldn\u2019t let up right then. We had to go in strong and cut out the root of all this evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we knew the Empire\u2019s direction, we switched gears into our own wartime proceedings. Our Control Center would now become a strategic headquarters\u2014just a formality, really, but still an important one. Benimaru and Soei would be on standby there at all times, the latter using his replications to fan across the region for spy ops. That way, we wouldn\u2019t have to rely solely on our Argos network, and with Moss\u2019s assistance, he should be able to get some pretty accurate intel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point in time, we had a pretty decent advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Basically, in this world, war didn\u2019t really<\/em> begin until one army encountered the other. You could use scouts and long-range magic to try detecting enemy movements in advance, but conventional wisdom called for that only when the two sides were pretty close to bumping into each other anyway. The concept of information warfare was a thing here, but there wasn\u2019t another nation on this planet with an enemy-monitoring program as thorough as ours. That\u2019s what Hinata and Gadora told me, too, so I wasn\u2019t imagining it. It was the golden truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis\u2026 Are we seeing this from the air\u2026?\u201d Gadora asked, incredulous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHeh-heh-heh-heh\u2026,\u201d Diablo chuckled. \u201cThis is a product of Sir Rimuru\u2019s magic. It requires merely a minuscule amount of magicules to trigger magic from beyond the stratosphere. Only a small number of people could ever detect this magic in motion. One would need a danger-prediction ability on the level of Ultra-Instinct.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cY-yes\u2026 Indeed. I\u2019m fairly confident in my own magic detection skills, but this just seems so natural<\/em>. I never imagined it was the work of any caster at all\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPrecisely! Even an Arch Demon well versed in magic would overlook such a low-level spell. Truly wonderful. Don\u2019t you agree?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do, I do! This magic is simply mind-boggling!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diablo, for some reason, was now bragging to Gadora with the smuggest of grins. The old sorcerer was getting more and more excited as he concurred with each of Diablo\u2019s boasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShion?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRight away!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diablo was going to be nothing but a distraction, so I ordered Shion to isolate him in another room. Now that things were quiet, we got to the business at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This high-altitude monitoring system was just beyond cheating. I mean, think about it. Until this moment, we spent so much time fretting about which route they\u2019d attack from, but now that seemed like a joke. We had a full video feed of not only the most likely routes but our entire border with the Empire, so we\u2019d see everything from the moment they kicked off. It was like playing chess with a blindfolded opponent\u2014they\u2019d only know where their pieces were, and unless you were a real beginner, you wouldn\u2019t even lose to a professional. They weren\u2019t just missing a couple pieces\u2014they were at a near-total disadvantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And of course, war has no rules anyway. If you win, you played it right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having the other side plot an invasion of our territory was scarier than I thought. It meant you\u2019d have war on your own land, with no previous agreements. But I put up one rule in advance:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo touching civilians!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We, of course, would strictly prohibit ourselves from striking first. If we declared an end to hostilities, we\u2019d refrain from attacking any further. I trusted that nobody would go against this and break the rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now I had the cabinet of Tempest here in the Control Center. Benimaru was our commander, Hakuro our chief adviser. Rigurd was there, along with the heads of the three powers of government serving under him\u2014Rugurd, Regurd, and Rogurd. Shuna and Lilina led the female contingent; they were alongside Rigur, our top behind-the-scenes man, as well as Kaijin and Kurobe. I had Vester and Mj\u00f6llmile in there as consultants; Gobta and Gabil had reported in as army generals, and Geld had taken time off from his work to show up as well. Finally, I had invited Testarossa and her two demoness friends\u2014and I let Diablo in, too, figuring he had learned his lesson. He was standing amicably in his usual spot alongside Shion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also decided to bring Gadora and Shinji\u2019s gang in as witnesses\u2026and a bit later Masayuki, that font of morale for all of humanity, came in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait a minute. Why am I the \u2018font of morale\u2019 for anything?! Can you stop spouting crap about me like that? Ugh!