𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥
“First, let’s assess the current situation.
Thanks to the valiant efforts of Hero-sama and their team, three out of the four strongest demons in the Demon King’s Army—known as the Four Heavenly Kings—have been successfully defeated.
As for the mankind side, although it’s hard to say the damage is minor, it is significantly less when compared to the great calamity brought upon us by the previous Demon King.
All things considered, the battles so far have been ideal. . . . . .no, better than ideal; one could say they have been progressing highly favorably for us.”
“Oh!”
“Amazing! As expected of Hero-sama!”
“With this, there’s no doubt that our generation will see a mankind victory!”
ㅤ
At the Pope’s words, several generals raise their voices in joy.
Indeed, hearing this would naturally make one want to rejoice.
In less than a year since setting out, we’ve defeated more than half of the enemy’s strongest forces.
Moreover, not a single member of Hero’s Party is missing.
Additionally, there have been few sacrifices among the warriors who have fought alongside us.
While there were a considerable number of casualties during the Rest incident, that still counts as minor damage when viewed from the perspective of mankind as a whole.
Even adding in the frontline conflicts and scattered demonic attacks, the damages could still be considered minor.
ㅤ
As the Pope said, the results are better than ideal.
Honestly, it feels too good to be true even to ourselves.
Of course, things could have turned out very differently if we had taken even a single misstep.
If we had made a mistake in the battle against Dragburn.
If we hadn’t united as one in the battle against Asgard.
If Blade had been consumed by Vampneel’s blood.
We might have been the ones backed into a corner.
This moment exists at the end of a series of close calls.
ㅤ
However, even so. . . . . .it’s still not a confirmed victory.
Sorry to dampen the spirits of the celebrating generals, but we’re not there yet.
Even with a performance that exceeds our ideals, the odds of winning at this moment are still fifty-fifty at best.
Unfortunately, we have reasons to think this way.
Moreover, through our reports and via either Ruberto-san or Eltrait-san, the Pope and the King should be fully aware of this information.
ㅤ
“Now, let me outline the strategy moving forward.”
ㅤ
That’s why we weren’t surprised when the King began to speak about the next strategy in place of the Pope.
ㅤ
“From now on, we will chase the retreating Demon King’s Army with all our might and advance.
We will construct a makeshift fortress right in front of the Demon King’s Castle using earth magic, and that will serve as our base to take down the Demon King’s Castle in one go.
We aim for a swift resolution.”
“What?!”
“That is. . . . . .”
“Isn’t that rushing things a bit. . . . . .?”
ㅤ
The generals begin to murmur at the King’s words.
“Take more time to be sure,” “Facing an entrenched enemy head-on is. . . . . .” “A quick resolution is too reckless,” are some of the sensible opinions even I, a layman in military strategy, can understand. It shows that they’re all competent, given that they’re trusted with frontline fortresses.
ㅤ
However, that won’t work.
We have a reason why we can’t afford to take time.
ㅤ
“Please, everyone calm down. Your concerns are undoubtedly valid.
However, we humans have compelling reasons to urgently resolve this crisis, even if it’s reckless.”
“Uh, Pope. . . . . .?”
“What do you mean?!”
ㅤ
Pope, who regained the center of the conversation, calmly surveyed the faces of the bewildered generals to settle them down.
If anyone should reveal what comes next, the Pope, as the head of the church that worships God—a symbol of the mystical—is most likely to be accepted.
ㅤ
“As you all know, humanity doesn’t have the luxury of time right now.
We are still healing from the scars left by the previous Demon King’s long-lasting rampage.
Moreover, the current Demon King has concentrated forces near his castle, but the demons he sent out elsewhere are still at large.
He chose to prioritize weakening humanity over gathering strength at this crucial moment.
If we take too long to capture the Demon King’s Castle, the people we’re supposed to protect could suffer greatly.”
“Hmm. . . . . .”
ㅤ
The generals fell silent at Pope’s words.
He speaks the truth.
Demons scattered across different regions, like the Old Witch Demon and Demon Mantis—whom I defeated during my training journey—have the same role but have not been summoned back to the Demon King’s Castle. They are still attacking villages like our hometown and Rin’s hometown.
