Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Your Base Is Under Attack
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"Here's the current situation in Klauzen."
Lichten Margrave spread the map out in front of Sion and his companions, who had joined the meeting with his vassals and knights.
Klauzen sat at the center, Nudia's territory lay to the right, a massive mountain range loomed to the north, and below it stretched fields, plains, and hills.
"Monsters keep pouring down from the mountains and hammering at our territory here.
At first, the soldiers panicked, and we lost five men with dozens more suffering serious injuries."
"That's heavy losses."
"Yeah.
After that, we built up palisades to hold them off, but their numbers and varieties just kept growing.
In the end, we decided to make our stand here, where it's easy to get reinforcements from the castle."
"Father.
There's one thing I'd like to ask.
Until we got back to the territory, we didn't see a single monster shadow."
Lichten Margrave let out a low groan at Sion's words.
"That's exactly why me and my vassals are on edge.
Monsters usually prefer ambushing small groups straggling away from the herd—it's their instinct."
"It's safer and more reliable that way."
"Right.
But these ones are different.
They charge straight for the lord's castle without looking back.
They don't care how many of their own kind get cut down."
It was an answer that reeked of suspicion.
And it wasn't just Sion or Lichten Margrave who sensed it.
"That sounds pretty shady, doesn't it?
You're saying monsters are just slamming headfirst into this fortress?"
Lily's skeptical retort drew a confirmation from Lichten Margrave.
That prompted both Lishida and Lucia to voice their doubts as well.
No matter how strong monsters were, these walls were a "fortress" tough enough to shrug off all but the heaviest magical barrages.
Monsters instinctively avoided such sturdy defenses and targeted weak points, but the ones hitting the territory now were all acting strangely.
"There are way too many weird things about this."
"Exactly.
But we have suspicions without hard evidence."
"Why not send some troops to scout the mountains where they're coming from..."
"Not possible.
Even if Nudia is honoring the truce for now, relations could sour in an instant, and the situation could turn ugly fast.
If they start another war like last time, we need to have our full strength ready to stop them."
Just as Lichten Margrave said, it had only been two months since the war with Nudia ended.
The wounded were only now returning to daily life, and more than half the remaining soldiers were tied up fighting monsters.
Pulling healthy troops away to the mountains in this mess would leave only the exhausted fighters behind.
If Nudia struck then, it could turn into the worst-case scenario.
'On top of that, we don't know what might be waiting in the mountains, so we can't send a small force either.
Halving our troops in a border region where we have to stay vigilant at all times is something we absolutely must avoid.'
It was basic common sense—something Sion knew well from his illustrious career as an army sergeant who'd completed his full term without reenlisting.
"So in the end, all we can do is sit here and hold them off. No clever solutions."
"Yeah.
If this were just some ordinary territory, I'd send the Tobbal Company or something, but right now, there's a threat bigger than monsters lurking right in front of us: Nudia."
Even a well-observed truce could turn to scrap paper in a heartbeat.
Lichten Margrave was holding back from deploying territory troops precisely because of that risk.
"Hmm."
Sion stared at the map, lost in thought for a moment.
Truth be told, the knights and soldiers of Klauzen Margrave Territory were elite enough to earn the name.
With the right forces committed, they wouldn't just hold the monsters back—they could push up into the mountains and burn the whole range down.
But the problem, as always, was Nudia.
Sure, Count Basura was there, but humans had a knack for breaking promises, and Nudia could bypass him entirely and send in central forces.
'Regular troops are off the table.
That leaves just one option.'
Sion rapped the table lightly as if he'd made up his mind.
He stood and addressed Lichten Margrave.
"Father.
I'll handle the monsters."
"What are you talking about, Sion?"
"I'll take over everything monster-related, so you just focus on Klauzen's defenses like usual."
Lichten Margrave started to say, 'What do you mean? How could you possibly...' but Sion stretched his arms wide, reintroducing his companions.
The supreme demon, Succubus Queen.
Next to her, an upper-rank knight.
On the other side, a mage of incredible skill, guarded by a man whose absurd strength outstripped even upper-rank knights.
"Nyaong!"
And even a cute-looking catgirl.
"...Do you have some kind of plan?"
"Of course.
Have you ever seen me act without thinking?"
"Well... true.
If it's you, I trust you've got it figured out.
Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Just keep blocking the monsters heading for Klauzen like always.
I'll move separately with this group."
"Still, there must be something I can do."
"Oh, in that case, one favor.
The Highness Merchant Group will arrive from the capital soon. Could you tighten security along the highways so monsters don't hit them on the way?"
Lichten Margrave's face finally brightened a bit.
At the same time, as a father, he felt a pang of guilt.
His son had gone to the capital, gotten tangled in a rebellion, faced all sorts of ordeals on the way back, survived an ambush, discovered a slave market in that chaos, and earned merit.
It felt wrong to throw him into work the moment he arrived.
Hoping someone might step up and convince his son to rest, Lichten Margrave spoke up cautiously.
"Sion.
Shouldn't you at least ask the others for their input?
Deciding something like this on your own might be a bit much..."
Sion let out an 'Aha, you're right!' and turned to the group with the question.
It was obvious what the answer would be—they could all see how this would play out.
"You might have a point.
Anyone want out?"
"Where would I go without you?"
"It's my duty to follow my master wherever she goes!"
"Shall I change and head out right away?"
"Nyawoong!"
"Hmph."
"That's the consensus, Father."
