The Siege of Cobalt

With the necromancer gone, it was over.

The rampaging undead vanished, and the mansion that had twisted into a labyrinth snapped back to its original form. The invisible wall that had sealed the estate off from the outside world dissolved. Even the wrecked sections of the mansion stood whole again, as if time itself had been rewound.

But the corpses strewn through the halls did not disappear.

"Master. Forgive me, but I need to go to my father. I have to assess the damage and settle the knights and soldiers."

She would become the Duchess of Arhen today. To secure the loyalty of her vassals and troops, she needed to step forward and take charge of the aftermath herself.

"Go ahead. You're not hurt anywhere?"

"My clothes got a little scorched. A lich is still a lich. Honestly, if it had dragged on any longer, it would have gotten dangerous. Ah—I can take that one with me, right?"

Melissa pointed at the man laid out atop the shelter. The one whose limbs had been severed and who had been getting chewed on by insects. He was unconscious, but still breathing. How long he would last was anyone's guess.

"Do whatever you want. Though I doubt you'll get much out of him."

"Why do you think that? He might be carrying something important. Say, a weakness of Panteum."

"Well, extra intel is always nice. Doesn't matter if there isn't any. I already know everything worth knowing."

"If Master says so… Hmm. I'll interrogate him for a bit, then execute him. A public execution, in front of everyone—that'll stoke their desire for revenge."

"……"

"Master. You look like you're thinking hard. Still stuck on what the necromancer said?"

"The necromancer may have been a fake built on demonic power, but he was still a version of me from a parallel world—one constructed from this world and from me. What he said carries weight."

The necromancer was the embodiment of another possibility of mine that might, somewhere, exist.

More than anything, I believed him because he knew about the Leisure Life App. In this world, the only person besides me who knew about that ability of mine was a single individual.

Yuria.

There was no chance she had gone around blabbing about my power.

Melissa seemed to have some idea of what I could do, but guessing and knowing for certain were entirely different things. And she was not the type to leak something that important to anyone.

"I honestly don't trust it."

"That's surprising. I figured you'd be the one to believe him."

"Madam—Yuria—dying is where the credibility falls apart. Even if the opponent were the Demon King, I find it hard to picture her losing and getting killed."

"Yeah, same here. But… if the opponent really is the Demon King, the possibility is real enough."

"Is that so. Fine. I'll leave the necromancer business to you, Master. I should take this one and go. The wind's gotten rather cold. Don't stay outside too long."

Melissa seized the demon contractor by the head and headed for the main building.

"Melissa."

"Hm?"

"I can't sleep without a woman. You know that, right?"

"Hahaha. Of course I do. I'll be back before midnight to serve you—just wait for me."

Melissa left, and I was alone in the lily garden. Everything was quiet.

The image of the dead Yuria would not leave my eyes. Her corpse—something I had never once imagined—had hit me harder than I expected.

I have Resurrection of the Dead and the Right of Life and Death. Even if Yuria dies, I can bring her back. But… can I still save her if her soul is annihilated…?

I didn't know.

In most fiction, once a soul is destroyed, resurrection magic and items stop working.

Whether that holds for the Leisure Life App, I have no idea. And it's not exactly something I can casually test…

When you can't be sure, caution is the best policy.

Of course, even if resurrection were possible, I had no intention of letting Yuria die in the first place.

First, I need to tell Yuria about this and make sure she doesn't do anything reckless. It's still too early to conclude the Demon King is in the human realm. Treat it as a possibility and stay careful—that's the best I can do for now.

The goal of the Demon Association's Panteum was to summon the Demon King into the human world. If Panteum had already achieved that, they would have had no reason to ally with Dulibard. They wouldn't have tried to kill Melissa and me, either.

Panteum might not even know the Demon King is already in the human realm.

I no longer trusted the original plot. I had come too far for that. The necromancer had said it himself—don't put blind faith in the original story's information.

Still, there are things I can trust. The original settings. The fundamentals haven't changed—Yuria is the greatest genius in the world, and Kyle is a reincarnator. So the Demon King's abilities should match the settings as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠well.

If it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Demon King, he would be able to cross into the human realm using his own power. The price, though, would almost certainly be a massive loss of strength. So he was lying low, hiding while he recovered. That hypothesis was entirely plausible.

…Labyrinth City Labitra…. I'll have to pay it a careful visit later. I still need to get the shadow chain Gleipnir, too.

The conclusion was simple. Check it myself. That was the fastest and easiest way.

Full Recovery.

The wound in my side and the fatigue piled up in my body vanished completely.

My lightened body felt clean and sharp. With my condition restored, my mood lifted right along with it.

Starting tomorrow, the war with Dulibard would begin. The Demon King could wait.

Kill Dulibard and rescue Priscilla. Hunting down the Demon King after that won't be too late. …Probably.

The necromancer's final image rose in my mind.