ㅤ
Moreover, it appears that efforts to subdue them have been difficult.
If they were mindless demons, like Dragburn, who fight to the death, they would have been defeated by the local heroes and Holy Warriors.
ㅤ
However, these worst kinds of demons target defenseless civilians and vastly inferior regular soldiers, fleeing without hesitation when facing strong opponents.
It’s understandable that they can’t be easily defeated when they prioritize escape over combat against heroes with divine protection.
ㅤ
The demons I fought didn’t run away, probably because I looked like a regular soldier without any noticeable divine protection.
Apparently, demons can also discern those with divine protection.
In fact, most of the demons I encountered underestimated me.
Whether it was Demon Mantis, Old Witch Demon, or Vampneel.
And whether it’s due to their petty pride or they simply lost the chance to escape while fighting, they let me defeat them in the end.
ㅤ
In short, it’s a matter of compatibility.
My Ultimate Killing Sword works well against strong foes like these.
On the other hand, heroes who are genuinely strong have a bad match-up against these fleeing demons, which is why we’re in this situation.
I mean, the countermeasures against these fleeing demons are limited.
Except for outliers like me, all we can think of is either setting up elaborate traps or overwhelming them with superior forces that won’t even allow them to flee.
But neither option is easy to implement, hence the current predicament.
ㅤ
“The best solution to resolve this issue quickly is to swiftly take down the Demon King’s Castle, thereby freeing up the front-line forces that are engaged with the Demon King’s Army, and sending them to various places.
In short, that’s what it boils down to.”
“Hmm. . . . . .”
“But. . . . . .”
“That means. . . . . .”
ㅤ
The reaction of the generals is not good.
Well, that’s to be expected.
Only amateurs like me, who don’t understand military strategy, would be satisfied with this.
Even I, after having various knowledge imparted on me in a prior discussion with Ruberto-san and others, understand a little bit why the generals are not convinced.
ㅤ
“Excuse me! May I offer my opinion?”
“Yes, go ahead, Doug・Byte.”
ㅤ
Ah, Doug-san, who had been casually joining in on the military council, raised his hand.
Even though he should be just one of the few people in this place with divine protection, for some reason, he stands out oddly.
ㅤ
“I understand what Pope-sama is saying.
However, if we rush too much and lose, humanity will suffer a devastating blow, pushing us nearly to the point of no return.
We carry the fate of humanity on our shoulders.
It’s not that we’re neglecting the people, but. . . . . .for humanity, for the world.
I think we should execute a strategy that ensures victory rather than rushing.”
“Yes, you’re right. Normally, people would think that way.
That’s why what I mentioned earlier was merely a pretext to satisfy the majority.
It’s not that those words are a lie, but there is a different real reason.”
“Huh?”
ㅤ
Pope overturned Doug-san’s premise in no time, and Doug-san’s eyes widened.
He probably thought he was bravely stating a harsh truth that no one wanted to say—that some civilian casualties were acceptable for a certain victory—but unfortunately, that’s not the issue.
I mean, did they not explain to Doug-san?
He should have been in the same town when we told Ruberto-san about that issue.
ㅤ
Looking over at Ruberto-san, I find him subtly averting his eyes.
Could he have forgotten?!
Well, things were pretty chaotic after the Rest incident, and Ruberto-san had to report back to the kingdom, the church, and was busy even after returning to the fortress.
Maybe he didn’t have time to explain this complicated matter to Doug-san.
Although it’s unfortunate, perhaps it couldn’t be helped that Doug-san was left out.
ㅤ
“The real reason we must hasten the resolution is, so to speak, the cost of a miracle.
The price that must be paid to the great God who has allowed us to hold on to this much hope in a battle where there was hardly any chance of winning.
Delaying the payment is not an option.
Otherwise, miracles and hopes may all be lost.”
“What does that mean. . . . . .”
ㅤ
As Pope solemnly utters these unsettling words, the faces of Doug-san and the generals become increasingly tense.
Even Imina-san, perhaps swept away by the atmosphere, was holding her breath.
Wait, she should know the situation.
She even spent the night with the girls in Dwarf Village.
