Episode 135 Iberica – Defense of Dilus (1)
“Disposal?”
I slowly narrowed my eyes.
“As far as I know, you are made up of 7 companies. Does disposing of you, the head of one of those 7 companies, mean that there is a higher-level company?”
Gremory shook his head.
“No, not explicitly. But it’s there implicitly. Bael, CEO of ‘Pride’. “The great devil could have personally killed the Demon King of Pandemonium and become the new Demon King, but instead established the Abyss Corporation.”
“…Does that mean that the devil has enough authority and power to cut off a CEO?”
Gremory nodded slightly.
“Yes, I am still only wielding that power in accordance with the Abyss Corporation’s regulations.”
I quietly looked at Gremory.
What are you thinking, you devil?
“I don’t know if it’s true or false, but what if I check it out and stab the Abyss Corporation?”
Then Gremory smiled softly.
“In that case, instead of a half-demon who is ‘at least’ friendly to humans and might be able to cooperate with the Marquis, a ‘more devilish’ CEO who suits the tastes of the Abyss Corporation will be in charge of Rust Corporation, right?”
“her.”
If Gremory isn’t deceiving me right now, it would be a shame if this succubus ended up being disposed of if I tested it too hastily.
Considering Paimon’s condition, it is doubtful whether there would be a better CEO than this succubus.
They may have intentionally spread false information to deceive me to make me think that way…
but even though the pieces of the puzzle are correct in their own way, I still have doubts, and I feel a strange sense of rejection, as if it were a republic that was recklessly hostile to me and Christine.
With doubts rising as to whether this succubus had even induced me to do this, I finally asked what I had always wanted to ask.
“I don’t understand. Yes, as you said, humans also value livestock. But it would be rare to risk one’s life for it. “What are you believing in and doing this?”
Gremory put his hand to his mouth and let out a mmm sound, tilted his head slightly, then straightened it again and spoke.
“The Marquis might be angry.”
“I’m sure I’ll get angry if you take any more time.”
Then Gremory chuckled, then immediately changed his expression and opened his mouth.
“When a succubus hides in a dream, it means seeing part of a person’s unconscious.”
I froze there. Come to think of it, I recreated this demon Christine almost perfectly.
What I noticed was that it was only possible to realize it by knowing Christine’s own thoughts.
“The Marquis was quite difficult to understand. “Does it feel like something is connected to each other that doesn’t make any sense?”
“You…”
How far did you look into it? What about ‘coming back’?
While I was pondering, Gremory said something else.
“There are things connected that don’t make sense, but there is a divine power at work in the middle of them, so I can’t look into them properly.”
“what?”
Then Gremory blinked.
“Marquis, didn’t you experience something unnatural through your divine power? “Can you do this without even realizing it?”
I experienced something unnatural. return. But that happened with divine power?
“…I have no idea.”
Gremory tilted his head, but then shrugged his shoulders and spoke again.
“is it so. I don’t know, but I do know that someone with stronger divine power than me did it. Anyway, I looked into the Marquis’ subconscious. “I’m a little late because it wasn’t allowed, but I apologize.”
“It’s also shameless.”
Gremory slightly stuck out his tongue and said something.
“Shameless is the devil’s virtue.”
Then he immediately changed his expression and added with a serious face.
“From what I saw, I thought that if you were the Marquis, you would try to use me to take a slightly better path rather than just dealing with me out of pointless curiosity.”
“…under.”
Saying something so openly gives me an even more strange feeling of resistance.
Gremory then placed his hand on his chest and asked with a slightly sad expression.
“It makes me very sad that the succubus is willing to take risks like this to help humans, but the Marquis is only suspicious. If you can’t believe my sincerity, can you at least trust me, a succubus? “It’s a world full of emotionless puppet drones. A succubus can’t live in such a world.”
I became very disturbed by Gremory’s appearance, which seemed to be half clinging to me.
On the outside, she appears to be a woman who is truly sad because she is not trusted, but she is a succubus who admits that she tried to appear harmless from the beginning and acted like a fool.
Even now, they are subtly lowering their vigilance.
Meanwhile, the information that I had not heard even from the saint, Eris, that divine power was involved in my return disturbed a corner of my mind.
But there is no other alternative.
I finally answered with a sigh.
“Okay, the deal is done.”
Gremory smiled brightly and shouted with shining eyes.
“A wise choice! “I am doing a really good job!”
What can I do for you? Are you doing this on purpose?
* * *
Time passed quickly.
In the meantime, I wrote letters to Christine and Talleyrand Eris, respectively, about the situation and well-being of the Iberica Peninsula, and in the meantime, the second group of 2000 leaders led by Nicola Ney and Jérôme Morel also arrived.
But the war situation is not good.
Crocs and I were crumpling our faces as we looked at a map of the entire Iberica Peninsula.
“It’s so obvious what these guys are after.”
Crocs heard my words and twitched the corner of his mouth with huge fangs.
“Traitors who are obsessed with the devil…”
Crocs called some troops from other fronts to Dilus to defend against the threat of drones, but as soon as he did that, Porto Port and the collaborating tribes that had been confined to their lairs began to attack again. did.
