Chapter 242: I Will Present a New Paradigm of Warfare (2)
Chapter 242: I Will Present a New Paradigm of Warfare (2)
At that moment.
In the heart of the Sirjosia army, which had mobilized every available resource to invade the Fermaton Territory, Irsenti Sirjosia was speaking with a woman through a crystal ball.
[Brother...]
"It’s alright. The Crown Prince will have our backs. Think of how much devotion and effort we’ve sacrificed for the Royal Family."
Irsenti offered a gentle smile toward the crystal ball.
"I leave the estate in your hands. And if anything should happen to me, I’m counting on you to take over."
[Brother, I...]
"You can do it, Irmiter. I know you’ll succeed. Others might underestimate you because you’re a woman or because of your appearance, but I know better. You are the one truly worthy of the Sirjosia name. So... stay healthy."
Click.
As the mana faded from the crystal ball, Irsenti’s expression shifted instantly.
"I said those things, but I fully intend to return alive. After we conquer Fermaton and lock him away with his limbs severed, Irmiter will be the one to milk Fermaton’s seed herself."
With eyes gleaming sharply, Irsenti stepped out of the command tent.
"The weather is far too clear. It has no regard for the weight in my heart."
The sky was cloudless and bright. Irsenti took a deep breath of the earthy wind, steadying his resolve.
It was war.
A war where many would bleed and die.
He had heard news of the Queen’s death during the preparations for the march, but even her passing couldn't stop him from avenging his brother.
According to the rumors...
Gay Knight Lambert had seized his brother and dragged him into the Infinite Labyrinth.
If those rumors were true, his brother had essentially been abandoned in that hellhole.
But would Lambert have simply left him there?
Not a chance.
Before his throat was slit by the beasts of the Infinite Labyrinth, Knight Lambert surely would have taken Irmiri from behind.
And the one who ordered it was undoubtedly Ruji Fermaton.
"Ruji Fermaton. When I catch you, I’ll make sure Sir Lambert takes you from behind as well..."
Bwaaaaaap.
The time had come.
"My Lord!"
"Strike the tents. We move at full strength to the next location. We’re going to get right under Fermaton’s nose."
Before he could even finish gesturing to the approaching soldier, the troops had already struck the tents and finished their preparations to march.
"My Lord. A report from Fermaton. As soon as the Territorial War broke out, the Adventurer's Guild, the Mercenary Union, and the Magic Towers all declared their neutrality."
"And the number of those hired by Fermaton?"
"Fermaton has not hired any adventurers or mercenaries."
"Foolish boy."
Irsenti couldn't help but snort.
"He’s lived like a king, locked inside Fermaton Castle every day, so he has no idea how the world sees him. A mere jester thinks himself a king. Now that the Jester King is at death's door, who would possibly lay down their life for him?"
Irsenti mounted his horse, fingering the rapier at his waist.
"Let’s go. It’s time to teach Fermaton exactly what his role is. I’ll show him that his curse isn't a shield to protect them, but a chain they can never escape."
Thump, thump, thump.
The soldiers marched in unison, following the Viscount.
"And we march for blood-soaked vengeance for my brother."
As if reflecting Irsenti’s murderous intent, dark grey clouds began to gather in the sky.
"Reporting, sir! A massive bank of fog has appeared ahead."
"Is there a possibility it was created by magic?"
"No mana is detected, sir."
"Good. Then... we keep moving. Break through the fog and head for Fermaton."
Clank, clank.
The soldiers followed the Viscount, disappearing into the mist.
* * *
"My Lord. I have a report. The enemy has entered the 'fog'."
"It’s over, then."
I poured wine into the Dark Jeanne and held it high.
"This battle is ours."
The enemy was still alive.
However, the moment they stepped into the trap we prepared—the fog of war—they were as good as dead.
"Yoanna. What’s the status?"
[No reaction from the enemy yet.]
Hearing Yoanna’s report as she commanded the tactics on the field via the crystal ball made me a bit anxious, but the effects were bound to show 'any moment now.'
"You can afford to relax a little. Since they entered the fog without noticing our plan, the operation will be 100% effective unless they decide to turn around and go all the way back."
[Then, may I ask a personal question?]
"Of course."
Yoanna, a career soldier, making small talk during an operation?
It meant that even in a professional's eyes, our victory was guaranteed as long as things went according to plan.
[Have you ever conducted a battle like this before?]
"It’s just a tactic I came up with while reading books and using my imagination back in Fermaton Castle."
To be precise, it was a cheat from my past life.
