Chapter 314: Crown Prince* - The Demon King Seems to Conquer the World

Chapters release for today:

1. Plant Magic Lord 196 & 197

2. Ordinary Person 56 & 57

3. Single Old Man 20

4. Control Engineer 6

5. Demon King 314

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New chapter of Demon King is out! (1/1 chapter)

The Crown Prince Adil of the Kururuan Dragon Empire was once again on the battlefield. This was his second experience witnessing war in his life. Although he had been granted a pardon that allowed him freedom on the battlefield, soldiers unfamiliar with the circumstances occasionally stopped him. Still, Adil was relatively free to move about and observe the field.

The two years of education had given Adil a perspective completely different from before. He felt that he could now calmly grasp the arrangement of the troops.

The army’s quality is poor.

That was Adil’s honest impression. Rather than poor, it would be more accurate to say that there were many new recruits, artificially inflated numbers. This brought harmful effects in various areas. With insufficient equipment and training, some units were only now practicing how to thrust with spears, while others were still learning how to form up in ranks.

Of course, comparing them to the Dragonewt unit Adil had once (nominally) led, an elite force among elites, might be foolish. Elites were elite precisely because of the effort put into raising them. Attempting to do the same across the entire army would mean not having enough numbers. That could lead to losing the advantage of quantity.

Even so, he couldn’t help but think. Overall morale was high, but with such weak soldiers, they wouldn’t be able to withstand an assault from truly powerful troops. Nor could they fight with persistent endurance if the tide of battle turned against them.

Adil returned to the main camp. Perhaps out of concern for attacks from the sky, there were no large distinctive banners marking it as the main camp.

He dismounted and hooked the reins to a horse tie. His newly acquired beloved horse was having its mane pecked at and playfully nibbled by some curious Galloping Bird nearby but perhaps having grown used to it over the past few days, there was no sign of it escalating into a scuffle.

When Adil stepped into the command tent, he was enveloped in a solemn air. From senior members of the Hou family to unit commanders, various knights had gathered, but they stood still, as if even shifting their weight would be disrespectful. It was due to the heavy atmosphere surrounding Yuri Hou. The air was so grim and hostile that no one dared to speak. The death of Myaro Gudanvier had stripped away the somewhat magnanimous presence he once carried.

“It doesn’t look like they’re going to attack.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou’s voice echoed. On the other side of the canvas wall of the tent, the din of the army could be heard. That contrast only made the silence inside the tent more pronounced.

Staring at the deployment map spread across the table, he muttered as if talking to himself,

“It’s the sort of thing a petty man, only capable of stealing from others, would think of.” (Yuri)

It was a very quiet voice, but it strangely spread throughout the tent. Even Adil, standing at the periphery, heard it clearly.

Yuri Hou stood up abruptly.

“Move the entire army north. Let’s show that thieving fool, who doesn’t know his place, the difference in class!” (Yuri)

As he struck the table with his fist, everyone in the tent scrambled to run out. It looked like a move full of battle spirit, driven by a desire to fight the enemy as soon as possible, but it could just as easily be seen as a desperate urge to escape the tense atmosphere that had filled the tent.

—

Adil was now at Yuri Hou’s relocated command base. However, the tent from earlier had already been taken down, and now they were on the second floor of a two-story house that had been commandeered. Just being on the second floor gave a much broader view. The formation of the enemy army could also be clearly confirmed.

Yuri Hou, deep in thought, was staring silently outside. The incoming reports were sparse. Despite commanding a force of nearly 50000 and about to begin a war, he did not look like a supreme commander preparing for battle.

The lack of reports was due to most of the large-scale maneuvers being carried out by subordinate units. The corps directly under Yuri Hou’s command had hardly moved at all. They were confronting the Papal States’ army. One could even say they were holding them in place.

“You know, maybe it would’ve been more interesting for you to go with Dimitri instead.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou suddenly spoke to him.

“No, I wished to learn from Your Excellency’s command.” (Adil)

“I see. Though I wouldn’t call this much of a command. It’s a boring battle.” (Yuri)

Is there such a thing as a boring battle?

Perhaps, for the battle-hardened Yuri Hou, some battles were actually interesting. Adil couldn’t understand such a thing.

“I don’t get why the man who once managed to trap me would come up with something so idiotic. Was the shock of the first bombardment really that strong?” (Yuri)

“Who is this man?” (Adil)

“A man named Gertrude Evans. He’s the one leading the Papal State’s army over there.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou must have been thinking about it as he looked at the enemy camp through the open window.

“Earlier, you said it was the kind of thing a petty man would think of…” (Adil)

“So, you heard that.” (Yuri)

“Yes, I have good ears.” (Adil)

“Look there. The enemy has 40000 infantry and five thousand cavalry. Quite the grand force, isn’t it?” (Yuri)

A massive army was spread out beyond the window. In coordination with the movements of Dimitri Daz and the Royal Guard infantry, the enemy was shifting northward. However, they never crossed a certain boundary. They seemed determined to stay within artillery range.

“We may have more cavalry, but we only have about 25000 actual infantries. The rest are new recruits added just to make up the numbers. Many of them don’t even have guns, just spears. In other words, the enemy has put together a powerful force capable of overwhelming us in a head-on fight. And yet, obsessed with artillery, they cower like birds hiding in a nesting box. In tactics, there’s no act more foolish than ceasing movement and shrinking your formation. Once they do that, all we have to do is envelop them.” (Yuri)

So that’s why.

Adil thought.

That was why he inflated his numbers with new recruits.

When a small force tries to encircle a large one, the encirclement naturally became thin. For example, if unformed troops were linked together like a chain in a single line to surround a thousand enemy soldiers, it was obvious that such a formation wouldn’t pose any threat. They’d just be scattered like breaking an oil film.

