The Demon Prince goes to the Academy - Chapter 538

Chapter 538

December.

It’s winter.

The allied forces started from Senkerian and went around the outskirts of Riselen, destroying the warp gates of small cities one by one.

The small warp gates in small towns were destroyed like the advance party by the forces of the demon king, and the Imperial General Headquarters turned them into the contents of the operation of the imperial advance party.

Only a few knew that the Allied Forces were receiving help from the Demon King.

And the confusion felt by the allied forces the moment it became known could lead to a huge division, so it had to be kept top secret.

It was a set procedure for a large army to winter. This war will continue beyond the year.

Seven small cities and three small and medium-sized cities.

This has been the achievement of the Allied forces so far.

Bertus stood in front of the numerous military commanders gathered at the Allied Forces Headquarters, watching the operation status board with a firm expression on his face with a map in front of him.

All the battles I’ve been through so far can’t be described as small.

But now, the allied forces were facing the biggest battle of all the countless battles they had ever faced.

A set of large warp gates.

One super-large warp gate.

Seven small warp gates.

The largest city in southern Rieseln.

Serandia.

Destroying the first super-large warp gate.

That’s the point.

The Operations Chief begins reporting.

“If we succeed in attacking His Majesty Serandia, it is judged that the number of monsters in southern Riselen will significantly decrease.”

“Using the Raje River, which flows near Serandia, as a water source, it is thought that water supply can be solved locally. If transportation for water supply is replaced with other supplies, it seems that the allied forces can survive the winter more easily.”

“However, due to the nature of winter operations, a significant loss in combat power is expected while the main force moves to Serandia. In addition, once the operation begins, retreat is considered almost impossible, and failure to do so is expected to result in irreversible and very significant losses.”

“After spending the winter concentrating on defending the garrison, we can start attacking Serandia. However, in this case, it is unclear whether the military will be able to smoothly supply the necessary supplies until spring comes. The monsters gathered in Serandia will periodically raid the allied garrison area where they spend the winter, and it will continue to be replenished, so there will be no loss of enemy combat power.”

Bertus narrowed his eyes while listening to the staff report.

Winter is the season when everything freezes, and soldiers are no exception.

Marching in winter is more hellish than marching in peacetime.

There will be soldiers whose frozen toes actually fall off, not exhaustion.

Although the priests of the Knights Templar can heal with holy magic, not all of them can receive such benefits.

Due to the nature of the big city, waves of monsters are infesting the area around it, so the allied garrison has now been set up in a place very far from Serandia.

For now, just going to the battlefield, Serandia, is a forced march.

Forced march in the harsh cold, and the monsters are boiling more and more as you go.

It is absolutely not an environment where you can take a day off and fight with the battlefield in front of you.

Troops must face the greatest number of enemies when they are most exhausted.

even in winter.

‘I don’t know if the weather gets better because another abnormal weather appears on the way we are going. You can’t necessarily expect that, but… … .’

Through the march in the freezing cold, the attack on Serandia is carried out.

In the end, massive damage is expected in the attack battle.

And attacking Serandia doesn’t mean the gate crisis will end.

There are still cities to be destroyed.

If you suffer irreversible losses here, the next battle will be more difficult.

If it becomes more difficult and burdensome and the loss of irreplaceable manpower continues.

In the end, it will not be able to destroy the last gate, and then humanity loses all hope.

But what if you survive the winter here and endure until the spring before attacking Serandia?

The military eats up huge resources.

Humans have to eat, and they have to cook something to survive the cold.

And while stationed, there is Serandia, where monsters are pouring out of a super-large warp gate, albeit far away.

Defensive warfare will continue throughout the winter, resulting in loss of personnel as well as resources.

At least, if you succeed in attacking Serandia, you will be able to secure water resources to last through the winter. And it will be able to survive the winter by cutting down the forest area created nearby.

Are you going to spend the winter there after carrying out a large-scale attack battle and risking blood loss to destroy Serandia?

Until the day is released, we will continue to fight attrition while holding our breath here, and then fight in a better condition.

“I can’t survive the winter here. We are going to Serandia.”

You cannot expect that help will always be there.

But there was always help.

That’s why Bertus had no choice but to rely on the power of the Demon King again this time.

The frozen ground along the Allied Forces’ path would melt and an abnormal climate named warm sunlight would appear.

The ruler of mankind depends on the demon king.

‘If you can’t get help anymore… … .’

At that time, I don’t have the confidence not to fall into a panic.

Bertus helped himself.

* * *

-Kkkukkuk

-Cow!

– Kkuk Kuk

– Aww!

“… … .”

