Volume 9 Chapter 17 What We'll Do From Now On
"Our ultimate goal is to infiltrate Demon King Castle and kill Demon King Hel."
I raise a finger. This is the premise.
"And to infiltrate Demon King Castle, we need to take control of the ten towers that guard it. This is our mid-term goal."
"Right?" "You mean the ones lined up in each region?"
Clay nods in agreement, and Toxy confirms. I nod as well.
"That's right. And when we take control of those towers, we'll face obstacles. That's the Demon King's army. But we need to hide from them for a while and move carefully."
"Why? Can't we just launch a surprise attack?"
I shake my head at Sandra's question.
"No way. We've gotten stronger, but it's still dangerous to challenge the Demon King's army, which controls the city, head-on. At the very least, if our faces and our intention to rebel against the Demon King's army are exposed too early, it'll be tough."
"Why?"
"To put it simply, it's because taking control of all the towers will take time, the enemy is strong, and the Demons will revive."
It's not just the enemy's strength that's a problem; the revival of the Demons is a huge factor. If we didn't have to worry about time, it might be doable, but since we need to keep taking control of the towers, that's not an option.
"For example, even if we go all out, it'll take us several days to take control of a tower. The city is vast, and we don't have enough people."
We have 8 people, including our party of 5, our teacher, and Sur. Even if we launch a simultaneous attack, we'll still have 2 towers left over. Ice can handle taking control of a tower from weak enemies, but if they send in strong opponents, we'll be in trouble.
Moreover, since we don't know the enemy's strength, if we move separately and lose, there's a possibility we won't be able to recover.
There's no value in rushing and risking lives for this mission. Therefore, I think we should move slowly and surely.
"So, we should take our time and move carefully. But Wade, if we take our time, the enemy's strength and the Demons' revival will become obstacles."
"Speaking of that..."
Sandra looked unconvinced, her face asking "What's going on?" even though she didn't say a word. I don't know how she can be so expressive without showing any emotions.
I explained.
"For example, if we recklessly go on a rampage, the dead demon soldiers will revive and gather intel on us. In this world of Nilfheim, the dead don't stay silent."
Then, a strong guy from the Demon King's army will get a hold of our information.
"The Demon King's army will search for us. If they use a pincer movement, they'll eventually find our location. And when that happens, we'll be in trouble if they launch a night raid."
"What do you mean?"
"For instance, if the enemy has a Domain Control user like Sur. If they use Domain Control during a night raid, catching us off guard, we'll be in trouble. At that point, if we're unlucky, everyone except me and Mudi will die."
When I said that, everyone except masters turned pale. I continued.
"And if they have a good grasp of our abilities, if I were the enemy's general, I'd send 5 to ten Domain Control users. That would guarantee our deaths, except for me and Mudi. I'd be in danger too."
When I explained that, Mudi made a disgusted face.
"Hey, stupid disciple, don't get too full of yourself. I'm in danger too, you know?"
"Remember when we recklessly charged in back then? In the end, everyone except us died, didn't they?"
"Back then, we were young and reckless."
From Mudi and Philia's conversation, I realized my estimate wasn't wrong. Domain Control is that powerful.
"So we need to hide our strength until the very end. Sandra, do you understand?"
"I understand. If it's really dangerous, I won't do it. I'll be cautious."
"Thanks. Now, let's get back to the topic of how to take down the tower."
I looked at Ice. Ice handed me a summary they had written.
"We can't move openly. So instead, we'll use powerful demons from each region as decoys and move in secret."
The memo Ice handed me was a diagram divided into 3 parts, like a whole cake. In the center, there was a small circle.
In the small circle at the center, there's the Demon King Castle. The 3 divided parts of the cake-like diagram have the words "Bazaar", "Slum", and "Circus" written on them.
"This is the city map that Ice drew for us. The entire circular city is divided into 3 parts, each with its own region."
Commercial District - Bazaar. A place where money and desire swirl, where you can get anything as long as you have the cash.
Residential District - Slum. A place where people with nothing are dragged into darkness and assassination.
Entertainment District - Circus. A place where pleasure spreads, seeking unattainable joys.
And in each region, the names of powerful demons are engraved.
"To take down this tower, we'll utilize the powerful demons in each region. First, let's start with Bazaar."
I focus on Bazaar.
"The demon we should contact and utilize in Bazaar is Guildmaster Yor, the merchant. Whether we're enemies or allies, we need to get her involved and moving. Also, there's a high chance that Eik, the great deer, will become our enemy during that process."
Bazaar - ◎ Guildmaster Yor ◎ Eik, the Bodyguard
I write it down like that.
"The demon we should contact and utilize in Slum is the giant assassin clan 'Ede Wolf'. Especially their top, Don Fen, is an important person."
Slum - ◎ Don Fen
Finally, I talk about Circus.
"The demon we should contact and utilize in Circus is, unfortunately, unknown for now. There's probably someone ruling from the top. Once we gather more information, we'll get them involved and moving."
