Chapter 187 – Pirate Demon King
“That’s the sound of Imperial artillery fire. Where are they firing?”
“Mir.”
I stop moving the hovercraft, tell the crew to stand by, and take Myrril’s hand as I teleport to the top of the ramparts. The soldiers of the central territory are lined up, but they don’t seem to have time to look at us.
Beyond the castle town, I can see the inner bay. There are four imperial gunboats there, and two of them have already landed and are unloading their troops. Is it too late to sink them? The other two were still offshore, burning the city to the ground with their gunfire. The flames of the burning houses illuminated the fleeing figures.
“Burning down a port town is of no strategic value. Those scum, they would kill their own people just to harass us.”
Myrril-san gritted her teeth in disgust. It would be better to go out and exterminate them, but there are already over a hundred landing forces on their way here. I’m not sure how to divide our forces to deal with them.
“Chiefs of each division! Assemble your men in front of the city gate!”
A man who appears to be the commander orders his men as he runs along the corridor above the gate.
“Hey, what about the supply situation?”
“The sea transport from the southern territory seems to have been destroyed by pirates from the eastern territory. Transport from the western territories is difficult due to weather conditions.”
“Is it the difference in the provisions we’ve been carrying all this way? Shit. They are the kind of people who would go on a rebellion. We might not be able to beat them with shrewdness, but we will not stand to be outwitted in a battle.”
“If Cassmeer falls, they will push all the way to the capital.”
“You fools! We’ll be here to make sure that doesn’t happen!”
The commander was a man with a lot of guts. He was smiling broadly and trying to raise the morale of his men.
From the looks of things, the soldiers’ morale is holding up reasonably well, but their swords and spears are tattered and at their limits. Some of the men, who were equipped with archery equipment (gauntlets and breastplates), were carrying spears that were bent, perhaps because they had run out of arrows.
If they waited, the supplies I had given them would arrive from the council hall, but I was not sure if they would make it in time.
“Deputy Captain, the fighting in the council hall has quieted down.”
“Have they fallen? Damn it.”
“There were strange noises and lights. Did the imperial artillery land?”
“No. The captain of the guard said reinforcements have arrived.”
“Oh?”
“The reinforcements that slaughtered the Imperial Army and the Eastern Army at the gate.”
“Ignore that ornate bastard. He must be confined and rolled into the guardroom. He will be relieved of his post as captain of the guard as soon as the battle is over. An incompetent who abandons his post and runs away can do nothing but harm.”
“Understood, Deputy Captain. Well, when the battle is over, none of us will be alive, though.”
“That’s no different! Puhahaha…!”
I coughed and raised my hands to the soldiers who were about to go to their deaths, smiling broadly at what they thought was a funny situation.
“Excuse me for interrupting you.”
“Who are you, a merchant? Take shelter quickly. You’ll die hanging around here.”
“Thank you for your concern. I’ll do that as soon as I’ve finished my business.”
“What business?”
“My name is Takifu; I am a merchant in the employ of the Southern Territories. I am one of the “reinforcements” you mentioned earlier.”
“So, what the captain of the guard said… was true?”
“It is true. But it is also true that he abandoned the defense of the city gates during the war. His sin will never go away.”
“What is it with you, you little girl? How dare you talk like that?”
“Well, you have a good expression. It’s a shame to die.”
While Mir-san and the commander are exchanging words, I’m laying out the remaining weapons in my storage on the city walls. Basically, they are the same as the ones I gave away at the council hall, the captured equipment of the Kingdom’s army.
The soldiers who saw it, especially the archers who saw the arrows in the quiver, cheered.
“Supplies!”
“Good, distribute them now! Take as many as you can and run! If there are not enough, come back and get them!”
The stacks of bows, arrows, spears, and swords were distributed to the various locations. In addition, I also brought out the barrels of water, wine, and food that I had forgotten to bring out at the council hall.
It seems that “downstairs” was not referring to the front of the city gate but to the vanguard position in the middle of the hill. We watch the new recruits running to the camp and get the location of the camp in our minds. It was a two-story building that looked like a private house, and as I looked through the darkness, I saw a figure on the roof that looked like a soldier.
“Myrril?”
“…That being the case. Do you get it?”
“I’m not entirely sure. But that is not important at this point. The fact that we received supplies is enough for me. I trust you, and I thank you. If you survive this battle, I’ll buy you a drink.”
“Umu, I’ll look forward to it.”
After they finished their conversation, we moved to the vanguard position.
“Then, Deputy Captain-san, I’ll leave you in charge of the city gate.”
“Hey, where are you going? If you’re going to evacuate, you might want to consider using the council hall…”
“I appreciate your concern. But there is one thing I didn’t tell you. We are merchants from the kingdom, adventurers in the employ of the southern lord McKin. And…”
I jumped up on the breastwork of the gate, carrying Myrril in a princess’s hug, who came up to me and hugged my neck. The stiff-armed dwarf girl let out a giggle and a smile in front of the deputy captain, who reached out his hand, assuming that Myrril was in danger.
“…We’re the “Demon King and Queen” of the ‘Thirty Thousand Murderers.'”