ㅤ
“From here on, it would be best if Hero-sama, who has actually received accurate divine instructions from God, takes over.
Hero-sama, can you please?”
“Yes, understood.”
ㅤ
So, taking over the atmosphere that the Pope had prepared, Stella began to speak.
ㅤ
“Everyone, please listen. This was told to us directly by God herself when we went to Elf Village to defeat one of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Through the living divine artifact 『Divine Tree』, which strongly receives the power of God located there.”
ㅤ
Thus, the truth of this world, as revealed to us in Elf Village, was.
ㅤ
“According to God, we once lost a battle against the Demon King’s Army.
All the renowned heroes, including the Hero, died in battle. As a result, 70% of mankind was slaughtered by the Demon King, bringing the world to the brink of being dominated by them.
The world we live in now exists because 『Sword Demon』 Allan, who was so unskilled that he couldn’t participate in the decisive battle, defeated the weakened Demon King after decades of training for his vendetta.
We were granted the miracle from the God to rewrite our disastrous history, in a 『changed past world』, after eradicating the world’s plague, the Demon King.”
“. . . . . .. . . . . .What?”
ㅤ
The generals’ eyes widened just like Doug-san’s did a moment ago.
Their faces clearly show they find the story too absurd to comprehend.
Stella continued to speak, perhaps intending to get it all out while they were still processing.
ㅤ
“However, clinging only to God’s miracles is not enough to truly change the world.
The condition for this world to be truly saved is to utterly defeat the Demon King with minimal damage compared to our previous loss.
Otherwise, this world won’t be able to overturn its original future of ruin and will be eradicated, overwritten by the original history.
This is the truth about this world as revealed by God.”
“We guarantee the truth of this story in the name of the Holy God Church.
We conducted a divine descent ceremony using the 『Divine Oracle Artifact』 immediately upon receiving the report from Hero-sama and verified it with the god themselves.
We have also shared this information with the Sirius Kingdom.”
“Indeed. As the King of Sirius Kingdom, I also witnessed the divine descent. There is no mistake in the story just told.”
“As the Elf Chieftain with the Divine Tree, I also express a similar opinion.
Although I could not witness the conversation with God through the Divine Tree, Hero-sama received a blessing of strengthening the Holy Sword with the residual energy of the broken Divine Tree after the conversation.
The only being that can intervene with both the Holy Sword and the Divine Tree, the two supreme divine artifacts, could only be God who is the creator of all divine artifacts.
I believe this should provide some credibility.”
ㅤ
Three of the highest authorities present, the Pope, the King, and Eltrait-san, have vouched for the truth of Stella’s story.
Incidentally, the divine descent ceremony mentioned earlier is a ritual where the church pours a massive amount of magical power into their Divine Oracle Artifact over a considerable amount of time to manifest a vague image of God in this world for a very short time.
I heard this from Auntie Elle before.
However, the summoned divine image has no mouth, so it can only answer simple questions through gestures.
It was also this method that informed us of Stella’s awakening as the Hero and her location. The divine image frantically moved its vague arm to point at our village on a map.
It makes me feel like even gods have their struggles.
ㅤ
“Well, I see that everyone is confused. That’s completely understandable. Even I couldn’t fully digest the information when I first received the report.
That’s precisely why I thought that a written message alone would not suffice for you to understand, so I’ve only written down the necessary information and set up this large-scale meeting to explain the rationale.”
“However, even if this doesn’t fully satisfy you, you should at least understand that we are serious.
With that said, let me conclude: This is a short-term, decisive battle that will utilize mankind’s full strength.
The longer we wait, the more damage mankind will suffer, and the likelihood of saving the world decreases. There is no other option but a short-term decisive battle.”
ㅤ
Thus, with a strong statement from the King of Sirius Kingdom, the course of this military meeting was set.
Afterward, methods for advancing toward the Demon King’s Castle were discussed, as well as contingency plans in case the Demon King decided to abandon his castle and minions to flee. After as much deliberation as possible, the final operation was officially approved.
The final battle begins.
It is the final decisive battle where humanity and demons will put everything on the line, a fight worthy of settling all scores.
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