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oops. Guess I was airing my thoughts out loud again. Masayuki looked pretty huffy about it\u2026and for some reason, Gadora was staring right at both of us. Maybe something caught his eye, but I\u2019d ask about it afterward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That left two more people to mention\u2014Veldora and Ramiris, our support staff. Beretta, Treyni, and Charys were also on standby in one corner. That was about all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Giving a few pets to Ranga on the ground next to me, I looked around at my seated audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t need to tell you all why you\u2019re here today. We\u2019re going to hold a conference to work out our opposition to the Empire. Benimaru and I have come up with an outline of our strategy, but I want to hear your feedback on it as well. Don\u2019t be afraid to speak up at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u201c\u201cYes, Sir Rimuru!\u201d\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So the conference began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Turning toward the screen, I saw it display crowds of imperial forces on the move\u2014these metallic vehicles, whirring along as they ran on treads. They were tanks, and from what the image showed, there were around two thousand of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whoa!<\/em> I thought when I saw that. What are tanks doing there?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Flustered, I asked Shinji\u2019s group for some explanation. Through them, we learned that the Empire was using the knowledge\u2014and science\u2014of otherworlders to develop modern weaponry. They had internal combustion engines that ran on magicules instead of oil, charging up their energy through air circulation\u2014allowing for cooling and magicule supply at the same time. A pretty well-thought-out system, in my opinion. These tanks were also pretty versatile; in terms of functionality, I\u2019d say they easily outclassed the best tanks in our old world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gadora told us that the Empire analyzed a magical control reactor found in some ancient ruins and reworked them for modern times. They were also building up a supply of magic stones for fuel purposes, relying on the natural magicule supply for normal operation and the stones during battle. They could run at up to sixty-five miles an hour, and bad roads were no problem for them\u2014they could even float in the air, a little above the ground, although it cost energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankly, I felt, we had fallen behind. If only we had worked on these\u2026 It frustrated me. Tanks<\/em>, in a world of knights\u2026 It never even occurred to me. And I had trains<\/em> and everything! I was one step away!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026But would you really develop tanks before cars<\/em>? I didn\u2019t think so. I mean, I\u2019d need to think things over carefully before I even put cars into the mix. They\u2019d be useful, but it was kinda like playing with fire. I was sure everybody would want one, but I didn\u2019t think it\u2019d be possible to dole out one to each person. We couldn\u2019t tap our energy supply dry, so there was bound to be the haves and the have-nots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a better idea, I thought, to develop our cities so you didn\u2019t need cars. With trains, after all, things were a lot more convenient already. But maybe once our rail network was built out, I could develop luxury cars as a kind of hobbyist thing for the rich? Something you\u2019d wanna strive<\/em> to own someday. It\u2019d give people something to dream about, and I figured something high-end enough to be a status symbol would be all right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But that could wait until the war was over. After all, the tanks weren\u2019t the only surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They even had flying ships. It was hard to keep from shouting out, Are you<\/em> kidding me?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Those things would make transportation so<\/em> much easier. If you used them in war, your supply problems were a thing of the past. If we could\u2019ve taken air superiority for our own, I would\u2019ve been a lot more optimistic. We need to develop those<\/em>, I thought, but it just wasn\u2019t too realistic yet. Flying airships weren\u2019t something you could wrap up in a day. I think it was doable with enough time, but no development project ever went that smoothly. Every project took shape only with a trial-and-error process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On this point, I really had to applaud the Empire\u2019s R & D department. And hopefully nobody would chide me for thinking, Boy, it\u2019d be nice if we could seize one of those intact\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n But\u2026man. If only I\u2019d thought a bit more outside the box with my orders for things\u2026but never mind. No point gnashing my teeth over it. But it was something for the future. Once this war was done with, I definitely wanted to start developing some more neat, innovative stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n So we saw the current state of the Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had been briefed on it in advance, but a lot of people in the Control Center were finding out for the first time. They gazed at the screen, mouths agape, not bothering to hide their surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe total size of the invasion force is estimated to be one million! I guess you can see that, but\u2026I think the Empire\u2019s military has been a surprise for us all, but we still have the advantage in this conflict, so don\u2019t worry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most important element of war was how well you could estimate the opponent\u2019s fighting power. On that<\/em> point, we pretty much stripped the enemy bare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Raphael told me that the total count was a million, and that was a crazy number to deploy, but I didn\u2019t think it spelled doom for us. That was simply how much leeway we had to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGadora has informed me that the imperial military is composed of three major divisions. One of them is called the Armored Division, and that includes the tank force we see here. They call it the Magitank Force, and we can assume it\u2019s the main source of their power.