There was a unique monster that Deon Hardt caught during the hunting competition. It was probably that type. The demons must have released plant-type monsters into the forest.
Fortunately, the Emperor at that time received advice from Deon Hardt on how to deal with it.
"I could convey it in writing, but that would take too long..."
There was no special way to deal with it anyway.
It was as simple as cutting the connection between the part that looks like the mouth that eats people and the roots, or setting it with fire or burning it since the root was a plant.
Since they look distinctly different from regular plants, you don't need to know how to tell them apart, you just need to look carefully.
'Actually, I'd like to at least send hero candidates to support them.'
In an old book that recorded the history of the war against demons, it was said that the restrictions of demons disappeared when dealing with warriors or their fragments. Of course, 'restrictions' and 'suppression' are different, so the 'magic suppressing devices' installed in each castle will function, but they would not be able to suppress the physical abilities of the demons.
A clash between a demon who can use all their original power and a hero candidate with fragments of a hero. It was clear that the surrounding area would be devastated before even assessing the possibility of victory or defeat, so the Emperor boldly chose to send them to a place other than Miller.
'So all I can do now is pass on information.'
Since it was too embarrassing to convey the message in writing, the Emperor picked up the communication stone connected to Margrave Amiable without hesitation.
***
Seeds infused with magical energy were sown in the forest.
As expected from the plants of the demon realm, they grew rapidly in just one day, blended in with the plants in the forest, and devoured or captured humans lurking in the forest and made them prisoners.
'Of course, it seemed like they found a way to deal with it, but the effect was greatly reduced after a while.'
Still, this was a good save.
Above all, I watched them advancing with satisfaction as they would soon arrive in front of the castle walls.
Although the frequency has decreased significantly, we still had to deal with and clear away the occasional raiders.
Finally, the walls of Miller's territory came into view. As we went a little further, the trees that were blocking part of the view were cleared away and the view became wide open. And at the sight that unfolded before my eyes, which were hidden by the trees, I let out an exasperated laugh.
"I never thought they would personally come out to meet us like this."
The Margrave Amiable's troops were encamped in front of the castle.
I expected a siege, but this would turn into a hand-to-hand combat. After thinking about it for a moment, I was able to understand why he was thinking about fighting in hand-to-hand combat against demons.
'The plan is probably to push us, who are exhausted after coming through the forest and dealing with the surprise attacks, without any rest.'
If it had been before we burned down the forest, or if we hadn't thought of using man-eating plants, it probably would have gone as they thought... but it was a light sneer. At the same time, a voice filled with cold derision was thrown towards the general who was following.
"You can fight right now, right?"
"Of course, it is possible."
"Good."
Because we expected a siege, we deliberately did not call in the Crazy Dogs, which were highly effective in close combat, but it didn't matter. Because there was a strategy that I wanted to use the most that I read in the book.
A famous strategy that was also used in Dan and Chess.
I was happy to give instructions.
"Shields, move forward."
***
For quick mobility, human troops consisting only of cavalry charged.
As if responding, the demon shield soldiers stood in front and the spear soldiers stood behind them. The cavalry, which was riding on a horse from the human world, was moving to one side, probably because it had been captured during the advance.
It was a movement so fast that it was admirable, but Margrave Amiable, who was watching all this from the human side, especially from the castle wall, could not help but harden his expression.
"Get out to the three o'clock right now!"
He hurriedly shouted into the communication stone that was always on to quickly issue orders. The charging cavalry suddenly changed direction and retreated into an empty space.
However, the demons' movement was faster than expected.
The rear was suddenly swallowed up by the encirclement. The monster's mouth closed, and those trapped inside its mouth died helplessly. The Margrave closed his eyes tightly.
Anyone interested in strategy could not fail to know this.
'Hammer and anvil.'
A strategy in which infantry stands in front while highly mobile cavalry surrounds and annihilates the surrounded enemy.
Anger soared.
He was not angry at his own incompetence after being subjected to a famous and well-known strategy. Who knew that demons could move so quickly? But.
He was enraged by the actions of the opponent who was teasing the troops as if he was enjoying a game.
There was no way he did not know that the Margrave was observing everything from the castle walls. Considering his not-so-stupid remarks and actions, he probably expected that they would realize what his strategy was as soon as the troops moved. Nevertheless, the reason for moving the troops in such a way was...
'He just wanted to give it a try.'
Yes, he felt exactly that way. Tender Amiable gritted his teeth.
Do you think this is some kind of game? The lives of countless people depend on a commander's decision. His first impression at the hunting competition was that he was normal, contrary to rumors, but it seems that was just a mask.
He commanded softly into the communication stone.
"... Return to the castle. We are entering a defensive battle."
Contrary to expectations, the demons did not get tired and this method failed.
It was time to enter a proper water battle.
***
He expected it, but the strategy failed.
Before completely surrounding the enemy, the human cavalry escaped through an unclosed gap as if the commander watching from above had noticed and issued an order. They swallowed the rear end, but that was all.
While the demons annihilated the humans who had entered the siege and reorganized their formation, they entered the castle and locked the door tightly. Deon chuckled as he felt a strong determination to enter the defensive battle.
