SWNOVELXO Chapter 519
Chapter 519: Strategy Meeting
[Last Time on the Chronicles]
Red Rice: “Hey there, all you good little demons! How should we conquer the Feretoria Kingdom? Let’s decide in our discussion!”
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“Now, I think there’s no need for me to explain things to this crowd at this point—”
Sekihankus looked around at everyone.
The Sauroe Tribe listened earnestly.
The Korvto Tribe maintained a relaxed but appropriately tense posture.
And the Wood Fragment Tribe’s demons all sported confident looks as if to say, “I know everything.”
(… It’s not that appearance is everything, but…)
While biting into a sandwich, Spinethia thought,
(I’m curious how many of them can correctly say the name of the enemy nation.)
Based on her experience, Spinethia believed that the apparent level of civilization and intelligence were somewhat proportional.
Among the demons in the Wood Fragment Tribe, there were some dressed in relatively neat noble clothing, while others looked like they were draped in furs straight out of the “Sanctuary” era.
The former wasn’t too bad, but dealing with the latter in battle was quite a chore. They often didn’t listen to what others said, didn’t read the materials provided to them ahead of time, and in the worst cases, they couldn’t even read at all—not just once or twice—thus Spinethia had a low opinion of those prehistoric types.
At least if they were obedient, there might be some use for them, but the types who were presumptuous fighters tended to be just annoying…
(Well, there are exceptions like the Dosrotos Tribe.)
While adhering to the “good old” demon style, there are indeed capable individuals among them. However, it’s quite rare.
“… Let’s go over the enemy nation one more time, just as a reminder.”
Sekihankus smiled as if he had accepted everything, probably not expecting much from the ragtag group under him.
Transforming a bone decoration on his clothing into a long, pointed directive stick, Sekihankus pointed decisively at a miniature topographic map.
“The Feretoria Kingdom. As the name suggests, it’s a dwarf kingdom centered around the mine known as the Feretoria Mountain Range.”
Numerous fortresses constructed as if clinging to the slopes, surrounding castles, and the tunnels that organically connected them—
“It might be easier to think of it as a city-state rooted in the mountain range.”
The members of the Sauroe Tribe and the Korvto Tribe nodded in agreement with Sekihankus’ analogy.
… A beat later, the others were nodding vaguely, and Sekihankus briefly looked off into the distance, perhaps realizing that the concept of a city-state might not be understood at all, but he quickly pulled himself together and continued speaking.
“The king is Macken Zia Nagman. Chosen as a sacred craftsman a hundred years ago due to his superior blacksmithing skills, he is also a renowned warrior skilled in the use of war hammers. During the previous northern front war, he fought as reinforcements for the alliance army, repelling the Demon Lord’s army’s advances multiple times, holding out in the fortresses. In the retreating battle, he served as the rearguard and reportedly pulled back without a scratch. A truly commendable warrior, even as an enemy.”
“Ohhh…” The demons in the tent murmured in awe.
A general’s head! Surely, demons get excited upon hearing that.
If they can take him down, they would surely be promoted. The greedy Wood Fragment demons gleamed with anticipation, licking their lips at the thought.
“However, I’ve also heard that a count-level demon has been dispatched by this king. They say he was crushed by a single swing of a war hammer and that the Reiju Tribe’s healing couldn’t reach him in time. Apparently, Macken is exceptionally strong in close quarters. Everyone, if you run into him in a fortress, exercise utmost caution.”
But the added warning tightened the previously light atmosphere.
Yes—this is what’s scary about dwarf blacksmith warriors.
They are terrifying heavy-armored warriors clad not only in their crafted weapons but also in ancestral “true masterpieces.” Dwarves, lacking demonic contracts, naturally have only baron-level magical power at best; they can compete on equal footing with demons solely thanks to their armaments.
Since demons also promote dwarven weapons as status symbols, they are well aware of the threat they pose.
Well…
In truth, the moment one truly “understands” that terror might be when the true masterpiece hammer sinks into their own flesh…
“Oh! Just to be clear, it’s preferable to capture dwarves alive rather than kill them.”
Seeing the Wood Fragment demons gradually getting fired up and on guard, Sekihankus hastily added.
“If a dwarf is dead, there’s no way to make them work for us, but as long as they’re alive, they might be made to labor. Hence, capturing dwarves as prisoners of war will be rated higher for military achievements than taking their heads.”
“Yes! Question!”
A young member of the Sauroe Tribe quickly raised their hand.
“What is it?”
“So that means that when we fight dwarves, we have to knock them out each time and carry them back to the main camp?”
“No, I wouldn’t say that. Heads are easier to carry. Just know that if a dwarf surrenders or gets knocked out, it’s not necessary to deal the final blow. Make sure to tell your subordinates as well.”
Even the Wood Fragment demons nodded in understanding.