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I explained the inner workings of the Magitank Force to everyone. But that wasn\u2019t all of Gadora\u2019s info. He had participated in their strategy meetings for me, and he told me everything that was covered. The Empire knew Gadora had deserted by now, so there was a chance they changed their plans, but I was sure the main gist was the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They had Yuuki over there, after all, and Yuuki was apparently angling to stage a coup of the Empire. I was sure he was encouraging the other division commanders to not worry about the surely<\/em> dead Gadora\u2014that ought to mess them up. Plus, as Gadora told me, the commander of the Armored Corps, a man named Caligulio, had taken the bait I laid out for him. He believed the Dungeon was full of resources and treasure, and he wanted to seize it before anyone else could. If so, I\u2019m sure he wouldn\u2019t want to change out the whole operation at this<\/em> point, so chances were good that he\u2019d take up Yuuki\u2019s suggestions. Working on assumptions is a dangerous move, but seeing how Caligulio ran his force, it\u2019d be easy to surmise what his army wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I wrapped up my rundown, Gobta was the first to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUmmm, my force is stationed in the lodging town, but are they gonna be fightin\u2019 those tank thingies?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Very observant. In fact, for someone appointed a commander, this was a life-or-death question. Considering his long, documented history of sleeping through meetings, Gobta was showing some real growth. Sometimes, a guy needs a little responsibility to show his true colors\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIsn\u2019t that<\/em> obvious? The job of your First Army Corps is to smash up this tank force!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As my emotions got the better of me, Benimaru gave him the news. The shock made Gobta sway in his seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNobody told me<\/em>\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yeah, I get it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo\u2026 So you mean we need to defend the town with our lives?\u201d he asked, a look of death already on his face. I smiled back at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course<\/em> not! Based on what I know about the tanks\u2019 abilities, I think you guys could win if you took the right approach, but who knows how many losses you\u2019d take doing it\u2026 That, and defending\u2019s always harder than attacking, and your Green Numbers without any battle experience are gonna be pretty fat targets for them. So no, it\u2019s not a \u2018to the death\u2019 thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was trying to calm him down. Hakuro, who I assigned to support Gobta, was nodding at this; he must\u2019ve caught my drift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay, so what are we gonna do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat<\/em> is the job of a general to work out\u2026but I shouldn\u2019t expect that from you first thing. Benimaru, if you could?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, I was lording it over him, but honestly, I was just as much a military amateur as Gobta. I didn\u2019t know much about strategy, so I was leaving the nitty-gritty to Benimaru. But then, I enjoyed making life easier for myself. If Gobta could work hard and mature for me, I\u2019d be able to kick back that much more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, hoping Gobta would put in a diligent effort, I listened to Benimaru alongside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right, Gobta. The lodging town\u2019s a vital base for us, but losing it wouldn\u2019t be a major concern. If they tear it down, we can rebuild it; if they capture it, we can take it back. The problem is the potential for civilian casualties, but Sir Rimuru has taken care of that. He\u2019s already sent out the order for everyone to evacuate to the capital of Rimuru.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mm-hmm. The moment I knew the Empire was on the move, I had them begin the evacuation. It\u2019ll take time, I\u2019m sure, but it ought to wrap up before the Empire arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, right, there weren\u2019t a lot of folks around there\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sure there weren\u2019t. Your job\u2019s to help anyone left in there evacuate to safety. After that, you\u2019ll be heading here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru pointed out a spot on the large map we had spread out on the conference table. It was the Armed Nation of Dwargon\u2014in particular, its central city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLook at this image. The imperial force intends to split up and invade from several routes. Some of their units are already in the Forest of Jura, but the tank force hasn\u2019t moved yet. Based on the direction of their advance, they\u2019re clearly following the foothills of the Canaat Mountains. It\u2019s not as thick with trees there, so the force won\u2019t get bogged down as much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh\u2026 Um, okay\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t get it, do you? Ah well. Anyway, your mission is to defend the Dwarven Kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he spoke, Benimaru moved a peg representing Gobta\u2019s force into the Dwarven Kingdom. Then he took another one out, symbolizing the dwarven armed forces, and placed it next to Gobta\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ll be fighting together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOhhh\u2026!