Became the Queen of the Legion

“How is the situation on the front lines?”

“Not good. Even though the lords are uniting and spending money to hire mercenaries en masse, there are too many devils. It’s said that their eggs are pouring out from the former Orc and Lamia territories they’ve occupied, even at this moment. How can they produce so many?”

The entire northern region is in chaos. The cause, of course, is a group of monsters that suddenly appeared.

But these monsters properly exploited the complacency of the existing forces who had underestimated them, and in that short time, they instantly became a powerful force threatening them.

“My Lord! Those creatures can never coexist with us. Do you know where their countless troops come from? They devour everything alive. Demonic beasts, demon races, plants, they don’t discriminate! Where they pass, only barren wasteland without a single blade of grass remains, and they will try to devour the entire world like this!”

To him, who was listening with a dry expression, the envoy from the Gargoyle clan bowed his head once again and pleaded.

This envoy had already come several times, denouncing how brutal and terrible the devils were and begging that they should join forces to fight as soon as possible.

“They destroyed Orc Baron Zieg’s territory, crossed that territory to bring down Lamia Baron Rosalyn’s territory. And now they’re attacking the territories adjacent to that place, trying to come south. However, in that process, they never attacked us even once.”

Finally, he slowly opened his mouth. The Gargoyle clan’s envoy tensed up, watching Ludas’s lips.

“What do you think their intention is? Anyone can see that it’s definitely not a coincidence.”

“Th-those creatures are very intelligent, unlike their appearance. When you see how they dig traps and lure, or conduct war by moving their group as if it were one body, it’s clearly their scheme to drive a wedge between us.”

The Gargoyle answered quite admirably despite being tense. It was thanks to desperately racking his brains, knowing that it would be all over if they didn’t move here.

“You’re saying they’re trying to use me, our entire territory.”

Hearing those words, Ludas smirked. The sight of only the corners of his mouth rising while his eyes remained the same was enough to make the envoy lower his eyes in surprise.

‘Yes. Those creatures clearly had a strategy. Moreover, that strategy has been in effect from the beginning. It means they’ve been predicting this moment from that time, from long ago.’

Ludas recalled when he first received a report about the legion.

It was a report that a small city in the northern borderlands had fallen to a group of never-before-seen demonic beasts. It was so unbelievable that some who received the news seriously reported that something was being manipulated in the surrounding territories.

But that was a misconception. Soon after, the demonic beasts swelled to enormous numbers and attacked and captured the Orc territory, Ludas’s neighboring territory.

Even then, they didn’t think a demon race’s territory would fall to mere demonic beasts.

“To induce discord between us, they deliberately don’t touch my territory. You know how intelligent that action is. It’s not just simple instinct. Clearly… there’s something.”

When Zieg’s territory fell, Ludas naturally thought the enemies would swarm to his territory, which was the closest, and issued a mobilization order to the northern borderlands.

However, instead of attacking them, the devils all swarmed to the Lamia territory right next to the Orc territory. Ludas, who had been trying to eliminate the newly appeared enemies, chose to be a bystander from that moment.

“They move thoroughly like a single army. The tactics they employ are of a high level, and the supply as well as command and control between them are carried out perfectly. This means there is a ‘queen’ commanding them.”

Ludas assumed the existence of the Queen as if it were natural.

And he was also certain that this Queen might be an intelligent being capable of communicating on equal terms with him.

“My-My Lord…!”

“If the leader of those monsters is an intelligent being capable of communication, how is it different from us who have been fighting each other for ages? Even when our ancestors created territories in this land long ago, we fought and competed with each other.”

The Gargoyle, detecting something unsettling, was horrified, but Ludas’s eyes sparkled.

Ludas was someone who could do anything if it was profitable. Even if it meant joining hands with the monster Queen who was currently devastating the area.

“That’s absurd! Please think of the pride of the demon races. Are you thinking of throwing away that pride by joining hands with mere demonic beasts whose true identity we don’t even know?”

