Dungeon Defense (WN)

“Hostiles are converging on Transylvania. ”

“I've also been informed that the Royal death squad has been spotted, Commander. ”

“The enemy numbers are uncertain, but they will be at least 17,000. ”

Warlord.

Four Demon Kings and a dozen Horse Commanders surround the table. The one with the highest status mutters.

“The Yankee Knights...... Red and white apostles?" ”

The Demon King Marvas. His careful and skilled gaze sweeps through the map slowly. A neutral Demon King shrugs beside Marvas.

“One of the most powerful knights on the continent. Brittany's roses fell last time, so it's definitely the best. ”

“Hmm."

His gray eyes rarely showed emotion, but they were always facing something. The Demon Kings belonging to the Neutral Tribe came into the quiet forest every time they met Marvas.

It's not emotional, but it's clear. Sometimes calm can be more intense than aggressive information. The Demon Kings realized that several times through a giant tree called Marvas.

The reason the Demon King keeps gathering is because there are fewer Neutrals. It's not just about empathizing with the Neutral Ideology. This man is against Marvas' personality who has passed through the ages without being shaken for over a thousand years…….

Suddenly, Marvas' gaze settles on him.

“Purson, is there anything you'd like to ask yourself? ”

“Ah.”

Oops, the Neutral Demon King blames himself inside. You stare too hard at Marvas' face. The Demon King quickly rolled his head to explain himself and decided to answer honestly.

“The commander is too calm. I was flattered.”

“Like you said, we've never broken a rose in Brittany. ”

“At that time, the entire Demon King army moved. Whereas only the Neutral Wave is on the front line right now. The situation is different.”

Currently, the Habsburg Empire has bordered the Kingdom of Polytunia.

The cause was the 8th monthly blind group. Even after the Armed Forces took down the Habsburg Empire, the Neutral Party swerved in and invaded the Kingdom of Polytunia. He did not achieve much, but took down five earls.

Marvas invaded the kingdom in a very political way.

First, there was a reason why I couldn't pass on the "cool role" only to the plains.

A bit exaggerated, the 8th month's military was a plains solo theater. To be more precise, it was a war theater organized by Dantalian and played by Dantalian. The plains posed an overwhelming risk of popularity among the future horsemen.

The Mages will blame you. What did the rest of the Faction do when the Plains tried alone and bled out? It's a group of opportunists who are only interested in the safety and security of their individuals.

To prevent such incidents in the future, Marvas invaded the kingdom.

As a result, Marvas' judgment was excellent.

The plains, which were pursuing excessively, were defeated by the ambush of President Elizabeth. On the other hand, neutral waves turning towards Polytunia had marginally gained.

Those who were excited about the plains praised the plains, but those with realistic views praised Marvas' prudence.

─ Flat Wave ideals are correct and should be supported by any Mine.

─ However, in discussing irregularities, both our feet must stand firmly on the ground. The Neutral wave showed us a very good example of what ideals and reality are.

It was the general opinion of marginal intellectuals. Among them, there were quite a few citizens who criticized the Pyramids, saying that if the Pyramids helped the neutrals invade the kingdom together, they would have gained more results.

Despite the conflicts between Polytunia and its borders, it was a very satisfying achievement for the neutral wave. They sent generous trust and support to their leader.

Marvas strokes his trimmed beard.

“You can be defeated by the enemy if you like. That's what I think. ”

“Yes?”

The Demon King was surprised and raised his voice without my knowledge. Not only that, but the rest of the Neutral Demon Kings opened their eyes as they listened to the conversation around them.

“What do you mean, commander? How can you give up a territory you've only acquired over the years? ”

“I understand your frustration. But you've already forgotten. ”

Marvas snorts at the Demon Kings.

“What we were trying to get out of the war was justification. It's never a small piece of land. We've already achieved our operational goals. ”

“But…… justification comes from achievement. Now that you've lost your territory again, won't you blame us in the marketplace? ”

The nearby Demon Kings nod in defiance. However, Marvas shakes his head quietly a few times.

“Quite the contrary. The machete will condemn the plain and the mountains, not us. ”

“Yes?”

Though he thought to himself, he was frozen, but the Demon King had no choice but to meet again.

“Why? I'd like to hear your opinion. ”

“You pointed it out earlier. Things are different now than they used to be. ”

Marvas takes off his outer egg glasses and wipes them with a handkerchief. He wiped his glasses and spoke naturally as if he were reciting a natural fact.