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Gobta got it. His reaction was a mix of surprise and excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was another operation inspired by Gadora\u2019s information; Gazel already gave it his blessing. As per our agreement, I informed him that the Empire was aiming at the Dwarven Kingdom\u2014and as I promised him, I declared that we\u2019d send him backup. Gazel, to his credit, had picked up on the Empire\u2019s suspicious behavior; they had repeatedly asked for permission to march through. He was starting to get sick of constantly refusing them, but he could read between the lines\u2014he knew they\u2019d lose their patience and get moving eventually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My offer was welcomed by him, and it\u2019d give us a lot of benefits as well. We could always rebuild the lodging town if it was destroyed, but as we saw it, the Empire wouldn\u2019t go out of their way to pillage it if no fighting occurred there. If we could get it back soon enough, I saw no problem with abandoning it for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Empire\u2019s traveling through such a conspicuous spot because they wanna convince us they\u2019ll invade there. With this<\/em> much of a show, anybody would notice it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, so it\u2019s one of those \u2018show of force\u2019 things?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Damn, Gobta. Grasping the fancy concepts and everything. He must\u2019ve been studying a little bit. I was impressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s right. This route they\u2019re taking is on the border between Dwargon and Tempest. Both countries are going to notice them; it\u2019s a great way for them to gauge our moves. If it looks like we\u2019re gonna meddle with them, they can use that as a pretext to start attacking. We\u2019re forbidden from striking first, of course, so we\u2019d start with a warning. Do you understand so far?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYep.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, if we don\u2019t make any moves, the imperial force will cross the Great Ameld River and reach a point that overlooks the main entrance to the Dwarven Kingdom. That\u2019s a broad, grassy area without any trees, the perfect place to deploy an army.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh-huh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnce they get that far, King Gazel\u2019s not going to stay silent. He\u2019ll face up to them with his own forces and try to negotiate. And it\u2019s the same way with us. The Emperor will make enemies out of us and the kingdom at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru moved the pegs around the map to demonstrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSir Gadora said that the emperor\u2019s wary of being surrounded by the dwarven and Tempestian armies, but as long as they cover this point, that can\u2019t happen. Even if the other side stages a sneak attack from here, it wouldn\u2019t mean anything tactically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A surprise attack involves striking the enemy when its guard is down. If the enemy expects it the whole time, it was not only meaningless, but it could be harmful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd so instead of that, we\u2019ll assault them from the start. We\u2019ll go right up, and we\u2019ll smash them!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru tapped Gobta\u2019s peg against the Empire\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOhhhh!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gobta sounded impressed. None of my other advisers seemed against it, but what do they think about our forces\u2019 size difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThird Army Corps General Gabil!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSir!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour role is to guard the evacuating residents. Watch from the skies for stragglers or people in trouble and help them out as needed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, sir!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnce you guide them to safety, you\u2019ll travel over to Gobta to support him. If the timing works out, you\u2019ll reach him before the Empire can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur force is the swiftest in all of Tempest. I promise you we will make it in time!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabil looked confident enough about it, but realistically speaking, it\u2019d be tough. I intended to have the trains running full speed to get the residents evacuated, but moving tens of thousands of people took time, and the Empire had frightening mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on our calculations (which factored in their legion magic as well), we predicted that their army could advance a mind-blowing forty miles in a day. Right then, the Empire was stopped against the border. From there to where they planned to open hostilities, there were around 930 miles of terrain to cover. In about twenty more days, the imperial force would reach their destination. This dizzying marching pace was possible because each of their soldiers had undergone body enhancement surgery\u2014or something like that. This apparently let them stay on the move for a week without food or drink, so their maximum fighting speed was even faster than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tanks, meanwhile, could go around six or seven miles an hour without an external supply, and since atmospheric magicules were available day and night, they could take advantage of that to resupply themselves more fully when resting. No point exhausting your force before the war even began, after all. Gadora\u2019s guidance along those lines seemed sound enough, so Benimaru and I used his assumptions for our calculations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Thanks to that, the Empire could arrive at this point sooner than we expect. I don\u2019t want anyone here to be caught by surprise!