My other self, vanishing while clutching the corpse of a dead Yuria.

I would never end up like that.

???

Up ahead, the capital of the Cobalt Kingdom came into view. Under a cloudless, brilliant sky, the capital rose tall and magnificent—grand, and beautiful.

But from the perspective of someone who had to take that city… it was less beautiful than nauseating.

"What kind of walls are over twenty meters high?"

The one who caught my muttered complaint was Starlight, standing at my side. A few days ago she had entered into a rather intimate relationship with my newly sworn vassal, Marquess Leona Daycurd.

"According to our intelligence, the walls were never originally that size. Reports from our planted agents say King Dulibard ordered his mages to raise them… but even with magic, constructing walls that refined in a matter of days is impossible. It has to be the work of Cloudenden, the Fortress Demon."

"That damn demon bastard. He tripped me up on the first advance, and now he's making a nuisance of himself here too."

"There is no need for impatience. Time is on our side. Melissa—no, the Duchess of Arhen—successfully carried out her rebellion. Thanks to that, we have completely severed the supply lines connected to Cobalt Castle and surrounded it as we stand now."

Cobalt Castle was currently under siege. My army held the front of the royal castle; Melissa's rebel forces held the rear gate.

"Our forces number two hundred and fifty thousand. Cobalt's royal army is estimated at fifty thousand. Fully five times their strength. No matter how high and solid their walls, a difference of two hundred thousand is absolute."

"The problem is the ones who can rewrite that absolute."

"The demons, you mean."

"Right. Cornered like this, they won't hold back. And when they start using their power…"

"They will target me first, as the commander. I have already prepared for that, so do not concern yourself."

"In the worst case, the Red Dragon could appear and breathe fire down on the army."

"In that event, I will use a spatial transfer scroll and withdraw."

Starlight spoke without hesitation. That cold, clear-eyed woman had no noble resolve to go down in glorious flames alongside her troops.

"Starlight. We have to win this war. No matter what."

"Yes. I understand. This will likely be the last continental war. After this, there will be no large-scale conflict for at least twenty years. A pity."

"We need to win as brutally as possible. I'd like our side's losses to hit seventy percent or higher."

"The plan is already drawn up. If everything goes as designed… more than eighty percent of our soldiers will die. I will go down as a legendary incompetent commander. No—since we will win, perhaps not quite that bad."

"Sorry about that."

"It is fine. I have never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠once desired fame. And under my lord, I have already enjoyed myself thoroughly. I will continue to enjoy myself going forward. War will never disappear from this world, after all."

Starlight smiled brightly. There was not a shred of falsehood in that smile.

A little time passed. Starlight checked her wristwatch, then spoke to me.

"My lord. It is time. As commander, please give the order."

I climbed onto the prepared platform. Drawing the sword at my hip, I pointed it at the royal castle.

"All forces—charge!!!"

I drove power into my gut as I roared. My voice, amplified by mana, rolled out in every direction.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!"

A roar that filled the sky rose with the soldiers as they surged toward the enemy walls. Of course, they were not charging empty-handed. Prepared siege engines went to work, and towering siege towers advanced on the fortifications.

From the platform, I watched and found myself impressed. It was a spectacle. Like a scene out of a movie.

"Ah… ahhh…"

Starlight was trembling. Her face was rapturous as she stared at the charging army.

"How can something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be this beautiful…"

Drip. Drip.

My sharp hearing caught the sound of liquid falling. It came from beneath Starlight's feet. Arousal, without a doubt. Out of consideration, I decided to leave her alone. From here on, she was going to be extremely busy.

"Oh?"

Something came flying in a straight line from the royal castle. Aimed precisely at my head. I flicked it aside with my sword. A steel arrow.

"We're more than three kilometers out, and an arrow still reaches here dead-on…. Technique? Relic? Magic? Demonic power? Whatever it is, there's someone out of the ordinary over there. Just as expected."

When you receive a gift, etiquette demands a reply.

I summoned Stormbreaker from my inventory and gripped it. The spearhead of Stormbreaker, in its greatspear form, gleamed with a vicious edge.

I pushed my focus higher, compressing the thunder to the absolute razor edge of what I could hold. Looking at the spear tip, I felt a twinge of dissatisfaction.

I feel like I could do more than this…

Crack.

The compressed lightning threatened to unravel. I hauled my concentration back up and hurled the spear.

It tore through the air and buried itself in the wall. At the same instant, the compressed thunder released. Lightning whirled out from the spear in a cyclone, scouring everything around it. Three enemy soldiers on the wall were electrocuted and toppled to the ground. That was all.

"…Not an ordinary wall. If it were, that would have brought it down and then some."

"It is a wall made by a demon. If it fell easily, that would be the stranger outcome."

Starlight was right. If a single thrown spear brought the wall down, that would have been the truly bizarre result.