“We used to be an independent army. The takeover of the territory was also entirely the work of the Neutral Families, and was not treated as the work of the entire Monthly Armed Forces. But what's the situation now? We are part of a great Habsburg empire. ”

“Ah…! ”

The Demon Kings immediately recognized Marvas' proposal.

“I see. If we lose our territory this time, it's not our fault! Instead of sending us soldiers, we are responsible for the heart of the empire for the handcuffs! ”

“To be precise, it is the responsibility of the plain and the mountain tribes. ”

Marvas fixed his glasses.

“We haven't sent a single member of the Neutral Party after all the hard work we've done. I lost my mind to faction fights and forgot my cause. That's how public opinion gets built. ”

“Is it true… that you will win by losing……. ”

The Demon Kings did not spare any admiration. Hearing Marvas' words, the war map on the table begins to illuminate from a completely different perspective.

How do we stop an army of increasingly massing kingdoms? Until just now, I looked at the map grumbling with such concerns.

Now I think about the place in people's eyes like 'I did my best to guerrilla war, but I didn't have enough room to retreat' from a whole new perspective. The objective of the operation itself was to change.

“…… Instead of an all-out guerrilla war, we should send a small squad to constantly harass the royal army. ”

“Well, we also need to evacuate the maestros who live within the territory. ”

“That's right, that's right...... so we can make a strong impression that we fought for our citizens to the end! ”

A strange heat spread among the Demon Lords.

The idea that winning is less likely to lead to tactical defeat and strategic victory. And compared to the former, the latter was clearly more likely and more meaningful.

“It's not fertile enough anyway. It's infinitely less valuable than the political gain we'll get. ”

“Amazing, commander. Why did you give us your insight now? ”

You look at Marvas with the saddened eyes of the Demon Kings.

“If you had told us the truth, we would have been able to prepare accordingly. ”

There were times when Marvas didn't speak his mind. The Neutral Demon Monarchs had a lot of respect for Marvas.

Marvas smiled at the meeting for the first time.

“Because this operation will fail. ”

“…… Yes? ”

Marvas grins. The Demon Monarchs were puzzled by the mix of genuine pleasures. Why are you laughing so hard when you say the mission will fail?

“If the operation succeeds, the neutral party will have a clear opportunity to capitalize on the horse system's opinions. The popularity of the plain and the mountain tribes is falling. We have a chance to determine the future of the Empire. ”

“Yes, but……. ”

“But only if none of them knew their way in. ”

Marvas winces at one eye. Surprisingly, such playful eyes fit Marvas' solemn face.

“There are those in our empire who have distinct tastes. He can't not smell this. I'm going to plan behind our backs to win at any cost. ”

“…… Commander. ”

The Demon King said in a rather absurd manner.

“We didn't even know what the commander meant even when we were on the front lines. No, in fact, we didn't do anything because the commander didn't show his intentions in the first place. Who cares about the intentions that have never been realized or planned? ”

“There's almost an instinctive sense of smell in the world, Purson. ”

Marvas still looks happy.

“I don't look at war from a winning or losing perspective, I look at it from a strictly political perspective. Whether it's intentional or unintended, there are people who have to look at it that way. That's what you do first. ”

“Haona……. ”

Then a messenger entered the barracks. The eyes of the Demon Kings are on the messenger. The messenger kneels down on one knee, dealing with the unfamiliar gaze he received several times.

“Your Excellency, please report. ”

“Granted."

“An emissary has been dispatched from the Imperial family. The ambassador is requesting an audience with you in the military. ”

Marvas nods.

“Come here. ”

“… OK. ”

The messenger hesitates a little. Normally, I would ask who came as an ambassador, what was their attitude and purpose. The messenger practiced and prepared dozens of answers in preparation for the questions. However, it was somewhat surprising to let people in and out.

Marvas laughs as the messenger leaves.

“Not you. I saw you coming as soon as you brought it up. ”

“Did the Imperial Court find out about the commander's plans and send an envoy? ”

Marvas does not answer. It was something positive.

The Demon Kings were still rebellious faces. No matter what anyone else thinks, Marvas casually waited for his guests. A moment later, a man comes in, removing the barracks' curtains.

The man with the poisonous back quickly glanced inside the barracks, then looked at Marvas.

First of all, it's a habit to know what's going on around you. It was the same as before and now. Marvas greets the man with a smile on his unchanging habit.

“What brings you to these isolated changes, Attorney General? ”

“Change. It's not fair. ”

The black man, Dantalian, smiles widely.

“I am visiting the heart of the empire. ”