My Slain Dragon Bride

Chapter 228. Siege

After looking toward the training grounds, they walked down the corridor again.

They headed toward the mages’ laboratory.

The place where six court mages had once conducted their research and meetings was now occupied by a woman.

"Have you arrived?"

She was an unusual woman with pointed ears and dark skin, yet her beautiful appearance remained unchanged.

She had once belonged to a race known as the Dark Elves, and now she was the last Dark Elf.

Her name was Linne.

She was the woman who had once been called the Chief Researcher.

"I heard you manufactured the Trauma just the way I wanted. I appreciate that."

When Curved Demon praised her, she looked confused.

"Trauma...?"

"Those things with eyeballs."

"They already have the name Mental Jammer..."

"Don’t you think an intuitive name is boring? Names are fun when you see what other people end up calling them. Trauma. Doesn’t it sound nice?"

"I suppose it does."

Whatever the name, it didn’t really matter.

Linne brushed it aside and continued her report.

"Using the raw materials you provided, we have mass-produced 525 Knight-class Demons. They are currently waiting for orders."

"525..."

A smile spread across Curved Demon’s face.

That number was by no means large.

Even with an army that size, if a force of 100,000 soldiers came rushing in, they would be crushed helplessly.

But were they really just ordinary Knight-class Demons?

The number was 525, but they were not the same as 525 ordinary soldiers.

They were Demons blessed by Legion, the land where all lives were considered equal.

They possessed dozens of hearts and dozens of heads. Even if they were killed again and again, they would resurrect and charge back onto the battlefield.

If they merely caught the 100,000-strong army off guard, annihilating them would be child’s play.

"And there is one unusual case..."

Linne glanced toward King Heinkel as she spoke.

"One of them is stubbornly resisting the Blood."

"If it’s that one..."

"He is the man who claims to be a close friend of Heinkel."

Perry Yurei.

He had arrived leading an army of more than ten thousand, but, as expected, he had been brutally defeated.

Contrary to his declaration that he would fight until the last man, the overwhelming difference in military strength quickly destroyed his will to fight.

Two thousand were lost.

It took only two minutes for those two thousand to disappear.

The remaining eight thousand all became citizens of the Heinkel Kingdom.

All except one.

Curved Demon stroked his chin and asked,

"Interesting. What do you normally do in a situation like this?"

"It is unusual, but there is no need to become obsessed with one person. As a living creature, he is no different from a second-rate knight. He is merely a Knight-class Demon. You could expose him to Trauma until he breaks down, or simply kill him—"

"That won’t do."

King Heinkel immediately reacted.

"Perry... must see what I’m seeing. For that, he has to remain alive."

"How insolent. For a human."

Linne frowned and glared at him.

"I’m already overwhelmed with the work I’m doing. Do you expect me to indulge your stubbornness as well?"

"Yes. You must. Yurei is my friend."

"Obsession. You have that kind of obsession because you have never walked the path of the Demons."

"Aren’t you different from the Demons yourself?"

His empty eyes pierced through Linne.

"Don’t take me for a fool. I know you’re different from the Demons being created here. You’re neither a Demon nor an Elf. You’re merely a creature desperately struggling to survive, even if it means doing so in an ugly way."

"Are you challenging me? Becoming a Grand Mage has made you arrogant."

"That’s enough."

Curved Demon stepped in with a faint smile.

He gathered his thoughts before speaking to Linne.

"Linne."

"Yes."

"I’ll make one thing clear. Keep that man named Yurei alive at all costs. At the same time, continue the process of turning him into a Demon."

"That’s... highly inefficient. Instead of doing that, we would have no choice but to use the power of Mental Jammer—or rather, Trauma—to force him into submission..."

"It’s an order."

Curved Demon placed his index finger against his lips, signaling that he had nothing more to say.

"I understand."

"Then please work a little harder. They will be attacking us soon enough."

"Lord Curved Demon."

A question had occurred to Linne as she stared at Curved Demon’s back.

It was a question she should have simply let go.

But in the end, she threw it at him.

"Am I... still useful?"

Linne’s clenched fist began to tremble.

Curved Demon gave no answer.

Without offering even the slightest hint, he simply left the room.

In the end, her question echoed through the room before fading away into emptiness.

***

Everyone watched as the head of the Magic Association, Erdes, was escorted away by the Master of the Blue Eye Magic Tower.

Since she had used magic with tremendous destructive power, the Allied Forces and the Imperial Army had gathered at the Imperial Army’s forward base and were waiting for a decision regarding her fate.

That decision had finally been made, and Ferda sat at the table alongside those who had witnessed the outcome.