"If I had to give it a name... right, let’s call it 'Biochemical Warfare'."
It was a tactic based on my work in my previous life, a form of warfare that had never existed in this world until now.
"Looking back at human history, someone must have thought of it and tried it at least once. Dispersing a wide-area toxic gas that affects the internal human body. That is certainly a heinous tactic forbidden by both the Kingdom and the Empire."
Like poisoning a well.
Or spreading a plague.
Tactics that target an unspecified majority—and can even cause great harm to civilians—are banned internationally.
But humans always find a way to exploit loopholes and gain an advantage through clever tricks.
"I didn't spray poison, nor did I spread a plague. I simply added a certain... 'substance' to the fog."
Glug, glug.
After finishing the wine, my glass naturally filled with milky-white Mana Milk.
"Originally, I only planned to spray Mana Milk like a water mist during the Water Bomb festival. I imagined everyone getting excited, their bodies and minds lightheaded from a mild aphrodisiac."
I wanted to make their blood boil, make it pump through their veins faster, and in that state of arousal, let them lose themselves to the heat of the festival to make it a success.
But with a little adjustment, it could be used for war like this.
"Yoanna. There are no allies on the battlefield, right?"
[Only the Succubi and Sirens. All the 'men' are on standby in the rear.]
"Good. Tell Sir Lambert as well. If he gets close to the fog and ends up affected by the aphrodisiac, tell him not to worry—the Succubi will suck his cock right then and there."
[...That is different from what I was taught.]
"What is?"
[A senior officer once told me that if poison seeps into a wound, the affected area must be amputated.]
"......"
Yoanna’s words gave me a phantom pain in a place I’d rather not think about.
"...D-don't tell such scary stories. You’ll scare the troops."
[If you tell them the Succubi will suck their cocks, won't some soldiers intentionally poison themselves with the aphrodisiac fog?]
"Sigh. It’s troubling when medical procedures are abused like that. Fine, whatever. I’ll let them have all the sex they want with the Succubi once this battle is over anyway."
Though our Fermaton army numbered fewer than 500, I made them a promise.
"Tell them not to die. A bonus and a voucher for sex with a Succubus will be much better than a condolence payout for their deaths, won't it?"
If we won this fight, I’d provide them with a massive sum of money and the chance to have free sex with the Succubi.
[Understood, My Lord. The enemy has passed through the 'first fog' and set up camp on the plains.]
"Really? Good. Then... they’ll realize it in about an hour."
Our plan for victory.
"I don't care if you have 5,000 or 10,000 men. It was your mistake to bring an army consisting entirely of men, Sirjosia."
Ah.
"...I wonder if it’ll have no effect on the man himself."
* * *
The soldiers, having emerged from the fog and set up camp on the plains, sat awkwardly as they received their rations and ate their bread.
"Ahem."
"......"
They chewed their bread while casting uncomfortable glances at one another, their expressions far from relaxed.
"......This is weird."
One of the soldiers tilted his head as he swallowed his bread.
"Hey, I’m asking because I want to know if it’s just me."
Everyone leaned in to listen to the soldier who had summoned his courage.
"...I’ve had an erection that won't go away for a while now. Is this normal?"
"Wait, you too?!"
"Dammit, I thought it was just me!!"
The soldiers hurriedly began checking each other's conditions, inquiring about the state of their crotches.
"Hey, why is this happening all of a sudden?"
"Is this insane? Why won't it go down?!"
"Wait a minute, if it stays like this, aren't we all fucked?"
"Our dicks are fucked..."
"This is no time for jokes, you idiot! We’re actually going to die at this rate!"
The soldiers' faces began to turn pale.
"I saw something like this when I worked at a temple before! The erection wouldn't subside, so the cock just kept swelling. Eventually, the blood gets trapped and it turns pitch black..."
"...And then?"
"Look at this."
The soldier took off his glove and squeezed one of his fingers.
"What happens if blood stops flowing to your finger...?"
"Ne... necrosis?"
"Exactly...! It’s the same for your dick."
The soldier looked back and forth between his lower body and the sword at his waist.
"...You have to cut off a necrotic body part."
[My Lord. The enemy has noticed.]
"Faster than I thought. I suppose a man notices immediately when something goes wrong with his junk."
I took a sip of Mana Milk.
"It’s not just a permanent erection. In reality... it’s arterial congestion."
In other words.
"...I’m going to make all their dicks fucking explode."
Or, they’ll have to cut them off.
"Anyone who touches Fermaton is going to lose their dick."