[The Straight Path to Conquest]
The time had come. I led a strike force of 100, including myself, through the portal and into my dungeon. As we moved out, the way the troops marched in formation was unmistakably military, and I left the dungeon in the hands of my subordinates.
"We aren't hitting the capacity limit, are we?"
"Of course not. They are, after all, troops belonging to Gremory's Dungeon."
A dungeon's capacity and system rules only apply within its walls. Once you step outside, those restrictions vanish, and there are absolutely no system buffs.
"Ryun, if you see anything, report it immediately."
"Yes. But Master, are you really going to take this route?"
"Of course."
Ryun tilted her head, looking at the route on the map in her hands. It was a path distinctly different from the marked roads, but it was the shortest route to Zabiyaba. The shortest route. A straight line.
"We are going to cut through the forest."
If there is no road, we simply make one. I had left the dungeon with my 100-man strike force and only three monsters. None other than the three Slime Dragons that I, Ryun, and Eila were riding. Since I had evolved them to 3-star, I named them Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3 in the order they were summoned to our dungeon. I rode Unit 1, Ryun rode Unit 2, and Eila rode Unit 3 as we pushed forward.
"I feel a bit guilty that only we are riding these."
"Commanders are supposed to ride something, no matter what."
"That is correct, Ryun. Even if the unit is infantry-focused, a knight leading them should ride a horse."
Eila pointed to the reins fitted around the Slime Dragon's neck. "In fact, this speed is quite fast. Horses move at about this pace as well."
"Eila, keep that up and you'll turn into a Slime Knight."
"As long as they aren't just crawling on the ground, they have excellent mobility. They are truly worthy of being the Master's subordinates."
"Indeed."
The Slime Dragons were long, eel-like creatures, but their speed while slithering across the ground was by no means slow. Matching the stamina and walking pace of the orcs, the Slime Dragons were crawling at a speed of nearly 8 km/h.
'The orcs are keeping up without any trouble, too.'
At this rate, we should be able to reach Zabiyaba in half a day at the latest. We would need to take breaks here and there, and once we arrived near Zabiyaba, we would have to wait a while to formulate our strategy.
"But Master, I have a genuine question. Even if my insight into war is shallow compared to yours..."
"I'm just lucky, I don't really know much either. Go ahead, say it."
"Are we really going to be okay in this state?"
Eila pointed to the orc troops at the rear. Their physiques were sturdy, but their equipment was shabby. The adventurers' gear didn't fit the orcs' frames, so they were left with nothing but the worn, tough cloth tunics they had when they were first summoned and clubs carved from wood.
"The most terrifying ones are always the guys in their underwear."
"Pardon?"
"Sure, our equipment is a problem in many ways. Even you, Eila, the leather armor you're wearing doesn't fit."
Eila was wearing modified looted leather armor, but the chest area was too small, so she could only wear the abdominal piece. Thanks to it cinching her waist like a corset, Eila's breasts were accentuated. That was the most decent outfit among them.
"I'd love to deck them all out in full plate, but our situation is basically that of a primitive tribe, so it can't be helped. Think about it, Eila. Orcs clad in iron armor, riding warhorses, performing a lance charge."
"......The mere imagination is terrifying."
"But to do that, we'd need a massive amount of materials, and we'd need technicians to work them, and there's so much we really need, right?"
"Is there somewhere we can obtain such things?"
"Yeah."
There is more to do after this war ends than I thought. If we conquer the Barony and the Legion of Wrath is officially recognized, the first thing I'll do is another war.
"There are many ways to obtain resources. And I will make the most efficient and demon-like choice."
"You're going to plunder, aren't you?"
"Yes, Ryun. Are you disgusted because I'm going to take and use human goods?"
"No? Elves are quite rigid, but we actively adopt good aspects of other races' cultures. Even this, for example."
Ryun lifted her skirt slightly. Naturally, Ryun was wearing white panties under her skirt. And that was an adopted culture?
"What do you mean by that?"
"After the Demon King's Army was founded, there were occasions when demons came to attack the Elf Forest. They said they insulted us after seeing under our skirts. The guardians who felt shame wanted to come up with a special measure. While they were worrying about what could cover under the skirt, a sage who visited the Elf Forest at the time said this."
Ryun cleared her throat and lowered her voice.
"Ah, this is what is called 'panties'."
"Good, that bastard must be killed."
The root of evil that covered good culture with bad habits must be destroyed. The Demon King, and the sage. I cannot forgive those who put the restraint called 'panties' under the elves.
"So, we must make Zabiyaba the bridgehead for world conquest. Stop for a moment! We're resting in this clearing."
We had walked for about an hour without stopping. Of course, I, Ryun, and Eila had moved while riding the Slime Dragons, but it was necessary to take a 10-minute break.
"Father."
"Call me Legion Commander for now."
"...Legion Commander, we are still fresh."
Arthur showed his confidence, saying he could walk a bit more. In fact, Arthur hadn't shed a single drop of sweat and didn't look tired at all. However, I didn't need to see the expressions of the soldiers behind Arthur, which were subtly distorting, to know the truth.
"Arthur. If you walk for a full hour, you must take a 10-minute break. Otherwise, you won't be a good officer. You'll get cursed at."
"But."
"But nothing. You shouldn't talk back when the Legion Commander guarantees rest for the soldiers."
"...I apologize."
Arthur stepped back with a face that said he couldn't understand but had to obey because it was an order. I got off the Slime Dragon and fed them the slime mucus I had brought along as a snack.
"That kid is hopeless as a good officer."
