Chapter 87

According to the information from the Elven scout, as expected, the enemy troops are at the brink of exhaustion.

"Yesterday's guerrilla tactics must have taken a significant toll on them," Anemone remarked, and indeed, that was the case.

While we couldn't completely crush their fighting spirit, the guerrilla tactics were still meaningful.

"However, at this rate of advance, they will reach the Elven capital in three days..."

Anemone's expression darkened. To reassure her, I replied in a calm tone,

"We won't let that happen. By then, Shigan will be here to help."

—Though I said that, I wasn't sure how things would turn out.

I had anticipated this and had Shigan prepare for deployment, but where was he now?

I wanted to communicate with him using magic, but the World Tree Forest was notoriously difficult for magic to reach. It was like having only one bar of signal on a mobile phone. I had no idea where he was.

However, if my calculations were correct, Shigan's regiment would strike the enemy's flank just as the Elven forces and the Double Eagle Knights clashed head-on.

I had to believe in that and continue marching. The Double Eagle Knights approached us at dusk the next day.

"We couldn't launch a night raid," Liris complained. Elves and succubi have excellent night vision, so night battles would be more advantageous than daytime battles.

"It won't be that convenient. Since we've met here, there's no choice but to fight," Gunther, the Dwarf King, stated, and I agreed.

"We should try to drag them deeper into the forest. That would be the best strategy."

"Why is that?"

"The longer their supply lines, the more advantageous it is for us."

Throughout history, the longer the supply lines, the more disadvantageous it is. No matter how elite the army or how heroic the commander, without supplies, they cannot fight. Even great figures like Alexander the Great, Napoleon, and Hitler fell before the tyranny of distance. However, I didn't want to use this strategy this time.

Luring the enemy to the Elven capital and defeating them might seem like an ideal strategy, but it would inevitably turn the Elven village into a battlefield.

I remembered the faces of the Elves who had hosted us yesterday. I didn't want to expose them to the horrors of war. I wanted to set the battlefield as far from the capital as possible and decide the battle there.

I turned to Anemone and asked,

"Is there any good terrain around here?"

"Good terrain? For example?"

"Something that makes it difficult for a large army to deploy and gives us the advantage. Like a large lake, for instance."

Anemone thought for a moment and then snapped her fingers.

"I'm not sure if it's perfect, but there is a lake on the route the enemy will take. It's a bit small to be called a lake, though."

"A bit small. Well, it can't be helped. We'll have to make do. Can you prepare some Elven warriors skilled in handling ice spirits?"

"That's possible, but what do you plan to do?"

I couldn't answer her question with anything but a mischievous grin.

Perhaps spending time with the playful witch Sefiro had influenced me. Her mischievous spirit seemed to have rubbed off on me.

I wanted to defeat the enemy with the skill of a magician and surprise Anemone, the Elven girl. With that in mind, I gathered the Elven spirit users. Most of them were female Elves with cool expressions.

After gathering the Elven spirit users, I had them summon ice spirits to freeze the lake. White breaths exhaled from the mouths of the ice spirits, and the lake quickly froze. It was a magnificent sight.

I contributed with the Ice Storm spell, but I couldn't freeze the lake alone. Their spirit powers were invaluable.

Liris tentatively stepped onto the ice, but it didn't break under her weight. Of course, it wouldn't break under mine either. A giant elephant might break it, but there were no elephants in this world. I didn't think the enemy would use dragons either, so it should be fine.

"Now, all we need is to lure the enemy here, but..."

That worry was unnecessary.

According to the Elven scout, the enemy had detected our position and was heading this way.

"Like a duck carrying leeks on its back," I muttered, and Anemone looked puzzled.

"Is that a human proverb? A duck carrying leeks?"

This world doesn't have the long leeks we see in Japan, but the principle is the same.

"If a duck carries leeks, it's easier to make duck stew. It means things are going smoothly."

"I see, that's a useful proverb. I never expected it."

"What do you mean?"

"We Elves are vegetarians."

"Ah, I see."

"But we Elves have a similar proverb: mushrooms growing in one's own garden."

"That's an Elven proverb," I said, flipping my immortal robe.

The enemy's vanguard had arrived. I greeted them with a Light Arrow spell, taking down one of their soldiers. Then I retreated to the rear.

This time, I intended to stay in the rear and let the Elven warriors do the fighting. There were two reasons for this.

First, a proper commander is needed for a clash between armies. I wasn't being arrogant, but without my command, the Elven forces would be annihilated. Their equipment and training were no match for the human army, and I needed to give precise orders to compensate for their weaknesses.

Second, I was waiting for the right moment to cast a certain spell. I needed to observe the battle from the rear and time it correctly. I couldn't do that from the front lines.

I had to rely on Anemone, Liris, and Gunther to fight hard. With that in mind, I gave them instructions.

"Make sure you come back alive," I said.

They each nodded and led the Elven warriors toward the enemy. The battle began a few minutes later, and the unique sounds of battle filled the air. The clashing of armor and chainmail, the shouts of enemy soldiers, and the familiar noise of combat.

On the other hand, the Elven warriors were all lightly armed, using thin swords. They didn't shout. It was clear they were not experienced in battle.

Anemone, the Elven commander, Liris the succubus, and Gunther the dwarf, each a formidable warrior, but even with them leading the front lines, we were barely holding our ground.

I gripped the Staff of the Ouroboros tightly.

"Should I go to the front lines?"

I almost said it out loud, but now wasn't the time. I had to trust them. It would be easy for me to join the front lines, but I wanted more than just a victory. I wanted an overwhelming victory. For that, I needed to observe their efforts from here.