It also appears to be eating away at the territory of the Iberica brothers from the outskirts.
Crocs’ men seem to be fighting hard, but even so, 5,000 of them have been wiped out, creating a hole in the troops, and the drones have even taken over Ciudad, forming a salient.
Crocs’ men continue to be pushed back by attacks across a wide area, and the commonality of the offensive that pushes back the allies is clear.
All offensives are forcing the pushed back troops and residents to withdraw to Dilus. Thanks to this, the city of Dilus became filled with refugees.
This must be an order from the devils.
They plan to drive all of Crocs’ brothers into Dilus, capture Dilus, and capture many of its residents at once.
I said, furrowing my brows.
“Is there an area where residents can be evacuated?”
But Crocs shook his head.
“The land in northern Iberica is barren. There is little land on which residents can live, and there is even less land that can accommodate large numbers of people in the winter without any preparation. “It is thanks to the help of Franzia and her brothers that we are able to feed the residents who are now flocking to Dilus.”
“…Right.”
The capital Dilus, however, has a well-built road to the northern trading port of Bilbao, so it is possible to somehow transport and distribute food imported from Francia.
But even that would be difficult if the residents were spread out across the vast lands of the north.
“If that’s the case, is it a cheater?”
In the end, we have no choice but to fight a defensive battle in Dilus while embracing the residents.
Coincidentally, Dilus also has a huge fortress built by a greedy orc, so it’s perfect for defensive battles.
“Even though we are in the city center now, the problem is that if the attack begins and all the residents are housed in the fortress, the food will not last very long…”
I resolved Crocs’ concerns.
“They will not choose the option of surrounding us and killing us.”
“hmm?”
“These are enemies who engage in inefficient combat that excludes killings in order to capture them alive. “Rather than having the residents who were driven into Dilus to be captured locked up in the fortress starving and causing a plague, they would rather capture them quickly and wholeheartedly.”
“under! “How arrogant!”
Crocs hit the desk with both arms loudly.
Watching the muscles wriggle and dance on the mighty orc’s forearms gives you an idea of the extent of his anger.
Crocs, who was shaking with anger for a moment, touched his fangs with his hand to see if he had calmed down and asked.
“Actually, the enemies are still staying near Ciudad. Why is that?”
“…It looks like they are making up for the problems from the first battle.”
“Hmm indeed. “The Count of Aquitaine’s resourcefulness is amazing, brother.”
After hearing what Crocs said, I just smiled slightly.
This is information given by Gremory, including the fact that there is no option to surround us, stop us, and kill us.
Christine’s spy network does not extend to Iberica, but that does not mean she received the information from the devil.
After a moment of silence, Crocs opened his mouth.
“You have no shame, brother.”
“suddenly?”
Crocs smiled bitterly.
“We confidently boasted that we would unify Iberica with our own strength, but now that we are cornered like this, I have nothing to say. “Brothers are also responsible for their people, so if you need to withdraw, let me know.”
“….”
I never thought I would hear these words from that confident and cheerful Orc.
“But Crocs, you answered my call during the war and came running with the army.”
Perhaps we could have ignored that request and created a more favorable situation in Iberica, but because Crocs came at the most desperate moment, we were able to defeat Archduke Leopold.
“Then I said I was indebted to you. “I came to repay a debt, but you said your situation was difficult, so I left…”
I hesitated for a moment, but decided that I had nothing more appropriate to say, and just said it out loud.
“So wouldn’t it be more appropriate for these people to be called barbarians?”
Crocs twitched the corner of his mouth and burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Brother is right! This is embarrassing! Looks like these Crocs still have a long way to go!”
“Besides, I’m not staying here just for emotional reasons. The devil’s threat is clear and blatant. “There is no guarantee that Franzia will not be next if you stand by and watch them collapse.”
I lifted the devil-shaped horse that was placed in Ciudad on the map and put it down with a loud bang.
“Then let’s crush Franzia here before she gets caught up in the phone calls. That is my judgment as the commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army. Of course, apart from that, I will properly account for this debt, so be prepared.”
“Just what I hoped for! The brothers of Iberica will forever remember your generosity in accepting us when everyone called us barbarians, and your devotion to being with us in such a dangerous moment! “I promise that the moment you need our help, this Crocs will provide all the help I can!”
I smiled brightly as I watched Crocs rant.
Above all, I also have a part of myself that I believe in.
It may not be 100% reliable, but isn’t it a gamble worth taking?
If we can give a blow to those demons who use our misfortune as a sacrifice to enrich themselves and treat us like insects, and break the chain of tragedy, then we can trust the succubus for once.
“Then Crocs, king of the Iberian brothers. Are you willing to gamble and risk everything to protect your freedom and that of your people?”
Crocs grinned and responded with a loud shout that echoed throughout the room.
“I and my brothers in Iberica have sworn to escape from the devils and achieve freedom, so there is no one who can run away from our enemies!”
I nodded at him.
The stakes are the capital Dilus and the countless people of Iberica who have flocked there.
“Okay. Then, let me explain the outline of the operation.”
To overcome the devils whom no one can dare to guarantee victory.
Let’s start a gamble that should never fail.
