第１４２掘：魔王城攻略 前編 (Part1)
**Excavation 142: Demon King Castle Siege (Part 1)**
**Side: Eris, Doppelganger Instructor for the Demon King Role**
"Lord Dekira!! A mixed human unit has begun their march toward the castle town gate!!"
"Hmm, they chose to strike at dawn. I expected a night raid, but they played it safe... Very well. As planned, keep the castle gate unit in place to hold them. Meanwhile, have the detachment circle around to strike them from behind."
"Yes, sir! Understood!!"
With that, one of the commanders sprinted out of the room. It seems Seraria has begun the advance exactly as scheduled.
"However, Lord Dekira. The failure during the powerful monster summoning the other day was quite a blow."
"There is no use dwelling on that now. It was not Lord Dekira who conducted the summoning experiments, and that fool has already been beheaded. We have acquired powerful monsters, so, on the whole, it is a net positive."
"...That is true. Even if there were casualties, the damage wasn't that severe, and we have 300 monsters that would force the elite guard into a desperate struggle. Including the emergency conscripts, we have 30,000 soldiers in the castle."
"Indeed. Reports state the enemy has only about 10,000. We are secure; there is no need for concern."
*Hmm, hmm.* I’ve been focusing on acting the part of the Demon King, so I’ve only been listening to the information provided, but it seems the executives have fully bought into the narrative of the Demon King Castle siege operation we conducted previously.
The story goes that a demon mage discovered an ancient magic circle and used it to summon monsters, causing chaos within the castle. They’ve twisted the concept of "ancient summoning circle" into a place where DP is used to summon monsters, and "using it with MP" into a misunderstanding of DP consumption.
Oh, and of course, the 300 monsters participating in this battle have all been significantly weakened.
By orchestrating this, the Doppelganger Dekira—who has replaced the perverted original—has "executed" the hardline mage as the culprit behind the chaos and "confiscated" the summoning circle and its research.
"But was it truly wise to solidify the peace faction at the front lines? I heard that a civil war broke out at the barrier and the gates were opened."
"There is no need to worry about that. That is precisely why I gathered them at the vanguard. If they betray us or get in the way, we can simply shoot them from behind. You know the castle town gate and the ramparts are double-layered, do you not? Let the peace faction hold the first gate, while we, the hardliners, keep our bows drawn at the second. If they betray us, we can loose arrows immediately. Furthermore, I have had oil spread inside the gates so that we can ignite them if they fall. If the peace faction within the walls betrays us or is breached, we shall simply burn them all together."
Now, our actions depend on how we handle the peace faction. After we defeated the pervert, Liliana went to the dungeon and explained the situation to them.
First: If the peace faction is forced to the front lines, they are to use the opportunity to defect. Of course, if there are traps, they should ignore them and surrender to the Allied Forces. Naturally, they will be watched from behind, but they can simply claim they are chasing the enemy to launch a counterattack. There is the issue of their families being held hostage, but since Dekira is on our side, we are using the dungeon's functions to strictly protect the safety of the hostages.
Second: Execute the peace faction while we still can. This option wasn't adopted, but if it had been, the Dekira-Doppelganger was going to "execute" them personally, pretending to use them as fuel for the monster summoning circle, while actually helping them escape.
"Well, I have sent a messenger to the Rumel invasion force. With 300,000 reinforcements coming, the peace faction will realize they have no chance of winning even if they defect."
"That’s true. Even if, by some miracle, the royal capital were to fall, we could simply take it back with that massive army."
"Exactly. As long as Lord Dekira and the rest of us remain safe, working with the Rumel invasion force will make victory effortless."
*Actually, everyone here is going to die.* In fact, I’m the one who’s going to do it.
"Indeed, there is no need for worry. I shall sweep away those lowly humans myself. I am not immersed in soft-headed ideologies like Liliana. I shall rule everything through the certainty of power."
"As expected of Lord Dekira, our Demon King!!"
"Indeed! With such a powerful Demon King, we cannot be defeated."
As the Demon King stood and declared this, the executives followed suit, rising to offer their praise.
Now, I wonder how Seraria is doing. Are they still setting up their formation at the castle gate? Given how quickly Yuki-san acts, I’m starting to yawn.
"Even if this castle were to be besieged, we could simply escape using the townspeople as shields. It seems those people call demons their friends and allies, and they won't harm those who don't resist."
"Truly, they are as naive as Liliana."
"They can't even win a battle they should be winning. Should we intentionally have our subordinates surrender and try to strike down the Allied commanders or generals?"
"The battle has already begun, and Liliana is on their side. There is no need to waste our strength unnecessarily. After all, they were driven from the throne by us; they won't trust us easily."
"That is also true. There is no need to resort to petty tricks. The tide of war has already turned in our favor."
*No, defeat is already inevitable for you.* You won't be escaping. In fact, I won't allow it.
Still, this is troublesome. According to the plan, I need a survivor from the hardliners to report that the Demon King went mad, but none of these people are catching my eye. There must be some who were forced into the hardline faction against their will, yet no one speaks up against the idea of using the citizens as shields to escape. They lack spirit.
Perhaps I should have the Doppelganger create a few more bodyguards to incite them, just like Dekira? But a Doppelganger cannot provide a perfect imitation, and there is a risk of being exposed. Should I wait a little longer?
Well, let’s set the end of this meeting as the time limit. Once these executives disperse, I won't be able to use them as witnesses, so I have to do it here.
*Come now, come now.* I’d better work hard, or I’ll have to report that there were no survivors at all.