Enemy soldiers fell one after another, and an equal number of our soldiers fell as well. The battle was even—

—or rather, it wasn't.

If an equal number of soldiers were falling, it meant we were at a disadvantage because we had fewer numbers. The enemy had ten times our numbers, so if the same number of soldiers fell simultaneously, we would be annihilated first. Even a child could understand this.

In less than an hour, the Elven forces would be either annihilated or routed. But I wouldn't let that happen.

I had sworn to protect the Elves in the name of the Demon King.

I didn't want to be a failure who couldn't keep that promise. I raised my voice.

"Now! Shigan!"

As I shouted, the dragonman Shigan attacked the enemy from behind. His regiment had finally arrived on the battlefield.

I confirmed that Shigan's regiment was within the range of my telepathy and instructed him to attack the rear of the Double Eagle Knights.

Shigan replied, "Understood," and attacked the enemy at the perfect moment. The Double Eagle Knights, who hadn't anticipated an attack from behind, fell into chaos.

I didn't miss this moment.

"Now!"

I ordered the Elven warriors led by Anemone. They had been pushed to a disadvantage but still had the courage and strength to make a final stand.

They bravely charged into the enemy ranks. Liris and Anemone swung their swords, and Gunther swung his axe. This further confused the Double Eagle Knights. Naturally, the enemy commander would try to retreat and regroup.

The Elven forces and the demon regiment attacked from both sides, causing chaos, but the enemy still had the upper hand.

A 2000-strong army couldn't be defeated by such a minor surprise attack. The enemy commander was likely a capable leader and had given the order to retreat.

Whether they would regroup or retreat to the capital of Lezas was unknown, but I wanted to deal a decisive blow here.

If they regrouped or retreated, they wouldn't dare return to this forest again.

I wanted the enemy to retreat in an orderly manner. Whether they fled to the frozen lake or the forest was up to the enemy commander, but it seemed they were heading for the forest.

"Of course..."

If I were the enemy commander, I would make the same choice. The frozen lake would be difficult to cross. The only option was the forest. Indeed, the enemy was heading for the forest.

However, that choice was a mistake. In the forest, the giant tree tribe was waiting, my secret plan No. 1. The giant tree tribe, as the name suggests, were tree-like demons with wooden limbs, eyes, and noses.

They could communicate, but they didn't. Instead, they raised and lowered their massive limbs.

Their movements were slow, but a single blow with their full weight could shatter rocks. They used their massive bodies to trample human soldiers, punching, kicking, and throwing rocks.

Their powerful attacks, unique to the treants, were more than enough to terrify the humans. Realizing the danger of retreating to the forest, the enemy commander hastily turned back and fled to the frozen lake.

—Everything went according to my plan.

As the enemy troops crossed the lake, I executed my plan. I had been restraining myself from joining the front lines for this moment.

I began to chant a spell.

The spell, of course, was Earthquake.

As I cast the spell, a massive tremor shook the entire forest. Naturally, the tremor reached the lake. The ice on the lake cracked in two. The soldiers on the ice, of course, fell into the lake. It was a freezing lake, and their armor would prevent them from floating. Many human soldiers sank to the bottom of the lake.

Anemone, who had witnessed this, whispered,

"Amazing..."

Liris had a look on her face that said, "Of course, it's Lord Ike."

Anemone turned to me with a look of admiration and asked,

"Lord Ike, did you freeze the lake from the beginning, knowing this would happen?"

"Exactly. I wouldn't do something without a reason."

"Of course, I thought there must be a reason, but I didn't expect such a clever plan."

Anemone bowed in admiration.

If I were Napoleon Bonaparte, born in Corsica in a previous life, I would have appreciated this bow.

This tactic was one he used in the Battle of Austerlitz to defeat the combined forces of the Austrian and Russian Empires. Napoleon had cannons fired into the frozen lake, burying many Austrian and Russian soldiers.

—Of course, this story is often exaggerated, but it was an effective strategy in this world of swords and magic.

I thanked the great hero of the 18th century and asked Anemone and the others to tend to the enemy soldiers who had reached the shore.

Naturally, it was Liris, not Anemone, who objected.

"Lord Ike, why tend to the humans we just defeated? We should finish them off."

It was a natural opinion for a demon, and even for a human commander. However, I didn't want to see unnecessary deaths.

Moreover, those who had survived the battle deserved the right to live. Seeing the soldiers shivering from the cold, I looked at Anemone. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately agreed with me.

The Elves provided warmth to the human soldiers who had survived the freezing lake, on the condition of disarming them. They gathered firewood and started a fire, summoning fire spirits. The humans, who were on the verge of freezing to death, gathered around the warmth.

They all seemed grateful, bowing to the Elves and swearing never to attack the forest again.

Liris, however, remained skeptical.

"Are they really going to keep their word?"

"They were conscripted and brought here. They didn't come to fight willingly."

"But they can't refuse orders, can they?"

"They might show mercy when the time comes."

"Forgive me for saying so, but aren't you being a bit too optimistic?"

"I agree," I said, continuing, "but we'll deal with it when the time comes. If they target the Elven forest again, we'll crush them completely."

"That's right. Lord Ike will surely defeat any army that comes, no matter how large."

I hoped so. I gave the orders for post-battle cleanup and the return to the Elven capital.

This would fulfill my promise to the Elven Queen Ferret.

The alliance with the Elves should be firmly established, but I wanted to greet Ferret before returning to the city of Ivalice.