What’s important is how much merit they can earn, not how many heads they can bring back… at least, in this case.
“Now, regarding the military strength of those important figures, the dwarf city is rather closed off. Not even the renowned Night Elf spies can infiltrate here. So we don’t know the specific number of troops or the population well.”
Sekihankus raised an eyebrow, looking at a Night Elf spy standing against the wall, who stepped forward and replied, “Ha!”
“It was impossible to infiltrate the dwarven city, but we have operated in the surrounding human and beastman territories. From the movement of merchants and the consumption of food and liquor, we can estimate the general population.”
“I see. That’s a good approach. So, what were the results?”
“The dwarf population of the Feretoria Kingdom is likely around 20,000 to 30,000 when counting all ages and genders. Since primarily males fight in the dwarven tribes, if we account for the age range, we estimate the fighting strength of the Feretoria Blacksmith Warriors to be about 5,000.”
5,000 dwarf blacksmith warriors.
Hearing this again sent chills down Spinethia’s spine.
She had faced the Feretoria Blacksmith Warriors many times in previous battles.
The encounters had mostly been during chase battles— for the dwarves, a retreat, which they likely prioritized escaping over really going all out.
Yet, they were still formidable.
Even with just a squad of a dozen or so!
“Luck or misfortune, this time it will be a siege battle. It’s not a field battle, so it’s unlikely we’ll face all 5,000 blacksmith warriors at once… but seems like it will turn into quite the hearty fight, huh?”
With a fierce grin, Sekihankus received laughter in response from the demons. The dwarves were strong, but their slowness made them less of a threat in open battles.
(Well… the real deal is hard to predict.)
From the beginning, demons, including Spinethia, barely had any experience in open battles. Most of the allied army comprised weak lower species, unable to wage war properly without fortifications. Therefore, whenever demons mobilized, it inevitably meant attacking the castles or cities where the allies had taken shelter.
The few exceptions were when they faced the forest elf legions in woodland areas, but even then, the forest was somewhat of a fortress.
(Night Elves and Beastman soldiers might have some experience in open battles, though…)
Taking a bite of her cream bread, Spinethia looked at the Night Elf spy standing by the wall.
Furthermore, goblin and ogre soldiers were often thrown at the allied army in preliminary skirmishes, but Spinethia didn’t know much about this. She had no interest in such ugly low-tier species.
“… Based on past experience, we know that typically around 50 to 100 blacksmith warriors occupy fortresses of this size.”
Sekihankus tapped on the miniature fortress with his directive stick.
And even within the miniature range, there were at least five such fortresses—how fortified could the main fortress of the Feretoria Kingdom, surrounded by these, truly be…?!
“However, they do have weaknesses.”
Shifting his gaze, Sekihankus tapped the ground around the mountain range with his toes.
“Territories, or farmlands. Not much can grow up on the mountain. Yet, dwarves are quite big eaters. The ones supporting their bellies are the human and beastman territories sprawling around the mountain range.”
Human territories—Opsgaldia, Tergarius.
Beastman territories—Purugesta.
“As our spy mentioned earlier, without the food delivered from the territories, the dwarf city would struggle to survive. Therefore, it can be said that taking down the supply sources is a standard strategy against dwarves before we directly assault the fortresses…”
As Sekihankus stated, normally, that would seem wise.
Yes, normally…
Spinethia tightly pursed her lips with a grim expression.
Immediately seized by hunger, she opened wide and bit into a cherry tart.
“So what you’re saying is that we’ll have to deal with those low-tier species first, huh?”
The barbaric-style Wood Fragment demon crossed his arms, looking displeased.
“Yes. But it won’t be just low-tier species. The dwarves also understand that if their supply chain is attacked, it would be a big deal. This means part of the blacksmith warrior force will likely be assigned to defend their territories. Furthermore, we can expect reinforcements from dwarf warriors of neighboring countries as well. Cheer up, you’ll get to fight the blacksmith warriors no matter what.”
Sekihankus replied with a smile.
“Heh heh, that sounds great!”
“Even stacking up the heads of the low-tier species won’t have the thrill!”
“At most, it’ll only count as minor achievements!”
The Wood Fragment demons laughed heartily, looking at each other.
“—In that case, the Holy Church and the forest elves’ fighting strength must also be positioned, right?”
A young member of the Korvto Tribe interjected.
“Indeed. What about the movements of the alliance… what’s the situation?”
Sekihankus nodded, naturally turning his attention to the Night Elf spy.
“Ha…”
The spy opened his mouth to speak but then paused for a while, falling silent.
“…? What’s wrong?”
Sekihankus, puzzled by the unexpected silence from a spy who was usually quick to respond and articulate, questioned.
“… I apologize, but… the current movements of the Holy Church and the herbivorous races… are unknown.”
The spy reported with a solemn expression.
“Our intelligence network has ceased functioning—no new information has come in.”