"Does a 'good officer' even exist?"
"......It's very awkward to hear you say that, Eila."
We took a break, exchanging trivial jokes.
* * *
Long hours of marching. Short breaks. The legion marched continuously at an almost regular interval. The soldiers had become accustomed to the pace, and they used the 10-minute breaks as efficiently as possible to attend to their personal needs. Some filled their wooden canteens with water, others went into the forest to relieve themselves. They followed quietly during the march, and there were no particular complaints.
"......."
Rather, the complaints were bubbling up from Arthur and his brothers, who had been assigned the roles of squad leaders. Lancelot was the peak of the dissatisfaction, and she was urging Arthur to plead with Pahuu once more.
"We seem to be walking so slowly, can't we walk a bit faster? I also wonder if we really need to take breaks like this in the middle."
"Walking slowly makes my body itch..."
"......."
Arthur was still lost in thought. Percival, who was closest to Arthur, asked cautiously.
"What is the matter, brother?"
"I was ruminating on Father's words."
"...Do you mean the words that you wouldn't be a good officer?"
Pahuu had let those words slip as if talking to himself to Eila, but Arthur had clearly heard them. Throughout the march, Arthur had been interpreting what Pahuu's words meant.
"Brother, what is a good officer?"
"According to Mother Eila, they are beings that do not exist. Father must intend to raise you as such a being."
"......Really?"
"That is so. Unlike us, you are also serving as the village chief of Las Village, are you not?"
"That is only because I was the first to be born..."
"Nevertheless, Father entrusted you with the role. Entrusting you with the role of the head of our squad leaders is likely a trial for when you will one day lead the army in Father's stead."
At Percival's words, Arthur's ears perked up. He felt as if a tangled knot was being undone.
"......Ah!"
"Have you realized something?"
"We are barely tired. In fact, we are no different than when we started."
Arthur scanned the physical condition of his orcs. Not a single orc was whining about being tired. "We are not simply moving. We are going to war. Father is conserving our stamina so that we can enter battle the moment we arrive."
"Indeed."
Arthur realized the reason for the breaks throughout the march. Pahuu, riding the Slime Dragon at the front, looked larger than ever. How much thought would he have to put in when he one day became a commander leading a large force? Arthur made a vow to himself and gently admonished Lancelot.
"Father clearly has a plan for everything. So you should stop whining."
"But brother."
Lancelot tilted her head and took a running stance. "...I think it would be fine if we walked 1.3 times faster than this?"
"What is this 1.3 times?"
"If we are walking slowly and taking breaks for energy conservation, I'm saying we could walk about 1.3 times faster than our current speed."
"Why specifically 1.3 times?"
Lancelot tilted her head for a long time before lifting one leg. "A hunch!"
"......I will offer a petition after this battle is over, little sister."
"I think we could go a bit faster right now..."
Lancelot did not bend her opinion until the end. Only Percival quietly felt that the 1.3 times Lancelot mentioned was reasonable.
"......As long as we aren't detected by the enemy, this seems to be the maximum speed."
No one heard Percival's mutterings. No one knew the reason for the marching speed Pahuu had set. Pahuu simply wanted to march at a speed most appropriate for chatting with the two women.
* * *
It felt like we had rested about five times. We were able to reach Zabiyaba in a straight line at a fairly fast speed. Although roads built by humans appeared here and there, we crossed rivers and hills with our physical prowess and arrived near the city quickly.
We set up a temporary camp on a hill with a clear view of the city. Though it was just sitting around and resting.
"It's quite small to be called a city."
"I understand that most of the population is concentrated in Spica Castle, the center of the Barony."
"Right. That means there aren't many soldiers here either."
"Instead, the wooden fence..."
The wooden fence surrounding the city was much higher and sturdier than the one in our Las Village. It even had quite decent watchtowers, and guards were standing on them, keeping watch over the surroundings.
"They've fenced it in very thoroughly."
Except for the side where the river flowed, they had built a long, high wooden fence in a half-moon shape. Houses were scattered beyond the fence, but things like waterwheels and warehouses were all placed inside the fence.
"If we attack from the front, I think we'll be spotted by the guards in the watchtowers. But attacking along the river..."
"It'll be too noisy and we'll be spotted. The same goes for a night raid."
In effect, a surprise attack was off the table. For a village with a population well over several hundred, the fence was quite thick, but considering this was the largest granary in the Virgo Barony, it was a strategic point in many ways.
"Hehe, you let your guard down just because it's the rear, Baron."
"Would the response have been different if they had known of the dungeon's existence?"
"Well. Even if they knew, they wouldn't have imagined that we would come all the way out here from the dungeon, right?"
Ryun said there were no scouts who had discovered our advance. Even if they had found the traces, we would have already conquered Zabiyaba by then. The soldiers' stamina wasn't bad, and the only problem was the wooden fence.
"Hehe. Since we've come all this way, I'll have to give them a big surprise."
"How?"
"Listen carefully. Especially you, Slime Dragons Unit 1 through 3. Your roles are big."
I gave the Slime Dragons a truly important mission. I was worried about whether they would understand, but they had become quite smart, as expected of 3-stars, even if not to the level of Lime.
"Stand in a line for a moment. Yes. One, two, three, four..."
I estimated the width when the three Slime Dragons were lined up side by side.
"Hehe. This will be enough to charge."
"A... charge?"
"Yes."
I pointed to the thick wooden fence.
"We are going to charge at that."
We, towards the wooden fence several meters high, charge.
"In a straight line."
There is no turning back.