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon closing that subject, Benimaru moved right on to the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo this is where the Empire will break out their main army, but as Gobta said, this is mainly a show of force\u2014in other words, a feint. Their real<\/em> breakout teams are going to move toward here!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He took out some differently colored Empire pegs and spread them around the Forest of Jura. Their plan was to make us think the tanks were their main force, then place the brunt of their troops elsewhere. This was all plain as day in our monitors, so I couldn\u2019t say the idea really wowed us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNow, even if things expand past what we\u2019re expecting over here, we still have Geld guarding this terrain! Geld, I want you to call your forces back from their stations as quickly as you can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnderstood. I\u2019ve already sent the Thought Communication. All my forces will gather up shortly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Benimaru and Geld were certainly on the same page; just a few words, and everything was set. I knew I could rely on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Benimaru looked back down at the map. \u201cThese forces are likely going to advance through the forest, trying to stay hidden. Unfortunately, Sir Rimuru\u2019s Argos monitoring magic can\u2019t reveal everything happening under the forest canopy. That\u2019s where Soei comes in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soei nodded and stood up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe forest is lush with tree cover and difficult to monitor from above. Even if we deploy all our agents, there\u2019s too much ground to cover, and they run the risk of being found. So we\u2019ve decided to rely on Moss instead. He\u2019s capable of releasing a large number of tiny Replications and picking up all the information they take in. None of them can fight very much, but losing a replication won\u2019t hurt us at all. Using that, Moss is currently monitoring the eastern Forest of Jura. He\u2019s informed us that platoons of imperial troops are on the advance in there, and thanks to his surveillance, we can crush each and every one of them at will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He accentuated the point with a cruel smile. Kind of scary. Good thing he\u2019s on our side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sure, we could defeat these small platoons all day\u2014but it\u2019s the big main force behind them that worried me. Benimaru\u2019s strategy for that was to wait until they had gotten themselves assembled to some extent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf the imperial force is trying to reach the Dungeon, we\u2019ll invite them in and take care of them then. If any remain on the surface, Geld\u2019s Second Corps and my main force will hit them hard! That\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a very simple, easy-to-grasp strategy\u2026but really, I was still worried about our size difference. Nobody had commented on that yet, but what did they think about it? Maybe I ought to have brought it up\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026but as I hesitated, the Control Center rang out with the cries of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right! If Gabil\u2019s joining my team, we\u2019re all gonna be okay. Victory\u2019s in the bag for us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m delighted to hear that from you, Sir Gobta! And I promise you that we\u2019ll fight the way a winning army should!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was worried we wouldn\u2019t get to join in, but I knew Sir Benimaru would come through. He left us with the greatest honor of all\u2014protecting the homeland. Trust me when I say we\u2019ll make full use of our powers!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n All three of our generals responded to Benimaru\u2019s call to arms. Even the nonmilitary folks were excitedly trading feedback with one another. There wasn\u2019t a hint of pessimism\u2014even the three demonesses were happily joining in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, guys\u2026 Again, the size difference<\/em>\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n I mean, yeah, I thought we could win this, too. I even felt pretty safe assuming we would. But I was far from anxiety-free\u2014and yet nobody seemed the slightest bit worried. It was weird. Even Gobta was brimming with enthusiasm, his initial concerns now put behind him. He might\u2019ve had Hakuro as his adviser, but I was still anxious about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right. So is anyone unclear about any part of Benimaru\u2019s rundown?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I prompted them all, but no one had any questions. Instead, Benimaru spoke for the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo not worry, Sir Rimuru. We are not at all worried about losing\u2014not because we don\u2019t think we\u2019ll lose, but because we\u2019ll devote every effort to the fight. We have ample enough reason to win, and we have a glorious battlefield waiting. If we lose, it just proves we were incompetent. We weren\u2019t the fittest, so we didn\u2019t survive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He gave me a refreshing smile. All the monsters in the room were exuding the same vibe, including Shuna and the other women. They weren\u2019t afraid of losing; they were afraid of running from the fight. And more than that\u2014I thought, vaguely at least, I was beginning to understand their feelings. I thought I did, and I decided to do what I could for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTestarossa! Ultima! Carrera!