"Have you lost your mind, Regent!?"

Ureas shouted at the top of his lungs.

It felt as though he had experienced something like this only a few hours ago.

The difference this time was that Ureas wasn’t the only one who was angry.

"It was unavoidable."

Ferda calmly explained the situation.

"Master Iorga came after learning about the incident and requested that we hand Erdes over to her."

"And you just willingly handed her over!?"

"The head of the Magic Association caused considerable damage to our base!"

The other kings also joined in, pressing Ferda.

They were hoping to gain some advantage from the situation.

"Why don’t we put the diplomatic matters aside and focus on the matter at hand? The best course of action right now is to capture the Demons and determine who was at fault afterward."

"Do you really think so?"

Olivia, speaking through Ureas’s body, threw out the question.

It was unexpected.

"What benefit does the Empire gain from releasing a criminal who nearly cut the army in half through her reckless actions?"

She glared at Ferda, pressing him alongside the others.

Why was she acting like this?

Ferda looked at Olivia with slight confusion, and she continued.

"You surely aren’t unaware that the head of the Magic Association has joined hands with the Crown Prince. Are you certain she has no intention of playing both sides between Alexander and us?"

Ferda came up with a hypothesis.

This woman was pointing out the suspicions that naturally needed to be raised, pretending to keep Ferda in check.

And the reason was undoubtedly connected to Ureas.

Just look at those pleased eyes.

She was clearly delighted that her sister had taken his side.

But Ferda knew.

Even if Olivia were to betray them, she would never actually take Ureas’s side.

Ferda decided to play along for the time being.

"That won’t happen. The Crown Prince intends to pressure the Far East. What glory could she possibly gain by pledging her loyalty to him?"

"Then I’m telling you not to do anything unnecessary. I don’t know what grand cause you’re dreaming of, Regent Ferda, but if you continue acting this way, even our Empire will have no choice but to question its support and your autonomy."

Olivia’s eyes were fierce.

There was something unusual about the way she suppressed even the impulse to rebel that was rising within her.

Thank goodness she was not an enemy.

Ferda continued explaining himself.

"The head of the Magic Association won’t be able to escape responsibility for this incident. She suddenly intervened, hurled insults, and used magic that wasn’t part of the plan, causing casualties among our own forces as well. Because of that, I’ve received her promise that she will not interfere until the operation is complete. If punishment is necessary, we can deal with it through the Grand Ducal Council."

"That’s not what I mean."

Olivia spoke bluntly to Ferda, as though frustrated by his answer.

"The Demons have entered this war, and demonic magic has become involved. Even so, your solution to taking responsibility for this incident is simply to have the head of the Magic Association withdraw?"

Olivia cried out as though horrified.

"That can’t be right! Shouldn’t we make her apologize for her reckless actions and then have her participate in this war to contribute her strength?"

"That would certainly be the right thing to do, but..."

The kings’ faces became anxious at those words.

"There is no need for that, sister."

Ureas was the one who objected.

The pleased expression that had been on his face had now turned into one of bewilderment.

"From the beginning, the head of the Magic Association acted on her own. We judged that we could accomplish this without her intervention."

"But if we have such a powerful force available, shouldn’t we summon her through the Grand Ducal Council even if she isn’t acting as the head of the Magic Association?"

Olivia subtly glanced toward Ferda.

She was telling him to play along, but it was difficult to determine which side she wanted him to take.

Ferda decided to take a chance.

"No."

Olivia gave him a subtle smile that only Ferda could notice.

It seemed to be the correct answer.

Ferda continued.

"I believe it would be better to proceed as we are rather than allowing the arrogant Magic Association to participate and throw our strategy into confusion."

"Exactly!"

"The Regent is right this time."

"How could he possibly make such a decision when Demons are running rampant..."

Olivia muttered, expressing her regret.

The voices criticizing Ferda gradually lost their force, and King Hudret naturally changed the subject.

"Are we finished with the emotional matters?"

He had remained completely silent amid the shouting.

"We can discuss releasing the head of the Magic Association later. For now, let us focus on the task at hand."

His fingers pressed firmly against the table.

"The head of the Magic Association has agreed not to interfere anymore. Did the Dragons say anything about what they intend to do?"

The enemy’s potential strength was far greater than expected, so there was a possibility that the Dragons might intervene as well.

Ferda answered.

"I already asked the Master of the Blue Eye Magic Tower about that. She said that she believed the humans could handle this matter themselves and that the Dragons would not intervene unless their assistance became necessary."

"So the Dragons aren’t getting involved either. That means we can proceed with the operation we were given."

