Chapter 310: Layout (Patreon)

“I never thought so much would happen the moment I left…”

Nanoda sat on the lord's desk, with Yuna and Qual on either side of her, running through a mountain of reports.

All of Gaderia's Demon Generals had gathered in the room as well.

“Hehe. Mother.”

Jane sat on the floor leaning against the chair, her regrown pure-white hair spilling across the ground. She nuzzled her head against Nanoda's palm like a kitten.

Nanoda ruffled Jane's little head while she thought things through.

Lügner and Aura were in custody, pending investigation.

Macht had had his old record dug up, too. He'd probably be joining Aura and Lügner soon to make up a table for a round of cards.

The Empire's Magic Special Forces had carried out the arrests, and Nanoda had never dealt with them.

Ideally, she'd investigate the case first, clear Aura and the others, and rescue her allies.

But Gaderia could barely protect itself right now.

Palace intrigue would have to wait.

They were all Greater Demons. Nanoda had stressed that they must not harm humans, but when their lives were in danger, they were free to fight back with magic.

If it came to that, she'd just storm into the Empire herself and break them out.

“Let's settle the battle formations first. The Central nations really went all in this time: an elite army drawn from the elites of five nations, plus five other armies. We estimate over a million troops in total.”

Even if every Demon in Gaderia's Demon Special Zone took the field, they wouldn't number ten thousand. Counting every soldier Gaderia could scrape together, the total still wouldn't top a hundred thousand.

A gap of more than tenfold.

“That's not all. The Continental Mages' Association won't give us any support this time. As for the alliance, outside of Weise and Kinton, the most they'll send us is ten thousand men.”

Yuna added a few more details.

Practically nothing, then.

And with Earl Glück gone, those allies weren't reliable anyway. If Gaderia fell this time, they'd turn with the wind in an instant and switch sides to the Empire or the Central Lands.

Nanoda pulled open a desk drawer, took out a map, and spread it across the desktop.

“We don't need to worry about Gaderia's Northern flank for now. The Empire's current targets are Kinton and Weise. With Aura and Macht arrested, we've lost vital strength, but that's exactly why we can focus on the Demon Extermination Alliance. Until the case over there is fully cleared up, the Empire's special agencies shouldn't ambush us, not under the non-aggression pact we made with the Shadow Warriors.”

The Demons crowded around Nanoda.

Little Übel stood on tiptoe and squeezed out a small gap in the crowd so she could watch Nanoda mark up the map.

She wasn't afraid of the Demons around her. Except for Qual during training, they all felt warm and familiar.

Linie even made a little room for Übel, and in shifting over she accidentally bumped into Wenbei. Wenbei blinked, then scooted over and bumped into Deneb beside him.

For a moment, it was endearingly goofy.

“The southeast will most likely be the main battlefield. The allied army's encirclement will probably spread outward from there.”

Nanoda traced a route from the Central Lands to Gaderia.

“I came to the same conclusion as you, Your Majesty.”

Qual nodded in approval. That Lady Nanoda could produce such an analysis so soon after receiving the intelligence had won his full confidence.

“Linie will beat them all, and then we'll go save Lügner!”

Linie brimmed with energy and volunteered at once.

“I'll follow Lady Nanoda's orders.”

Once Deneb spoke up, Schräg, Draht, and Wenbei behind him all nodded in agreement.

“Lady Nanoda! What about me? I want to help too!”

Little Übel thrust her tiny hand up so high it nearly matched the tip of Linie's horn beside her.

“Ow!”

An arm reached across the desk and rapped Übel lightly on the head. Yuna's expression was deadly serious.

“Übel, I absolutely will not allow you to join in this time. The battlefield is far more dangerous than you imagine. You'll have to wait at least a few more years!”

“Awww~”

A few more years, huh.

Übel would only be in her teens by then.

Then again, Yuna herself had gone to war in her teens. Like master, like disciple, as they say.

Come to think of it, back in her past life, Nanoda had been out on the assassin's killing fields at that age, too.

In a sense, it really was a tradition passed down the line.

Nanoda pressed a hand to her forehead with a wry sigh. Then inspiration struck, and she thought of a good way to soothe Übel.

“Übel, I have a task for you. It's the first, and the most important.”

Übel had been about to argue with her master, but her ears pricked up at once. “I'll do it!”

“Gaderia is in crisis right now. The children in Yuna's orphanage are Gaderia's future. I need you to stay at the orphanage and protect them. Can you do that, Übel?”

Nanoda's words left no room for complaint.

Little Übel nodded the moment she heard them. “Leave it to me!”

Nanoda turned and gave Yuna a sly thumbs-up, which Yuna returned.

With Übel taken care of, Nanoda moved on to assigning the Demons' main fighting strength.

“We'll set the Empire's threat aside for now. Gaderia needs a garrison, and daily city defense stays as it is. Schräg, you're the most experienced, so you'll handle that, along with security inside the city.”

Nanoda looked around at all the Demons.

“Leave it to me.”

To Nanoda's surprise, Draht, who had always been so eager to fight, chose to stay behind. Maybe it was because of Schräg?

“Good.”

With the internal arrangements settled, Nanoda turned to the battlefield plans.

“Deneb, you're with me. We'll take the south, the most direct front. Half of Gaderia's Demon soldiers and half of its other forces will go with us.”

Deneb nodded. He hadn't expected this at all. In frontal combat he was probably the weakest Demon in the room, but since this was Lady Nanoda's choice, she had to have her reasons.

“Then I'll take my researchers and some of the human soldiers to the east. Your Majesty, is that acceptable?”

That was Qual's own proposal.

“No problem.”

Nanoda trusted Qual's strength completely. During her ten years away, Qual had served as Gaderia's core fighting force and won several major battles. There was no doubting him.

“Then the west goes to Linie and Wenbei. All remaining troops will be stationed there as well.”

“Yes!”

Linie and the blindfolded Wenbei answered together.

Last of all, Nanoda turned her gaze to Yuna.

“Yuna, I want you in charge of the army's logistics.”

“No problem, Lady Nanoda.” Yuna accepted with a smile.

After the group hashed out a few more details, they all went their separate ways.

Only Qual and Nanoda remained in the lord's office.

“I see. Is it that Your Majesty worries she might get hurt?”

After so long among humans, even Qual could pick out a bit of Nanoda's “human” way of doing things.

“Qual, I have something for you.”

Nanoda reached under the desk, took out the box she'd brought back from the Holy City, and handed it to him.