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u201c\u201cYes, sir!\u201d\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The three demonesses immediately reacted. I had an order for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEach of you will accompany an army corps and support their operations!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAbsolutely, Sir Rimuru,\u201d Testarossa replied. \u201cI have Cien taking care of the Council, so until this war is over, I will gladly participate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFinally<\/em> I\u2019m seeing some action! You\u2019re in good hands, Sir Rimuru!\u201d said Ultima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHee-hee-hee\u2026,\u201d Carrera snickered. \u201cYou can expect great things from me, Master. Time to show off every ounce of my powers!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The three of them looked up at me, beaming. I nodded back and gave out my assignments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTestarossa, you\u2019ll join Gobta.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGladly!\u201d she replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gobta looked significantly less convinced. \u201cYou sure about that? This girl\u2019s never even fought before. Can she keep up with the First Corps?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheesh. That was a pretty bold statement to make around her. I mean, I didn\u2019t know these girls were Primals until just recently so I\u2019m not one to talk, but Gobta\u2019s sheer courage just floored me. She\u2019s gonna kill you<\/em>, I thought, but I kept my mouth shut. After all, wouldn\u2019t it be more fun this way?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy, I\u2019m glad to be of such help,\u201d Testarossa said with a smile, but I knew I wasn\u2019t the only one who couldn\u2019t look her in the eye right then. Don\u2019t worry, Gobta. I\u2019m pretty<\/em> sure she\u2019ll accept an apology. Can\u2019t wait for Gobta to find out who she really is, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By those standards, Gabil had matured a lot. He bowed his head to Ultima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI look forward to your support. I still have so many improvements to make!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Diablo and my other sources, Ultima was the most brutal of the three demonesses. Carrera was the most likely to go out of control, but Ultima was still the scariest. I could already picture her following my orders but still keeping an eye on the side paths for some imperial soldiers to torture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabil dealt with her correctly, at least. She seemed to like him a lot, chirping \u201cOkay! I\u2019m looking forward to it, too!\u201d in her cute voice. I know Gabil had been working hard on his habit of getting carried away, and now I\u2019d say it just saved his life. A little daily effort can accomplish so many things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Geld, meanwhile, had no problem shaking hands with Carrera. They both had a kind of \u201cnoble warrior\u201d aura to them. I have to say, though, I did a pretty exquisite job with these pairings. If Gobta and Gabil had switched places, I think Gobta would\u2019ve been in mortal danger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So I patted myself on the back as I gave them all a little pep talk. Nobody really knew who these demonesses were; I put a gag order on everyone who attended the meeting Guy crashed. No point terrorizing everyone for no good reason. I also told the trio to keep mum about it and take orders from the generals so they wouldn\u2019t reveal themselves, but I was so<\/em> sure they\u2019d mess it up. It really scared me. Wish I<\/em> didn\u2019t have to know the truth about them\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026But ahhh, let\u2019s trust them. Unless I told them to, I\u2019m sure Testarossa and her friends would lie low. Either way, though, we had these three pairs in place, and with the demonesses accompanying our corps, I\u2019m sure they could deal with any emergencies. That, at least, relieved me a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n \u201cThat settles that topic. Anything further to add?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rest would depend on the Empire\u2019s moves, so they\u2019d just have to play it by ear after that. It\u2019d be important to work alongside King Gazel, so we\u2019d need to hold detailed talks about that\u2014but that was a strategic HQ job. Our generals had their own orders already, so if that was all, I was ready to adjourn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But one person raised his hand up high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUm, could I say something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s up, Masayuki?