The Master Strategist and the Diplomat - 4
Lumina decided to plan with even greater meticulousness ever since she had met the orc.
Her personal motivation had pushed her to plan even more carefully.
‘Is the target me?’
Lumina tensed up at the unexpected thought.
Until now, she had assumed that he had come here only with the idea of beating her and taking her as his own, but upon hearing the direct words, the truth was the complete opposite.
He had come to take her as his own.
He was eagerly winning the war just to snatch up the beautiful strategist hiding in the woods.
“Are you all right, my lady?”
“Just a crazy orc driven by lust.”
Lumina pretended to be calm.
She had no choice but to show a composed appearance as the strategist for these people right now.
‘What if it happens that way...’
The orc who had built the Flower Garden by winning the war might not be the one who won solely for her sake.
The orc winning the war to keep the beautiful women—how the roles had been completely reversed.
But the orc who was trying to conquer them right now had indeed won countless wars with sheer will.
“Just the second attack will do.”
“Excuse me?”
“Only need to properly block the second attack that orc set up. Their fighting spirit will be crushed.”
Even if the orc had rejected his proposal for her sake, she herself did not believe she held more value than all the women in that Flower Garden.
If the orc seemed to be wasting too much time here, he would surely change direction just to find another woman.
“Haa...”
Even though she knew the glass floor would not break, walking on it was terrifying.
It was primal fear.
“Goddamn orc.”
The fear felt deep in her instincts.
Even though the age of savagery had passed, lions or foxes were still instinctive targets of terror for rabbit beastmen.
The very existence of orcs was such a target for every woman.
Especially for those women who knew they were beautiful, they knew exactly what would become of themselves before the orc.
Even if he treated them softly like a flower garden, his lust would not change.
“I will definitely block it.”
With that said, the peacock beastman’s gaze turned to her servant beastmen.
It seemed as if she was thinking of something.
‘No way.’
****
“King Gornakh’s order is to ask if the plan is progressing well!”
Thinking back on it, she should have twisted his neck right now.
No matter how high a demon he was, since magic was stronger than physical strength, she could have done it.
But thinking the other way around, she had been able to retrieve her slave status because this woman had driven him into the enemy camp under the name of diplomat.
When she thought back to the past, her own answer surfaced.
“I will win the second one. Please do not worry.”
“Yeah. When King Gornakh hears that the demonic beasts have been slaughtered by the orcs in the forest, how angry he must be.”
Leaving the demon behind who said it was not her business and felt at ease, Gornakh reorganized the plan.
‘There was not just a simple trap that could be dismantled, but a professional one.’
Difficult traps that even fellow beastmen and demons skilled in magic would have trouble dismantling while advancing.
‘I bet he is preparing new traps.’
With unknown traps, you cannot advance.
You had to analyze as many of the traps studied until now as possible and set them up to be as easy to dismantle as possible.
‘If I do that...’
The orc fell into deep thought.
****
“Lay out traps that are as hard as possible to remove.”
“Understood.”
Meanwhile, the morale of the defending formation was much higher.
He claimed that this place, where even the great orc had retreated in an instant, was a divine fortress.
Of course, it was not important to them that the orc’s retreat had been a strategic decision.
‘Needless to say.’
Even to a army with high morale, there was no need to say anything else.
“Install them with whatever is harder to remove, not just power.”
“Yes, understood.”
The smart orc would fall for his own trick.
If they encountered unnecessarily complicated traps, even the demons and beastmen would be unable to advance anymore.
It would be meaningless even if they remembered and analyzed the current traps diligently.
The traps had already been dismantled and replaced with others.
‘I want to see the orc dismantling them with my own eyes.’
This time, Lumina had become curious to see the orc’s dismantling face.
However, she was not sure if there would be such an opportunity.
But if she did not, it would be too difficult to stand in the same battlefield again.
Perhaps she could even gain fame as the strategist who had captured that orc general.
“I hope we advance quickly.”
That way, she would feel at ease.
****
“The orcs have started moving again.”
“I see.”
Lumina was certain of victory, yet a subtle unease lingered in her mind—what if she were caught by the orc?
Her worries were over now.
There would be no more of that orc after this battle.
The early phase was exactly the same.
And as the rear phase approached, their advance would inevitably slow down while dismantling the complex traps.
“The advance is slowing down.”
“Indeed.”
Lumina happily received the report from a beastman with excellent eyesight and relaxed.
She was glad now that she could escape from that hypothetical nightmare.
But—
“Chief Strategist!”
“Why? Did a hole appear somewhere?”
“It’s the orcs!”
“Eh?”
But the price of arrogance was always defeat.
“The orcs are breaking through the traps!”
“Wh-what?”
The messenger, who had shocked even the strategist, delivered the shocking words.
“The orcs are charging!”
At those words, the peacock beastman dropped her fan shaped like her feathers.
“......”
“Chief Strategist! What do we do?”
The peacock had lost her words for a moment.
And finally, she began issuing urgent commands to prepare for the final defense.
Preparing for the final head-on battle.
****
The second advance.
Again, orcs, beastmen, and demons were the main force, but this time the proportion of those skilled in recovery magic increased.
—Advance!
—Yes!!!!
First, enter as cautiously as possible.
Repeat dismantling in the sections where familiar traps were visible, but advance at considerable speed.
After a while...
“General.”
“Yeah.”
“From now on, removal is difficult.”
Last time, the main force had not been orcs, but this time it was.
“Prepare!”
—Yes!!!
With battle cries, the orcs loaded thick armor and large quantities of recovery medicine.
Tactics only orcs could use.
“Break through! Show the orc’s bravery to those using sneaky tactics!”
Clearly, the enemies would focus on planting traps that were hard to remove.
In that case, conversely, they might have paid less attention to power.
That was possible for orcs.
Even fatal traps for beastmen could be endured if it was an orc’s tough body!
This was the orc’s advantage.
The orc’s bravery ignored injuries.
“You all must face the traps! Capture the enemies!”
“Yes!!!”
—Ugh...
Of course, it did not mean no injuries would occur, but orcs would suffer far less.
“Treat the injured immediately!”
And the demons and beastmen skilled in healing would be the backbone dismantling them.
The defense line would collapse from the orcs’ charge.
The madness of orcs trampling traps and rushing forward was terrifying.
“General! We are breaking through!”
Then she herself had to prepare for the final moment.
****
Lumina had felt this from the moment she heard the news that the orc would break through.
‘It’s over.’
No matter what strategy she tried, it was too late now.
So she quickly gave up. Since they wanted only Lumina to remain intact, the guilt was relatively light.
Whatever the case, her head had to survive.
‘What to do.’
There was no hesitation in the cautious footsteps as she and her single servant slipped out of the forest.
‘Next time, I will not lose.’
The strategist made that vow while running desperately through the forest with her weak legs.
The messy-haired beastman servant running beside her was faster.
—Hey, where are you going?
“I wonder...”
But the orc had foreseen everything to the end.
It seemed he had anticipated that when defeat was imminent, she would flee without hesitation.
The feared event had become reality.
“Defeat comes with its price?”
Full of sinister eyes intent on plundering her, the orc stared.
“H-how...?”
“Well, if a woman looks like she will lose to an orc, she just sits and waits.”
Plop.
Her already strained legs finally lost all strength and she collapsed.
It was the peacock beastman’s defeat.
‘This me...’
The peacock seemed more shocked by something else.
‘This me, even until the end...’
But there was no time for despair.
Now she would become the orc’s spoils of war.
‘But...’
Something still remained for Lumina.
‘I won’t know this either.’
Lumina had already given up on everything regarding herself.
But she had prepared one last thing.