The women didn't hesitate for a second, and even Kim Yu-hyeon, arms crossed, didn't object.
It would've been nice if someone close to his son suggested rest, but everyone was clearly tiptoeing around to avoid getting on Sion's bad side.
'Heh...
Not sure if I should be happy about this or not.'
Lichten Margrave chuckled inwardly but sighed worriedly on purpose.
When Sion glanced over tensely, as if sensing a problem, he muttered to himself that the ploy had worked, put on a stern face, and spoke.
"Still, jumping straight into work the moment you get back isn't ideal, Sion Klauzen."
"Father, I'm really fine."
"Quiet, boy.
After all that you've been through, plus the journey home—you must be worn out body and soul.
Rest up today. Start for real tomorrow."
"Isn't every day critical here?
At least..."
"Now, now.
Your companions might be the tired ones.
No more arguing—rest today.
If Klauzen crumbled from you taking one day off, it would've fallen long ago."
With that, Lichten Margrave cleared his throat and stood.
Sion rose reflexively, and the margrave instructed the group to stay and go over tomorrow's "real" plans before leaving the meeting room himself.
"Ah, Sion."
Just before exiting, he called back his son.
As Sion approached, Lichten Margrave placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered carefully.
"It might be a tad premature, but as your father, I'm thrilled."
"Pardon?"
"About becoming a grandfather.
Lately, I've found myself craving 'Grandpa' more than 'Father.'
Maybe I'm just getting sentimental with age...
Anyway, I'll approve any woman you choose. Go find a good daughter-in-law without worry.
And forget any pressure from Lady Raido or the like.
Got it?"
"Uh... yeah, I think so."
Sion nodded, and Lichten Margrave said they'd meet back here tomorrow morning, urged him to rest without overthinking, and left.
'...What was that?'
Hadn't humans always shown strong aversion to other races, let alone demons?
So how was his father—Lichten Margrave—not batting an eye at Lily, even setting Winnie aside?
'Not a bad reaction, so I'll table it for later.'
Sion returned to his seat.
Lily, sitting beside him, spoke up.
"So, what's the plan?
You actually have one, right?"
"Of course.
Do I ever dive into things without a thought?"
Total lie.
He had no plan.
Not figuratively—he truly had zero concrete strategy.
No detailed thoughts on how to exterminate the monsters or investigate the mountains.
Why?
'Why bother planning?
Plans are for when you're evenly matched with the enemy, where the battle could swing either way.'
When the foes charged in screaming with spears, swords, bows, and arrows.
But if you had machine guns, tanks, and tactical nukes?
What lunatic would "plan" against that?
'Even if they have traps, our power surpasses them outright.
All that nonsense about not using an ox cleaver to kill a chicken? Bullshit.
I've got Exodia in hand—why play scared?
Just rush in and crush them.'
Unless using overwhelming force turned the whole world against you, not using it when you had it was just idiotic.
Especially when he was mana-dry and couldn't even flex properly.
"Simple.
Tomorrow, you all go out and hunt monsters.
The day after, and the next, and the one after that.
Kill them all before they reach the castle.
That's it."
Sion's answer was brutally straightforward.
Just go out and steamroll them with raw power—that was his gist.
Lishida would follow any order, nodding immediately, but Lily and Lucia looked a bit thrown.
They'd expected something more detailed, reliable, ingenious from the Sion they knew.
"Wait, that's really it?
Like, no going into the mountains to find the source or anything...?"
"Why bother with the hassle?
We just intercept whatever comes and wait.
The real culprits will crawl out eventually."
"Ehh?
For real?"
One thing Sion knew for sure.
Even though Sion Klauzen had killed his own father and bungled everything.
What ultimately toppled Klauzen wasn't monsters—it was Nudia's army.
The monster attacks might've contributed somewhat, but the main assault was Nudia.
'Pretty soon, something fishy will stir in Nudia.
Not Count Basura—beyond him.
From Nudia's royals.
If Nudia's forces hit Klauzen then.
The villains' scheme is obvious.
Rear disruption, weakening our forces.'
These monster attacks weren't to smash Klauzen outright—they were to keep nerves frayed, denying rest.
A smokescreen to split focus from Nudia's push.
But if some territory powerhouses suddenly popped up handling monsters in remote spots?
Wouldn't that be a golden chance for them to quietly pluck a few thorns?
'Obvious trap?
They won't fall for our bait because they're not idiots?'
Fine by him.
No—perfect.
Sending monsters had limits anyway; block long enough, and it'd fizzle.
Crush the monsters, and territory morale rebounds.
The soldiers fighting them get a breather too.
Major snag in their rear-disruption plan.
'Their choice.
Go all-in on Nudia.
Or walk into the trap knowingly to take out our elites—or at least wound them.'
Personally, Sion preferred the former.
But he bet they'd pick the latter.
Celestials, fairies—they all thought they were hot stuff but couldn't shake their stupidity.
Prideful, dismissive of humans, one-dimensional villains through and through.
'Thanks, author—er, dear author.
You nailed the racial traits so hard, their next move is crystal clear.
Like spotting the unavoidable tragedy after bottom-lane overextends.
No plot tension, sure, but hey—double kill incoming!
Mid gap? Sweet honey.'
―――――――Author's Note―――――――
The popularity poll isn't just a simple opinion survey—it affects future illustrations too!
It means Lily gets another shot at artwork!
So please hit that heroine poll vote at least once!