-Aye!

Ellen regained consciousness at the sound of crying that seemed to be calling her.

For some time, there was a black cat who was pressing down on his thigh with his front paws.

For some reason, looking up with pitiful eyes seemed like he was worried.

Why are you doing this?

It was in the tent and Ellen was sitting in a chair. Only then did Ellen realize that she had lost consciousness, albeit briefly.

I heard that there is a meeting related to the attack on Serandia.

However, Ellen does not necessarily attend the meeting. I have the right to speak, and I am not lighthearted. However, Ellen was never happy to discuss the issue of so many people’s lives coming and going at such a meeting.

So I was contemplating whether to go or not.

But when I came to my senses, the cat I hadn’t seen in a few days was crying right in front of me.

Ellen doesn’t bother to lock the barracks.

The royal class garrison guards are strict, and no one in the garrison is rude enough to enter Ellen’s barracks.

So I unlocked the barracks so that the cat can come in anytime.

so it comes and goes freely

-Aang

Ellen holds the necklace with her left hand and strokes the head of the crying cat with her right hand.

“I’m fine… … .”

Ellen now knows that putting your mind into something helps.

I feel like this little existence is protecting me.

But even so, there are frequent moments of losing consciousness.

“It will be fine… … .”

The cat was still looking up at Ellen.

To lose consciousness is to disappear.

It’s scary, but Ellen has more important things ahead of her.

Attack on Serandia.

A giant warp gate.

The fight will only get harder and harder.

‘Reinhardt… … .’

What the General Command knows, of course Ellen knows.

Reinhardt would also try to help in the attack on Serandia.

Having helped so far, I will try to help this fight in my own way this time.

somewhere.

– Aegong

must be watching you.

* * *

Ellen’s condition becomes increasingly serious.

I knew he would lose consciousness periodically, and I’d seen him, albeit in the form of a cat.

The expression of losing consciousness is a bit different.

It’s close to someone replacing the ritual.

Dark eyes like the abyss stare at me silently. With eyes that don’t know if they’re looking at me or not.

I just stare at it with unfocused blurry eyes.

In those eyes, nothing but emptiness could be read.

It was more than eerie, it was terrifying.

Not only Ellen, but also those of the royal class felt a very strong sense of discomfort when Ellen was in such a state from time to time.

I don’t know why cats and such helped, but Ellen definitely seemed to be affected by it.

I didn’t quite understand the necklace Ellen was wearing, but now I had some intuition that it was playing a similar role.

If the condition goes beyond getting worse and becomes irreversible.

Will I be able to see only Ellen with those empty eyes?

I visit the Royal Class garrison from time to time to check on Ellen’s condition and the situation of the Royal Class people, but I can’t stay there all the time.

Not only am I clearing the march route, but sometimes I have to receive sleep training from Airi, and Charlotte takes care of Edina’s affairs, but she receives reports on important matters.

He is a pet demon.

And just like Ellen is preparing for a big battle right now, I am no different.

First of all, the problem we are facing right now is the Siege of Serandia, a large city.

“Maybe I will march. You think we can help.”

A meeting of the Senate where all the core members of Edina gathered.

“I think I have no choice but to make that choice because enduring the winter is bound to be a war of attrition.”

I nodded my head at Elerith’s answer.

After a march in the bitter cold, an all-out war.

An all-out war after welcoming spring after a defensive battle in the bitter cold.

Both have to bear a huge burden.

In the original work, this time is not winter in the first place. Welcome winter in another big city attack battle.

In that situation, the allied forces choose to hold out.

But now, Liana has awakened her ability to change the weather, which she couldn’t use in the original work, and we are helping her.

Therefore, they will choose to advance in anticipation of our help.

Protect the road the allied forces go this time from the weather, not from monsters.

That way, you can protect the allied forces from the harsh cold.

But next problem.

“I guess we’ll have to decide what to do when the attack on Serandia begins.”

Those were Lruen’s words.

yes you have to decide

In the gate attack battles so far, the level of warp gates we can handle have been destroyed by hitting them before the allied forces.

However, the places with medium-sized warp gates were left in the hands of the allied forces after sweeping away the monsters in the first place with a preemptive strike.

We were tasked with a vanguard that the Allies did not know, but when a major operation began, we did not intend to be seen by them.

But this time the scale of the operation is different.

Three large warp gates in one super large warp gate.

There is a limit to the number of monsters that can be dealt with even by the weather changes caused by Liana, and even if the monsters are annihilated, the monsters will be replenished at a tremendous speed.

Preemptive strikes can have significant effects.

