Conquering the Barony #16
"Advance! Advance!"
Everything is executed according to training.
"Keruk! Ker-uuuk!"
Large goblin shield-bearers, carrying iron shields looted from humans in the past, form a defensive wall in the front line and march forward.
—CRASH!
Whenever a door appears along the hallway during our advance, I immediately smash it open and push my troops inside. Everything must be swift. I put my weight into a kick to shatter the door and shove the trained combatants through!
"Get in! Get in there! Suppress the enemy!"
"Ker-uuuk!"
Of course, even in the midst of that, the shield-bearers in the front line never look back! They only stare straight ahead, protecting us!
They can just leave everything behind them to us!
"Shield-bearers, eyes front! Keruk!"
"Keruk! Understood!"
"Ker-rrr-uk!"
Trusting those guards, I stepped into the room as well.
"Aaaaargh!"
"Uwaaaaaaaargh!"
Inside were the servants of the baronial household.
Seeing the goblin soldiers storming in, they were terrified, prostrating themselves on the floor and covering their heads while begging for mercy.
"Spare us! Please, spare us!"
"Kha-aaargh!"
Not soldiers, then.
"Non-combatants, huh."
That was a truly satisfying sequence just now.
While the shield-bearers blocked the hallway, the soldiers were deployed swiftly the moment I smashed the door. At this rate, we can perfectly clear any room we encounter. Good. Everything is going according to my plan so far.
Anyway, these people are nothing more than servants.
"No need to kill them! Everyone! Restrain them!"
"Ker-rrr-uk!"
They aren't worth the effort of killing.
I intend to kill all the soldiers because there is a possibility of them starting a rebellion, but these are just non-combatants.
Regardless, they are worth keeping alive.
That would be better for gaining the trust of the human-born officers. Killing enemy soldiers is a matter of course, but if I kill non-combatants, the nuns will surely object.
"Argh...! Aaaargh!"
"Uwaaaaaaaargh!"
But they are making such a racket.
Are they in a state of panic? They've already been suppressed; making a scene will only excite the enemies.
"Buril. Keep them quiet."
"Keruk! Human! If you don't want to die, be quiet!"
—THUD!
As Buril struck the head of a bound servant, they quickly caught on and went silent.
"Good. Do this according to training as well. From now on, I will station captured prisoners in this room. Let's see... Necree."
"Yes, Demon King."
"Select a few Dark Elves and stand guard at the entrance and in front of this room."
"Understood."
Necree, with the eyes of a soldier, answered calmly. Let's leave this sector to the Dark Elves.
"Carti. What's the situation outside?"
"It's a bit noisy, but it's fine! The outer gate is closed! Besides, all the soldiers who could open or close the gate are dead! There won't be any remaining forces, so you just need to capture the castle, Culls-oppa!"
Carti shouted, completely thrilled. Right. The fact that the outer gate is closed feels very reassuring. Is this the warmth that people living inside a castle feel?
"Good! Advance again! Shield-bearers, forward!"
"Forward, keruk!"
"Forward, keruk!"
At my command, the shield-bearers repeated the order, and we moved forward.
"It's about time the soldiers come down. Be careful."
Vanessa's advice.
"Understood."
Of course, there's nothing much to worry about.
We have the shield-bearers in the lead, and behind them are not only spearmen but also casters capable of long-range firepower projection.
In this kind of terrain, we cannot lose.
It's not like they have grenades, after all.
On top of that, the forces remaining in the Baron's castle are few in number, and they are all just ordinary human soldiers. The Baron handles mana and swords quite well, but fighting well alone doesn't mean you can defeat an army.
Unless you are a legendary hero of heaven-shaking strength, you cannot defeat an army with individual power. That is the absolute common sense and truth.
All I need to worry about is minimizing damage. To do that, I must capture the Baron's castle quickly.
—CRASH!
—THUD!
As we advanced, we smashed every door on both sides, capturing prisoners and clearing every zone. While doing so...
—Clomp, clomp, clomp!
The sound of soldiers' footsteps reached us!
"T-this is insane!"
"To think they'd come this far...!"
"Gasp!"
They were halberdiers wearing decent armor and helmets! Polearms are tricky! The tension rose at the first proper enemy we encountered, and at the same time, my fighting spirit exploded.
They had stopped in their tracks while advancing.
Let's take the initiative.
"Lumika! Serineu! Initiate firepower projection!"
"Got it!"
"Yes!"
—WHOOSH!
Immediately, Lumika, Serineu, and the pixies initiated firepower projection toward the enemies. Streams of water shot out from their hands at high speed, and Dark Cutters were fired in rapid succession.
—THWACK!
"Ugh?!"
Perhaps not expecting us to use magic, one of the halberdiers in the front collapsed, blood pouring from his face.
"Mages!"
"Run! Run away!"
"Take position above!"
Then they started to run away. It seems they felt great fear at the word "mage." But what to do? This is a straight-line corridor.
"Initiate firepower projection! The enemies are wearing armor on their upper bodies! Aim for their lower bodies!"
"Die!"
—SWISH!
