240
A black four-wheeled carriage was speeding through the middle of a gloomy forest.
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
The horses pulling the carriage had pieces of their skin hanging loosely, exposing their bones.
Having transcended death, they neither ate, drank, nor rested.
They had been pulling the carriage along the road for more than a week without stopping.
Thanks to that, a distance that would normally take an ordinary carriage ten days to travel could be covered in just three days.
War was the same.
If there were soldiers who did not need to eat or rest, they would be much easier to deploy.
Starting from that idea, Kacerto Rienze developed and improved a magic that could raise dead bodies that had already lost their souls and turn them into tireless soldiers.
The result of that research was the Legion Stone, which allowed hundreds or even thousands of the dead to be raised and controlled.
Thanks to the Legion Stones, the demons were able to maintain a military force equal to that of humanity despite being greatly outnumbered.
However, recently, the underground laboratory had collapsed along with Angrelcher Castle, and the system for mass-producing Legion Stones had been destroyed.
The only Legion Stones remaining were those that had already been distributed to each legion.
Even those were being rapidly consumed as the demons continued to suffer defeat after defeat.
“If this expedition drags on, it will become troublesome.”
Inside the carriage that continued racing without stopping for even a moment, Kacerto frowned.
With the valuable undead troops that filled the ranks of the legions disappearing, the longer the war lasted, the more disadvantageous it would become for the demons.
“…No. That isn’t true.”
The tide of the war had already turned long before the First Supply Base was attacked.
Three legions had already been defeated on the front lines, and their commanders had disappeared one after another.
Humanity had also suffered casualties, but there had still been no news of any major human figure at the level of a legion commander being killed.
The Demon King had recently surpassed even the Ninth Demon Realm, but even he could not exterminate all of humanity by himself.
The expedition had begun with absolute confidence.
The Demon King was overwhelmingly superior in every aspect, and they believed that this time they would finally bring an end to the long war between the two races.
Yet that confident expedition had completely failed in less than a month after it began.
There were still legions remaining.
But their purpose had already been decided.
They were simply meant to inflict as much damage as possible on humanity so that, even after winning the war, the humans would not be able to cross the Demon Lands and invade the demons’ territory.
‘What the Demon King’s Army needs right now is time to reorganize its forces.’
If things proceeded according to his plan from this point onward, he could control the course of the war however he wished.
That was, of course, assuming that the Sixth Legion on the Southern Front, the Fourth Legion on the Northern Front, and his own Second Legion in the Central Front were operated without a single mistake.
“To make that happen….”
For his meticulous plan to work perfectly, the human named Glenn Wordsworth had to die first.
He was the pile of ashes scattered across an expedition whose victory had already seemed certain.
If he could eliminate that mass of variables this time, everything that had gone wrong and fallen apart would return to its proper place.
‘It surely will.’
Kacerto’s eyes shone ominously as he stared out at the dark scenery beyond the window.
Clip-clop— Clatter, clatter—
Several lights passed by outside the window before the carriage gradually slowed down.
The carriage carrying its master had arrived at its destination, the Northern Front.
Soon, Kacerto Rienze shook off his thoughts and stepped out of the carriage.
He appeared in the middle of the Fourth Legion’s encampment, far away from Obenue Fortress.
“That person is….”
“He’s the Second Legion Commander.”
“The Second Legion Commander? At a time like this…!”
“…Shh. Keep your voice down.”
Kacerto frowned at the whispers of the demon soldiers around him.
The Fourth Legion he knew had never been this disorderly.
“W-We have been waiting for you!”
A commander with an extremely tense expression stepped before him with stiff movements.
This was also completely unlike the well-trained Fourth Legion.
“Where is the Fourth Legion Commander?”
“T-That is….”
“…….”
Kacerto’s eyes openly displayed his displeasure, causing the commander to swallow nervously.
“Do not stammer. Speak clearly. My patience is already reaching its limit because unpleasant things have been happening one after another lately.”
“Understood…!”
“Tell me. What urgent matter prevented the Fourth Legion Commander from greeting me, forcing you, an incompetent halfwit, to come instead?”
“He… died two days ago.”
At those words, Kacerto Rienze suddenly turned his head.
Clear confusion appeared in his deep, hazy eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“Just a few days ago, while he was out scouting, he was struck by an ice spike that came from nowhere….”
“Heh….”
Kacerto placed a hand against his forehead.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
“Second Legion Commander… sir?”
“Hehehehe… Heh… Hehehe, hahaha….”
At the low, sinister laughter, the commander froze and could not utter another word.
Kacerto continued laughing while holding his forehead.
“Hehehe, hehehehe….”
“Heh… Huu….”
Silence filled the surroundings as his breathing gradually calmed.
Kacerto raised his head toward the commander, who nervously swallowed.
“…….”
“You.”
“……! Y-Yes!”
“Contact the entire legion immediately and confirm whether they are alive or dead. Hurry.”
“Right away… Y-Yes! I’ll do it now!”
Terrified, the commander hurriedly left the area while stumbling over his words.
Left alone in the center of the legion’s encampment, Kacerto Rienze let out a long breath.
“Haa….”
How could everything go this badly?
It had reached the point where he even wondered whether Glenn Wordsworth had planned this situation as well.
‘If that were actually true, it would be chilling.’
It felt as though he were playing chess against a god.
A short while before Kacerto arrived.
The front-line Obenue Fortress in the Wordsworth Territory was practically filled with a festive atmosphere.
The Eighth Legion.
Then the Fifth Legion.
And it did not end there.
Even the Fourth Legion had been defeated.
For a declining family to defeat three entire demon legions was a military achievement that could not be found anywhere in the history of the war against the demons.
Thanks to this, the morale of the soldiers and knights stationed in Obenue had reached the heavens.
Laughter could be heard everywhere, both above and below the walls, inside and outside the fortress.