“Pride and honor don’t put food on the table. You’re thinking too emotionally. I have no intention at all of submitting to those monsters either.”

Ludas snorted at the Gargoyle’s urgent words. Irrational actions that fail to secure practical benefits due to being obsessed with things like honor and pride were what Ludas hated the most.

“To give room for negotiation to the leader of these monsters of unknown identity, we must also have a grip on their lifeline. Prepare everyone for the expedition.”

In conclusion, Ludas decided to raise an army.

The problem was that its purpose wasn’t to join forces with other lords to drive out the beasts as they hoped.

Ludas intended to use this incident as an opportunity to become the perfect ruler of this area, and he planned to use the legion for that purpose.

“Please reconsider! You’ll understand if you see them directly. Those devils are evil and brutal beings that can’t be reasoned with… My Lord!”

“Send the envoy back safely.”

Afterwards, the Gargoyle envoy was sent out, almost being dragged. The remaining Hobgoblins could only watch Ludas’s reactions.

“Send the army to strike their stronghold. When we can inflict massive damage, we will attempt to negotiate with their leader.”

“My Lord, will those monsters really… agree to negotiate?”

“We’ve already confirmed that they have that level of intelligence. They’re trying to use us to take over this area for free. Are we going to just stand by and watch? If they want to occupy even a piece of this land, we should also be willing to take something in return.”

The surrounding subordinates were shocked at the sight of their lord thinking of negotiating with those terrible monsters, but Ludas didn’t waver.

He believed that if they struck the legion’s stronghold and held their lifeline hostage, negotiation would be entirely possible.

* * *

“Hmm, the Hobgoblins are moving. Is this as far as it goes?”

It wasn’t long before Ludas’s movements reached the Queen’s eyes and ears. It wasn’t difficult since she had already thoroughly spread scout troops and was monitoring their movements.

“But I’m not sure if this is a movement agreed upon with other lords.”

[Reconnaissance results show that numerous Hobgoblin troops are gathering in the north. They are all in a state prepared for actual combat and are poised to advance into our territory across the border at any moment]

If Ludas had decided to side with the lords, it would be more effective to send troops to the western border and strike the legion’s back while they’re in the midst of fighting.

However, the Hobgoblin troops were gathering in the north, ignoring whether the other lords were struggling to death or not. This situation didn’t seem to have come from mutual agreement.

‘Is it unilateral? Then what’s the purpose?’

The Queen tried to pinpoint Ludas’s objective.

Unless he was having a delusional fantasy that he could eliminate all enemies with just his subordinates, it was clear that there was another purpose in advancing north now.

“Could it be that he wants something from me?”

Although not precisely, the Queen also noticed Ludas’s intention to some extent. As she did so, she smirked, curling up the corners of her mouth.

Anyway, numerous Hobgoblin troops are heading directly towards her stronghold where troops are not gathered.

Now the Queen was given the task of confronting them. She had avoided the worst-case scenario of all lords attacking as one, but it had still become a two-front war.

‘It’s time to check the defense.’

「Consciousness Enhancement 7」

「Physical Enhancement 6-5」

「Reproduction Enhancement 7-1」

The Queen, checking the trait page that had been quickly raised so far, prepared for battle with the Hobgoblins.

Although most of the troops were concentrated on the western front, she didn’t think it was disadvantageous at all. Using the accumulated resources and pre-made nests, a considerable number of troops would be produced immediately anyway.

And that’s not all. She could create new soldiers utilizing meticulous calculations, analysis, and collected data.

“Yes, this is what I wanted to make from the beginning.”

The Queen smiled, looking at the special artificial womb that had continuously grown in size, now as big as a house.

The eggs produced and rolled out from that womb are so huge that it takes multiple workers to barely move them.

The monster that would emerge after completing its growth inside that egg, which was just a prototype for now, was set to become another calamity that would dig into the battlefield.