The plan revealed by the Dragon Lord in front of everyone was far more brutal than expected. They intended to collapse mountains and inflict massive damage on the northern regions. Taking advantage of that chaos, the monsters would launch their attack.
If it had been peacetime, they might have been able to respond, but recently the Racial Alliance was pouring all their resources into expeditions and conquests, so they didn’t have the luxury to assist other races quickly.
To protect the Racial Alliance, they had no choice but to ultimately pause their expeditions. If that happened, the demons would regain their composure, making it the best strategy from the demons’ perspective.
And if the Dragon itself started rampaging, it could lose trust. In the worst-case scenario, civil war could break out again between the Orcs and the Twelve Tribes.
“I can’t believe how cruel this scheme turned out to be.”
“It’s just lucky we found out now!”
“If we had gone along with this… shivers it’s terrifying.”
Not only the Twelve Tribes and other races, but even the typically dull Orcs couldn’t hide their shock. If the situation had played out, there would have been no reason to avoid a civil war.
The way the Orcs acted was almost like beasts; the stronger ones took everything in a brutal survival of the fittest. The only twist was they had a bit of intelligence added to that. Right now, they were somewhat at ease.
They could collaborate with the Twelve Tribes and share resources, but if the Orcs lost their leisure, they would undoubtedly go on a rampage, and Sharaka herself was not confident she could stop it alone.
“Yeah, if it weren’t for Commander Hans, we would have been in big trouble.”
“Did Commander Hans find this out himself?”
“Is that all? He even took down Zairkan personally.”
“Wh-what? Taking down a Dragon all by himself?!”
In response to Yulanne’s reaction, the envoy and even the leaders showed horrified expressions. For them, a Dragon was an absolute being that couldn’t be defied.
At the same time, everyone was instinctively watching the Dragon Lord Yulanne. It was only natural. Dragons are known as the Race of Benevolence, loving all other races…
But they especially loved their own kind. Of course, since their arms bend inward, even if their kin committed wrongdoing to other races, they often let it slide somehow.
Yet, they rarely made it a problem. It was still second nature to offer compensation that far exceeded the damage. If Dragons thoroughly distinguish between public and private matters, that would create a huge problem itself.
Before the demons appeared or even now, Dragons were strong enough to turn all races into enemies if they wanted. In other words, they could control the races.
“Honestly, I am slightly angry about it, but it can’t be helped, can it? The evidence that they colluded with the demons is so solid.”
“That’s true.”
“I suspect Commander Hans made his campaign with this in mind. Thanks to that, we can prevent major chaos.”
Everyone looked at Hans in admiration at Yulanne’s words. As Yulanne said, there was no way they would immediately assault the Dragons with the knowledge that the Dragons were holding firm. The strength of Dragons was impressive, but…
More than anything, there wasn’t a single race that didn’t know about the love Dragons had for their kin. Even so, Hans took down a Dragon. That could only mean he had caught onto the Dragon’s scheme.
‘That part I didn’t know either.’
And of course, there was no way it was really Hans. From Hans’s perspective, the Dragon wasn’t stepping forward and holding its ground, so he had no choice but to fight. He only found out about the collusion with the demons midway.
But he didn’t necessarily voice that. It was much more favorable for him that way. Especially since saying unnecessary things could make the Dragon Lord turn her back on him. There was no bigger loss than that.
“However, even if the Dragon disappears, the likelihood that the plan will stop is low. For now, it’s essential for the demons to regain their composure.”
[Indeed, should we prioritize pausing the expedition then?]
“That won’t do. Ultimately, it would mean giving the demons what they want.”
The demons had lost their leisure due to the extensive counterattacks by the Racial Alliance. The evidence was in the continued monster assaults losing their momentum, and the low-level demons had vanished altogether.
Even the blood demons suffered damages, so it was only natural. Put another way, it was highly probable that the demons also put their lives on the line this time. Which meant they had to do everything they could to stop it.
“We can’t completely halt the expedition. Pausing and restarting is a different story.”
If they completely halted the expedition, resources and manpower allocated for it would be redirected. They couldn’t afford to just let those go to waste. If they had to prepare for the expedition again, it would slow everything down.
That would essentially give the demons plenty of time. In other words, it would be no different from moving in line with the demons’ intentions. That would be troublesome for them.
Though things had calmed down for now, the demons were definitely not an easy opponent. Just look at how Comprachico was trying to use the former commander as a puppet with all the theatrics!
“We must not give demons any openings. We should apply as much pressure as possible. Thinking that it’s too harsh is out of the question.”
Hans had personal experience in this, but what worried him most was the original game’s scenario. The situation in the original game was far messier. Not only the Orcs and Vampires…
The Dwarf Republic had completely collapsed, as did the Twelve Tribes and more. The state of the original game was a lot worse than now. But where’s the guarantee that this wouldn’t be the case now? It could become that way at any moment.
[What is the commander’s plan?]
The Elder Elf, Maquenis, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. Although Elder Maquenis was shaken by various shocks, he needed to focus on what was ahead.
And that plan was…
“Sometimes, simple things turn out to be the best moves.”
Of course, Hans had no such plan.
But he had to say something. So he spoke.
“First Strike. This time, we’ll strike the enemies first.”
*
Let’s start with the excuses. Thanks to the title of Commander of the Royal Knights, Hans was caught up in a bubble much greater than his actual abilities. There might be a few who enjoyed such bubbles.
But most would feel burdened by the bubble first. However, he couldn’t just quit. Right now, the Racial Alliance was bound by the Royal Knights. More specifically, they were tied to Hans.
All races relied on Hans and received help from the Royal Knights, so it’s not an exaggeration to say the Racial Alliance held together because of him. There were pros and cons to this.
The biggest downside was the increase in dependence. In that case, Hans had to prove his own abilities. If he proved his abilities, dependence would rise, causing him to feel greater pressure.
It was truly a vicious cycle. In fact, this was close to the limits for Hans. He had thought that the Dragon had taken the Orcs’ land.
He hadn’t realized that the location was the one the demons were targeting. So, after much deliberation, he blurted out First Strike. But one couldn’t necessarily say Hans’s judgment was wrong.
[It’s certainly not a wrong judgment.]
[Time has already passed significantly.]
[Hmm, that’s true. This time I have no choice but to agree.]
If the north fell, both the Orcs and the Twelve Tribes would suffer greatly. Already, the beastmen were the ones with the largest food resources in the Racial Alliance. If they lost that, things would inevitably get very difficult.
Moreover, Orcs were still responsible for hunting the monsters pouring in from the north, ensuring safety. That was why the Orcs and the Twelve Tribes could temporarily forget their grudges and cooperate.
A stable land was needed for livestock and agriculture. Frankly speaking, it was the Orcs who were providing that stabilizing land. Conversely, the Orcs also received food steadily.
No matter how fierce the dog, if you throw meat at it every day, it won’t bite. Simply put, that was the situation. Hans was aware of this, which is why he suggested to act quickly.
To be more honest, he was buying time. It’s rare for a first strike to simply lead to a first strike. First, he would lay out a plan and buy some time to think until then.
“Quite bold, huh? That’s what a Commander of the Royal Knights should be! I like it a lot!”
“Is that so?”
“While we’re at it, why not go myself? Just me and the commander, I feel like we could finish it quickly!”
“??”
However, Hans never expected the Dragon Lord to come out like this. Naturally, he was about to refuse. But before he knew it, Yulanne was behind him, and just like that, in the blink of an eye.
“We’re here!”
“…….”
Hans realized he was standing on a mountain peak.
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