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, uh, I just had a question\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMm-hmm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIgnoring the question of why I\u2019m a general for the moment, the Volunteer Army you gave me\u2014um, I don\u2019t think anyone said what its role would be or anything, but\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah, that? Yeah, I\u2019m sure he has a few questions. Taking a high school\u2013age kid and calling him a general would confuse anyone. Maybe you\u2019d see officers his age back in the samurai era, but I didn\u2019t think a kid who grew up during peacetime in Japan could keep up with it. But\u2026 You know, it\u2019s hard for me<\/em>, too. I turn around one day, and boom<\/em>, I\u2019m a demon lord. I didn\u2019t have any helpful boss giving me a shoulder to lean on, either. Along those lines, I\u2019d say Masayuki is pretty lucky, actually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t you think so?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t I think so, what? Can you please<\/em> give me some guidance?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, right. Thinking all this won\u2019t get it across to him. It\u2019d probably sound like a bunch of excuses to him, but oh well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell\u2026 You know, I felt kinda bad about pushing a huge amount of responsibility on you at once.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cN-no, um\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut when it comes to reassuring the hearts and minds of our citizens, you\u2019re the best guy we got.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we were all monsters here, a war breaking out wouldn\u2019t be an issue at all. Their morale would be one hundred percent, and nobody would cause any trouble. Not so with our new residents. They\u2019d be scared, anxious, disturbed, and some might turn to crime, even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo it\u2019s at a time like this when I want you to exercise your powers and ease everybody\u2019s anxieties.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see\u2026 I think I can help you with that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masayuki seemed to understand well enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh-ha-ha! No need for modesty, Sir Masayuki! As a Hero, everybody knows\u2014to say nothing of myself\u2014that you\u2019d hesitate to take the side of a single nation! But I hope you\u2019ll still lend a hand to assist the powerless, the helpless among our citizenry!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mj\u00f6llmile\u2019s eyes sparkled as he pleaded with Masayuki. He was still misreading the kid\u2019s actual powers, but I didn\u2019t see any need to correct him. In fact, I had a sneaking suspicion that Hinata had the wrong idea about him, too. What a bad dude<\/em>, I thought as I watched the legend of Masayuki unfold before me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Yes\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He didn\u2019t look too thrilled. In fact, I\u2019d say he was pretty disgusted with the whole thing. I felt bad for him, but I really wanted him to pitch in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026So I guess my Volunteer Army will maintain public order?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPerfect. As you know, Ramiris will ensure that the damage to our town will be kept to a minimum. When war breaks out, you see, the capital on the surface is going to be quarantined inside the labyrinth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I told my cabinet about this already, along with other involved parties. I wasn\u2019t keeping a tight cap on it, so I was sure the stragglers from our evacuation drills were spreading rumors about it. That was on purpose; I figured it\u2019d help assuage people\u2019s fears a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHee-hee-hee! That\u2019s right! I\u2019m a pretty powerful fairy, y\u2019know, but that\u2019s<\/em> all thanks to my master!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndeed. I have lent a portion of my ponderous magicule force to Ramiris, allowing her to engineer this gargantuan feat. Call it a victory driven by friendship, if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Ramiris who did the required legwork to stuff the city inside the labyrinth, but it couldn\u2019t be powered at all without Veldora. I had to honestly thank him for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThanks, you two. It\u2019s a huge help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, is it? Aw, it\u2019s no biggie! None at all! You can compliment me more if you like, though!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKwah-ha-ha-ha! That\u2019s right! Sing our praises to the high heavens!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah, yeah, thank you very much!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A couple compliments, and look at them go! But they really did<\/em> deserve it. And even when the city\u2019s sequestered in the Dungeon, you\u2019ll still see the sky above. A lot of citizens won\u2019t even realize anything is different. The Empire won\u2019t bring any of its violence to town, and really, I was still astounded by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut you need to remember, Rimuru\u2026,\u201d said Veldora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHmm?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t too likely to happen,\u201d Ramiris began, \u201cbut if my master was somehow defeated, and the Empire makes it through the hundredth floor, that\u2019s going to eject the town back up to the surface. Kind of the rebound from expending all that effort, y\u2019know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh, that\u2019s another concern, huh? But that\u2019s based on the assumption that Veldora\u2019s gonna lose, isn\u2019t it? If it comes to that<\/em>, I think the town\u2019s gonna be the least of our worries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If it did, all of us would be fully devoted to the fight. We wouldn\u2019t have the leeway to worry about what happened to the city, I\u2019m sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot that I\u2019d<\/em> ever lose, of course,\u201d Veldora boasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMm-hmm. We got the Ten Dungeon Marvels on the case, too, so I think we\u2019re gonna be just peachy!