Circus - ◎ ? ? ? (Unknown)
"Finally, after we take control of the tower, we'll launch a surprise attack on the Demon King Army, quickly take over the remaining 4 towers, and infiltrate the Demon King Castle. At that time, Sur's family will likely become our enemies."
Demon King Army - ◎ Sur's Family
Sur didn't shake his head at what I wrote.
He's been prepared for this from the start, with a determined look on his face. It's a good face, the face of a man who's made up his mind.
I turn to everyone.
"We'll take these 4 steps, and then we'll infiltrate the Demon King's Castle and defeat Demon King Hel. If we use our full power, we can do something on a large scale, but that's exactly why hiding our true abilities is crucial."
"That's right, it's about the powerful demons in each region, right...?"
"Yeah, Ice. So, we'll take down one region at a time, in order. We'll make contact with powerful demons, use them, and take control of the towers. We'll repeat this process 3 times, and finally, we'll take on the Demon King's army."
Thinking about it, it's a pretty big task. I wouldn't mind if Alex just gave us a simple order, but...
"This is the main plan, summarizing everyone's opinions. Is there anyone who has a different opinion or some information? Even if it's just a slight concern, please report it."
When I called out, everyone seemed to agree.
We'll take down 3 regions in order, and finally, we'll defeat the Demon King's army and take the Demon King's Castle.
It's easy to understand when you put it that way.
Just then, Sandra raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"Yes, Sandra?"
As I poured water on Sandra, who had raised her hand with a mischievous grin, she started talking about something with a preface, "It's just a small rumor..."
"There's a creepy story going around in the city below the castle."
"A creepy story?"
"Yeah. It's about a really strong, eerie kid."
I listened to Sandra's story, wondering if it was just a silly rumor in this hellish world.
"They're like searching for someone, asking 'Do you know ○○?' and then attacking them, thinking they're just kids. But when they realize their mistake, it's already too late."
"It's like they're demons who pretend to be victims, huh?"
The phrase 'attack them anyway' is really scary in this world. In a bad way.
As I thought that, more and more people started speaking up.
"I've heard that story too, Wade-kun. The demons around here are really creeped out by it," said Clay.
"I've heard it too, Wade! Even the soldiers in the Demon King's army are talking about it," said Toxy.
It seems like it's a pretty well-known story. I raised an eyebrow, feeling uneasy.
"But isn't that just a story about someone being strong? What's so creepy about it?"
I tilted my head, and Renril added, "Ah, Master, don't you know?"
"Just like humans, demons are weak when they are children. Look at Rollo. She's been robbed of her dignity so much that she's become like this."
"Yay☆"
Rollo made a peace sign with her eyes, winked, and stuck out her tongue, striking a pose.
"I don't feel sorry for Rollo at all, even though she's pitiful."
"That's because I'm strong, you see."
It's hard to believe that this brave girl was once a sl*ve, hung n*ked from a tree. But I thought about it and asked.
"But isn't Rollo a demon who's lived for a pretty long time? Even though her body is that of a child, isn't she strong in proportion?"
I think I heard a story like that during our journey or before that.
Both Renril and Rollo are demons who have lived for hundreds or thousands of years, I'm sure. I was really surprised, so this must be true.
Then Rollo answered with a " Ribbit".
"Huh? Yeah, kids are weak. Physically and in terms of sorcery too."
"But isn't sorcery about carving runes into your body? If you have time, can't you get stronger?"
"It depends on the demon, and the amount they can handle varies. Even if you work hard to carve them, if you get a rejection reaction, it's all over."
"That's right, master. If you get a rejection reaction, the demon dies. So, the amount of magic you can learn physically is limited. And if you're a kid, that amount decreases."
I thought about whether there's a rejection reaction. I thought that if you could endure the pain, you could carve as many runes as you want, but it seems that's not the case.
"Even so, compared to the weak humans on the surface, we're still way stronger."
"No matter how many years you've lived, in hell, a kid is a kid."
Renril nodded in agreement. I folded my arms and thought about it.
Kids are weak. Even if they live for a long time, kids are weak. Does that mean demons don't grow up, no matter how long they live? Then, is it all about the age you become a demon?
This is a pretty cruel story... I thought, but for now, I'll just accept it.
"So, Sandra's scary story is about how a weak kid becomes strong, right?"
"That's right."
"Hmm...? I guess we can assume there's an unknown powerful individual out there, for now."
"Is that all?" someone called out. But it seemed like there was nothing else.
"Alright. So, let's conclude this meeting to decide our main strategy for now. We'll take down the 3 regions one by one, and finally, the Demon King's army and the Demon King's castle."
"The key thing is to keep our identities hidden. We'll use the powerful demons in each region as our scapegoats."
"That's right, Clay."
I smiled back at Clay's confirmation, took a deep breath, and then called out to everyone.
"Alright, let's get started We'll take control of the city and go capture Demon King Hel!"
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