"Here, it would be better to push back by force."
They could deal with it with a lot of effort, but there was no need to go around something that could be completed without taking a long time. He lifted up the communication stone.
...
"I'm sorry, but I would like you to refrain from using the Corps. Is the 0th Corps alone not enough?"
Contrary to expectations, the word of rejection came back.
He frowned at the troubled voice.
"... Can I ask why?"
If there was no justifiable reason, this was a breach of contract.
Deon asked the Demon King to completely destroy the Empire in exchange for helping him conquer the human world. Although a contract and a seal were not exchanged, this was a clear contract, so it would be right not to at least refuse this request.
The Demon King read this expression through the communication stone and scratched his cheek.
"The birth of demons has decreased, but the number of monsters has increased significantly."
"..."
Actually, he knew why this situation unfolded.
After 90% of magical power was consumed to save Deon Hardt, the number of demons and monsters born from the Demon King's power decreased.
Unfortunately, demons cannot reproduce, but monsters can. Unlike 'normal' demons, monsters are 'errors.'
"Furthermore, the Emperor sent an army of hero candidates to the border. I think we need to refrain from wasting the Corps in order to prevent them from trying to break in and prepare for unexpected situations."
At the border, no one else but 'those with warrior fragments' appeared. The moment he heard the news, the Demon King was convinced that the Emperor knew about the 'constraints' matter. It was probably written in the old book he saw at that time. Otherwise, there would be no reason to send that good power there instead of using it to protect the Empire.
It seemed like they possessed magic suppression amulets, but it didn't matter because the strength of demons was not determined simply by 'magic' alone. Trover, who could not use magic right now, was also sitting in the position of Commander of the 9th Corps, so what did that have to do with it?
'The Emperor knows this, so he probably sent them here on purpose.'
The stage of the battle, which would cause great damage to the surrounding area, was changed to the border rather than the Empire, and the main power of the demons was tied up.
Of course, if he was dealing with small pieces, that is, ordinary demon soldiers, you can deal with them as much as you like without causing damage to those around you, but in the current situation, he could not waste advanced power on such things, and the hero candidates were better suited to dealing with strong demons rather than dealing with small pieces. Because it works better.
It seemed like he put a lot of thought into it.
"You didn't plan on leaning too much on this anyway, right?"
Deon was silent for a moment at the sly voice that did not hide his laughter.
"... All right."
Since this happened, he needed to quickly find another way. He didn't feel the need to hold the communication stone any longer, so he hung up with only formal courtesy.
He closed his eyes and was lost in thought.
As the general commander, Deon constantly received information about the human world, especially the Empire, from Dvelania and Idelia. Among them, he remembered the information that he received recently.
'The Emperor is using a private army of nobles.'
He heard that even the minimum number of private soldiers to protect the territory had been completely withdrawn and used.
Of course, it was being used to protect the nobles' fiefdoms to minimize backlash, but he thought they said that most of the troops were currently here in Miller's fiefdom for support, so there were quite a few complaints from the nobles.
'In this situation, if demons appear in a completely different territory...'
In a situation where the troops were mainly deployed to the territory near the border and the majority of the troops were concentrated in the Miller territory, what would happen if demons appeared in another territory?
'The nobles would be quite annoyed.'
The Emperor would remove some of the overloaded troops here and send support there...
"Dan."
"Did you call me?"
Dan, who was waiting nearby, approached as if he had been waiting.
Deon patted his thigh, looked at him, and then slowly asked a question.
"The guild must have grown significantly by distributing fairy herbs."
"Yes, it became very influential. It has become so powerful that it can take revenge by trampling on the lower guilds that used to be a nuisance."
He remembered that until now and then took revenge.
Deon's eyes cooled for a moment due to his surprisingly good memory, but then he opened his mouth again.
"Have you been receiving calls from all over the place?"
"Of course a lot comes in. Is there anyone I need to contact?"
"The King of Rweche."
"Oh..."
Contrary to the lightly thrown words, the content was not a joke. Dan opened and closed his mouth for a moment, searching his mind as if he had been startled at some point. Had he ever received communication from the royal family of Rweche?
"... Unfortunately, there is none. But I don't think he will refuse you if you come to him."
Perhaps he was so out of his mind with the grief of losing his younger brother that he wouldn't even think about this.
If the owner of the merchant who distributed mysterious herbs came to visit, he would definitely want to meet him.
Maybe he would ask if there was a herb that could bring his dead brother back to life.
Deon also nodded his head in agreement and commanded.
"Go to the King of Rweche..."
***
The alliance was broken, and the Demon King's Army did not touch Rweche.
The King of Rweche, who had nothing else to worry about, was living in a state of sorrow without any worries.
His aides advised him to take care of national affairs, but how could he quickly escape the sorrow of losing his family?
He could not easily shake off the ghost of his younger brother and stand up.
As he was losing motivation day after day, he received a request for an audience with someone. The king, who had become sharp enough, immediately reacted sensitively.
"I would have definitely told you to decline all requests for an audience."
"I asked because it was a request for an audience with the head of the Dan guild, not another noble. Sorry."
"... Wait, the Dan guild?"