All sorts of magical attacks slammed into the fleeing soldiers.
"Kha-argh!"
"Uwaaaaaaaargh!"
Soldiers falling and screaming. It's all too familiar. I felt this same sensation when I led my army to fight the hobgoblins.
"Everyone, advance!"
"Ker-uuuuuuuuuk!"
The goblins unleash their ferocity.
The enemies did not recover their wounded.
"Uwaaargh! Spare me!"
—STAB!
Blades are plunged into the necks of the soldiers crawling on the ground. The shield-bearers were carrying swords as sidearms. Fallen soldiers are no match for veteran goblin soldiers tempered in a hundred battles.
"Clear the corpses! Follow-up troops! Move the bodies to a nearby room! We continue to advance!"
"Ker-uuuuk! We trust only in you, Demon King!"
"We win! We win, keruk!"
"We will win!!!"
—Ker-yaaaaaaaargh!
—Ke-rrr-uuuuk!
The heat of battle spreads.
We continued to advance and went up a floor.
"Uwoooooooo!"
"Waaaaaaah!"
After going up to the second floor and turning slightly, there was a barricade set up over there. Behind it, soldiers holding weapons and crossbows let out a roar.
"Wait a moment."
I quickly pulled my body back to avoid them and had the soldiers wait behind the corner.
"Vanessa. Is there no other way?"
"The path to the inner castle is usually a single route. It makes defense easier."
"Conversely, it seems it makes attacking easier, too. Where do you think the Baron is?"
"It is presumed he will appear if we keep going up."
Is there a chance he might escape using something like a secret passage? I thought about it, but there's no way to deal with it right now. I have no choice but to trust Carti's Evil Eye.
Well, capturing him alive would be best, but it doesn't matter if he escapes. Regardless, if I take the castle and put the Saintess at the forefront, I'll be able to swallow up the Baron's territory.
"Anyway, there's no answer other than a frontal breakthrough. Shield-bearers, advance!"
"Keruk...!"
The shield-bearers immediately turned the corner again, covering their bodies with their shields. Now, bolts will come flying.
—SWISH!
—CRASH!
They can't pierce the shields. They're iron shields. And ones I've reinforced with my own mana, at that.
"Ker-uuuuuuuk!"
"Ker-yaaaaaargh!"
Crossbows cannot pierce the shields. Realizing that fact, the goblins exploded with fighting spirit. Of course, even so, it's impossible for the goblins alone to break through that barricade head-on.
No matter how veteran the soldiers are, unless they are superhumans, how could they break through something like that?
"Imp-sung. Come out. It's time for you to shine."
"Ke-rrr-rrr-uk! The Demon King's call!"
However, I have grenadiers.
—Swoosh.
The imps, crouching low, walked over and took their positions behind the shield-bearers, and I immediately gave the order to load.
"Load."
—Fwoosh!
—Fwoosh!
Flames burn in the imps' hands. Soon, the imps' secret technique, Flame Bomb, was complete...! Who could block this!
"Fire!!!"
I shouted with all my might!
"Ke-rrr-rrr-uk! Fire!!!"
"Ke-ruk, ke-ruk!"
"Die, you humans, ke-rrr-uuuuk!!!"
—Fwoosh!
The imps threw their Flame Bombs simultaneously! I watched the entire scene straight on. The moment the Flame Bombs, which had cut through the air, collided with the barricade.
—BOOM!
—Fwoosh!
A small explosion occurred, and flames soared.
"W-what! Aaaaargh!"
"Fire! Fire!"
"Damn it...! Put it out! Put the fire out!"
"How are we supposed to do that!"
Seeing the fire, the Baron's army panicked and shouted. It's the wailing of the defeated. How much longer could they hold out there!
"Do you think you can deal with my Imp-sungs with just a barricade like that? Imp-sung. Well done. The humans are in pain!"
"Ke-rrr-rrr-uk!"
Run away!
"F-flee!"
"We have to fight alongside the Baron...!"
The soldiers immediately abandoned the barricade and fled. I didn't bother chasing them. Because we have to put out the fire first.
—Clomp, clomp, clomp.
After advancing again, I asked Lumika to put out the fire.
—Hiss.
"Hehehe, as expected of Lumika. It goes out in an instant. You're a firefighter. A firefighter."
"This much is basic. Hehehe."
Truly commendable.
"Then, everyone! Clear the barricade here and move!"
"Keruk!"
The kobolds right behind came over and, like worker ants, grabbed the remains of the barricade and moved them in a relay fashion. Before long, all the debris had disappeared.
"Advance again!"
"Understood! Demon King!"
It's a smooth advance. We've fought two battles, and we won both perfectly. If we just surround the Baron like this, it's over.
"Ker-yaaaaaaaa-argh!"
High morale.
In the excitement, I looked around the hallway. They did a good job with the interior, I'll give them that. The thought of becoming the master of this place made me shiver.
I need to train my subordinates again here. That thought makes me worried, yet excited. Regardless, I'll have to get used to it quickly.
—Clomp, clomp, clomp!
And so, we went up to the third floor.
The goal is the capture of the Baron.