"That’s correct."

"Then what else is there to discuss? We can return."

As he stood, the other kings also began to rise.

There was something feral about him, like the instinctive presence of a true leader among a pack of wolves.

"There is still something we need to discuss."

"What is it?"

"The Master of the Blue Eye Magic Tower left me with some wisdom."

Ferda told them about the conversation he had shared with Erika and Erdes.

How Curved Demon had managed to block Erdes’s attack alone and even launch a counterattack.

What kind of explosion had been caused by the infiltrator sent by the King of Heian.

And the fact that countless Red Circle wielders could be continuously mass-produced inside that place.

"So they’re stimulating emotions to mass-produce Red Circle mages and using them as sources of mana..."

"That explains how that Curved Demon fellow was able to stop that attack all by himself."

"I thought Legion would be troublesome, but combined with the Demons’ schemes, this is beyond anything I imagined."

They were awed by the Demons’ methods, which had allowed them to withstand the greatest magic created by the greatest mage on the continent.

Taking advantage of the atmosphere, Ferda asked them a question.

"Now that we have obtained new information, I believe we need to revise our strategy."

"We certainly should."

King Hudret added,

"We need to push forward more aggressively."

"What do you mean by ’more aggressively’?"

"Think about it simply. What we’re fighting isn’t an ordinary castle but a gigantic giant. A magic-wielding giant named Heinkel. Imagine that we’re bacteria entering the giant’s stomach. How would we bring down that giant?"

"We should spread out as much as possible rather than remaining clustered together."

Gamigin’s Legion drew upon the loyalty of everyone within its domain, granting him absolute power.

That meant that if those loyal followers were killed, it was generally believed that the King’s power would weaken as well.

Based on that hypothesis, the most effective strategy was to leave no survivors.

That had been the basic direction of the original plan as well.

"King Heinkel will drive his own people into the jaws of death to survive, and we’ve realized that we can no longer give them any openings. Rather than leaving survivors behind, we need to spread out quickly and widely and ruthlessly cut off their sources of supply."

"If we spread out even further to attack... wouldn’t that be dangerous?"

King Hudret, who had been growing excited with anticipation, clicked his tongue.

"Did you come to this war thinking it was child’s play? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Ferda regretted speaking up only to embarrass himself.

"Let’s work out the operation in greater detail."

There wasn’t much to work with when it came to the operation.

They had only approached close enough to pound on the gates of the outer fortress. They knew nothing about what tactics the enemy would employ or how many troops were stationed within the inner fortress.

They could establish only the broad framework, while the individual commanders would have to rely on their own improvisation to make the strategy work.

"The full-scale battle will begin three days from now. Until then, let’s keep sending them gifts in the form of siege weapons and gradually wear down their strength. What do you think, Second Prince?"

"Sounds like a good idea."

"Then, with no objections, let’s conclude this meeting."

The commander of the Allied Forces, King Hudret, rose from his seat, and all the other kings followed.

They exchanged polite farewells before leaving the command post.

They also made sure to bid Olivia farewell.

"It was an honor to meet you."

"Who could have imagined meeting a princess on a battlefield like this?"

"Next time, I hope we can meet you at a banquet as the flower of the banquet hall, rather than the flower of the battlefield."

After the rigid atmosphere of the meeting gave way to warmth, the kings smiled brightly, as though they had regained their youth.

Olivia also greeted each of them with a gentle smile until, at last, King Hudret stood before her.

"Please return safely as well, Your Highness King Hudret."

"You don’t need to go to such lengths."

"Pardon?"

"Unfortunately, this body already belongs to someone. No matter how much you flaunt your charms, I’m not easily seduced."

"Oh my, whatever do you mean?"

Olivia put on a wounded expression.

King Hudret merely smiled as though even that was adorable, then turned around.

As Ferda watched his departing back, he couldn’t help thinking that the man was utterly ridiculous.

He seems to follow his instincts while somehow pretending he doesn’t.

A man who was both wild and rational.

Ferda thought he was truly a strange man.

***

Two days before the full-scale battle,

"I have a report."

A dark-skinned woman named Garnet came to Ferda’s tent and spoke.

She was the head of the Merchants’ Guild as well as an upper-class citizen, and during this expedition, she had been given the position of Supply Commander.

Of course, that was merely a cover.

Her actual mission was to act as a bridge between the Allied Forces and the Imperial Army, relaying their respective situations together with her subordinates.

"The twenty trebuchets prepared for the Allied Forces and the Imperial Army began bombardment with stones today."

The siege of the Heinkel Kingdom had officially begun.

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