Yuri Hou disliked that, so he deliberately incorporated a large number of new recruits. A thicker encirclement would create greater pressure. And perhaps due to an abundance of spare military gear, all the soldiers looked exactly the same. Even if there were weak spots with a high concentration of new recruits, it would be difficult to distinguish them at a glance.

He had seen through the enemy’s total lack of initiative and so, he prioritized quantity over quality.

“The cannon over there was originally my tool. That hill’s height was measured accurately through triangulation a few years ago, so its range can be determined with simple calculations. Making a completely exposed tool, whose every detail is known to the enemy as the core of your tactics… I can’t believe anyone in their right mind would do such a thing.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou returned to his expression of deducing the enemy’s intentions.

Was he wary that the enemy might have some secret plan prepared?

Adil felt like he could understand why the enemy might want to believe that.

Two years ago, in that war where Adil fought as a mere figurehead of a commander-in-chief, the cannon, then a secret weapon, had played a tremendously significant role. It overturned and obliterated the strategies decided upon by the assembled generals, treating their schemes as nothing more than petty tricks, with its overwhelming firepower.

Even for Adil, who hadn’t participated seriously, it had left a strong impression. For those who had actually commanded the defeated forces, it must have been a harrowing experience burned into their brains. If one gained control over such a weapon and the enemy didn’t have it, it was understandable that they’d come to overestimate it as an invincible weapon.

But then, how does Yuri Hou intend to fight against that cannon?

Even if he knew all its inner workings, he couldn’t stop it from firing from here. The operation was done by soldiers stationed on the hill, and the orders came from Liao Rube.

“Your Excellency, how do you plan to deal with that cannon? I also faced it on the battlefield, but to fight properly under that bombardment…” (Adil)

“Is that so? There are plenty of ways to deal with it.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou said this so easily, with a look of mild surprise.

For a genius of his caliber, is even dealing with that cannon something that could be figured out so simply?

Adil didn’t understand at all.

“Is that so? I can’t possibly…” (Adil)

“What are you talking about? That can’t be right.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou looked at Adil with a puzzled expression on his face.

“In that war, when the cannon first appeared, your side immediately came up with one answer. You deployed the dragoon knights and managed to silence several of our cannons, didn’t you?” (Yuri)

That was one way to look at it, Adil thought, struck by the freshness of the perspective. To him, that war had been nothing but a one-sided beating where they couldn’t resist at all.

But, from another point of view, that could certainly be called a countermeasure. The dragoon knights were deployed and, albeit temporarily, rendered the artillery inoperable. He remembered clearly how the roar of the cannons went silent for a while. Even if they couldn’t shut them down permanently, that was still a legitimate tactic.

“I heard that your side also used a tactic like that in the past. People riding eagles and diving into enemy lines.” (Adil)

“Hmm? Well, I suppose so.” (Yuri)

After speaking as though he hadn’t thought about it, Yuri Hou muttered,

“I see. If we had forced it, maybe it wasn’t entirely impossible.” (Yuri)

His face was tinged with regret.

He must be thinking that perhaps there had been a way to save Myaro Gudanvier.

But there was no such way, was there?

Even if your blade had reached Liao Lube’s throat a week earlier, she simply would’ve been killed a week earlier.

Adil thought so, but he didn’t say it aloud.

“Then, that means, there’s another method?” (Adil)

Adil said that instead, cutting off Yuri Hou’s train of thought.

“Ah, well, yes. Even an idiot knows that air raids are effective against cannons. Those guys were kind enough to armor the cannon with a roof and earthworks. But still, disabling the cannon isn’t all that difficult.” (Yuri)

“Specifically, how would that be done?” (Adil)

“The enemy’s prepared defenses against dropped bombs, but that’s only for the payload weight a single eagle can carry. If we used two eagles and doubled the weight of the warhead, we could probably penetrate their defenses.” (Yuri)

Such a concept existed?

That certainly would overturn the enemy’s assumed premises.

“Well, in practice, this would be difficult. If we were to try, we’d have to attach it to their legs, but King Eagles don’t like having things attached to their legs. On top of that, for two eagles to dive at the same time and release the payload in perfect sync, that would be a god-tier feat of technical skill. It might be viable against a large target, like the deck of a warship, but compared to a ship, a cannon is just too small a target.” (Yuri)

Well, yeah. Now that he said it, it makes sense.

Indeed, transporting something with two eagles would be quite a task. Whether flying in formation side-by-side or front-to-back, it would require much more rigid and complex maneuvering than with a single bird.

“Then, what other method is there?” (Adil)

“This method can’t be used against ships, but it can against cannons. No matter how well they’ve constructed the gun emplacement, it’s not as though they’ve covered the entire surroundings—” (Yuri)

He couldn’t hear the rest.

From the open door, a messenger ran in.

“Your Excellency!” (Messenger

The messenger in a white military uniform saluted.

“All troops have completed their movements. Up to the present time, no combat has occurred.” (Messenger)

“Very well.” (Yuri)

Yuri Hou cut off the conversation and headed downstairs. As he stepped out the front door, the fields, already harvested, were swarming with eagles. Since they weren’t riding them to avoid tiring the birds, the riders were each tending to their beloved eagles, but upon recognizing Yuri Hou, they all straightened up at once.

“It’s showtime! This battle rests on your efforts. All units, prepare for takeoff!” (Yuri)

With a burst of motion, the people known as sky knights began moving. Each wore a conspicuous red sash diagonally across their chest to stand out in the sky. That was because, in this battle, distinguishing friend from foe would be essential. People riding eagles would meet as enemies in the sky. For them, it should have been a reunion with a scene so distant in their long history that it had faded into oblivion.

—

TLN:

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