However, if this operation was left in the hands of the Allied Forces, even if the attack on Serandia could be successful, there would be casualties as long as we did not fight directly.

If we participate in the war, the number of those who are sacrificed will decrease that much, and the allied forces will be able to preserve that much power.

It is right from the point of view of practical benefits that we also participate in the war.

“However, our participation in the war may help us attack Serandia right away, but it is likely to be a very big mistake in the long term.”

“… … I guess so.”

I had no choice but to agree with Galarsh’s words.

Antirianus opens his mouth.

“Our army is small, but it is bound to stand out on the battlefield. Just look at the large-scale magic that the family heads and clan mages will use here. Not only the lightning that Thunder King uses, but also the divine power of demons that the head of the Holy Church will use, and the Alsbring that the great Tiamata will use.”

The power we use is overpowering and will inevitably be noticed.

Sarkegar, who has returned to Razak for the meeting, also speaks.

“Currently, the Allied Forces Command is aware of our help. The few personnel tasked with frontline reconnaissance remain silent. And personnel at each military headquarters know that what is happening on the front lines is the power of the Empire. Of course, many of them are aware of suspicious ships, but neither the Empire nor the Allied Forces seem to bother to mention them.”

“However, if we show up in this battle, the majority of allied forces, especially ordinary soldiers, will know about our involvement, and this could lead to unforeseen problems.”

“Your Highness, I think it was the right decision for us not to show up before the invasion of Serandia.”

Summon a massive magic meteor.

Humans do not have magic with such destructive power. The moment you use it, you will intuit that the power of the devil has appeared.

The moment when meteors rained down from the sky that had changed like a broken mirror and hit the temple is remembered as an unforgettable nightmare for those who saw it in the ecliptic. Also, there were probably no people who didn’t already know about the rumors about the magic.

Since the gate crisis started at the same time as the meteor shower, the meteor shower that poured across the sky became magic symbolizing the return of the demon king.

If Olivia summons the Death Knights and sweeps the battlefield, the allied forces may be frightened by the Death Knights and try to attack them.

Not to mention Alsbringer.

If we enter the war, it will definitely help the allied forces.

There is no reason to help Tina if she only helps in small ways, not strength.

In order to help properly, numerous allied forces will recognize that the forces of the demon king have appeared. The operation may fail because of our help.

Someone found out that I was killing a monster on the spot, and the Demon King appeared! Where is the Allied Commander who would not accept that the entire Allied Forces took advantage of the gap in a large-scale battle and attacked the Allied Forces when someone shouted loudly?

Bertus is in a situation where he has to decide whether to advance at the end of a war of attrition over the winter or to advance immediately after taking heavy damage.

I am no different.

If we help the attack on Serandia, the Allied forces will suffer less damage, but our presence may cause other problems.

If we don’t help and stand by, we will stand by and watch the deaths of countless people who would not have to die if we were there.

It includes the lives of countless people I know.

You know how to survive.

Should I let go of the attack on Serandia with such trivial thoughts?

There is no such thing as an absolutely right choice.

Every choice comes at the cost of something in exchange for something.

No the whole time I’m here. After coming to this world, all the choices I made were only those choices.

A choice to win something and lose something.

You have to do it this time too.

I haven’t had a conversation with Bertus yet, but it’s like an ally.

But only a few people understand that.

To most, I’m still the name of fear, and no one believes in saying that the Demon King will fight alongside them.

Rather, it would only confuse me more.

The demon king who caused the gate incident to annihilate mankind helps mankind?

A guy who lost his temper in despair would believe something like that straight away.

What if the other commanders of the allied forces find out that the empire has been receiving help from the devil so far, or if everyone in the allied forces finds out?

After the Siege of Serandia, the Allied Forces might collapse.

“Someday we will have to fight together with the allied forces, and that’s for sure.”

At my words, everyone in the meeting is silently looking at me.

The moment will come when you will have to fight. that doesn’t change

And the gate avalanche becomes more and more dangerous.

In the early days of the Gate Crisis, cities with such super-large warp gates were hurriedly destroyed by the guerrilla force led by Saviolin Tana.

Serandia is dangerous, but the cities you will encounter later will be even more dangerous than Serandia.

“Serandia only conducts a preemptive strike, and we do not participate in the battle and watch.”

No matter who dies, now is the time to watch that death.

Is it the right choice to ignore those who are dying right now in order to prevent more deaths?

I do not know.

But just like Louise von Schwarz did, I make a choice.

“And if I could, it would be nice if I could destroy at least a few warp gates, even if it wasn’t very large.”

preemptive strike.

If that’s all you can do, you have to do everything you can there.