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramiris was right, certainly. I didn\u2019t think Veldora would be playing much of a role. But if worse comes to worst\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s always Masayuki, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuhhh?! W-wait! Wait a minute, please! Peacekeeping is one thing, but what could I<\/em> ever do if it came to that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We all nodded at Masayuki as he whined about never even leading an army before. Even Mj\u00f6llmile, as much as he worshipped the guy, could understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, Masayuki,\u201d I assured him. \u201cI don\u2019t expect you to lead an entire military force. I\u2019m still discussing this with Hinata, but I\u2019m asking her to send an aide from the Crusaders. I\u2019m sure she\u2019ll say yes, so you\u2019re gonna have an assistant helping you out pretty soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you will? Well, that\u2019s a relief.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd also<\/em>\u2014!\u201d I added. \u201cI\u2019ll have the kids serve as your bodyguards, so they\u2019ll keep you safe\u2014um, I mean, you<\/em> keep them<\/em> safe, all right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWah-ha-ha! Imagine, being defended by the Hero himself! Those children couldn\u2019t possibly be safer!\u201d Mj\u00f6llmile roared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf\u2026 Of course.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masayuki nodded, even as a bead of sweat ran down his temple. He knew what the kids were capable of, so he understood who was gonna be defending whom well enough. Plus, they\u2019d have Chloe around, and I was sure she could keep them all alive if things got really<\/em> hairy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So that was everything we needed to talk about. We were fully prepared, but until the end came, there was no telling what could happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Besides\u2026 Well, it\u2019s not like I didn\u2019t have any concerns. Chloe, after all, had pretty vivid memories of my grisly death. At least one person in the Empire had the power to kill me\u2014that was an undeniable fact. If they came for me, not even the Ten Dungeon Marvels could stop them. In fact\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Report. The Ten Dungeon Marvels were put in place precisely for that reason\u2014to reveal the scope of the enemy\u2019s powers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s what I thought. At the end of the day, Raphael always put my own safety first, I guess. I appreciated it, but at the same time, I had to brace myself. I had to protect my friends, no matter what. I didn\u2019t want any of them hurt thanks to something as ridiculous as a war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And with that resolve in my heart, I ended the day\u2019s meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Masayuki did a good job addressing the populace, it looked like. Apparently, it turned into an \u201cI browbeat the demon lord into swearing he\u2019d defend the city\u201d kinda premise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Hero does it again!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat a role model!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There he was, looking conflicted with himself as he basked in the adulation of Tempest\u2019s adventurers and immigrants. But even his expression got misconstrued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy, doesn\u2019t the Hero look so<\/em> attractive when he\u2019s scowling?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAfter all the promises he extracted from the demon lord, the Hero\u2019s still not satisfied yet!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndeed, indeed. Such a modest, reserved leader!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Hero\u2019s going to protect this town. Between the demon lord Rimuru and him, I\u2019m not scared one bit of the Empire\u2019s attack!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYeah! Just leave it to them, and they\u2019ll take care of everything!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2026That sort of interpretation. Now Masayuki\u2019s reputation was better than ever, his mental suffering going completely unnoticed by anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so as the populace went on with their normal lives, the moment finally came. The Empire made its debut, and our days of peace reached an end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There, on a hot summer night, war began like a sudden dream.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" * * * We found him in there\u2014in fine shape, as well, despite my concerns. \u201cPhew! I thought I was a goner for a moment,\u201d he said, not looking like he encountered anything more dangerous than a stubbed toe. Adalmann\u2019s group was there with us; Ramiris and Veldora showed up later but left after they saw Gadora was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3558","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3558","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3558"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3558\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3559,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3558\/revisions\/3559"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3558"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3558"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3558"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}