Chapter 3: The Saint Meets Another Saint While Fighting the Demon King’s Army
In the royal office of the Lionell Kingdom’s castle, Lights, Elizabeth and King Henry were attending an emergency meeting.
The agenda was, of course, the sudden appearance of the Demon King’s army.
“Before we begin the meeting, let’s confirm the facts. Did the Demon King’s army really appear?”
King Henry first sought to confirm that the report of the Demon King’s army was not a false alarm.
“Yes, King Henry. The information is accurate. A village in the Flamme region in the south was attacked. Five hundred soldiers of the Flamme region’s garrison witnessed the Demon King’s army.”
One of the military officers spread a map on the table and placed a black stone, indicating the Demon King’s army, south of the capital.
“Wait, did you say the south? Not the north?”
King Henry questioned the report.
This surprised Elizabeth as well. The stronghold of the Demon King’s army, Lowburn, was in the northern peninsula, where the former Kingdom of Roeden once stood. It made sense if the Demon King’s army came from the north, but appearing south of the capital was strange.
“What’s going on? What about the northern border at the Gates of Ghazal?”
King Henry inquired about the situation at the border.
The northern border, facing the Demon King’s territory, was fortified with the Gates of Ghazal, defended by the Black Hawk Knights led by General Zaria. If a new Demon King’s army appeared, it meant the Black Hawk Knights were defeated, and the Gates of Ghazal were breached. This was why King Henry called for an emergency meeting, with Elizabeth in attendance, but something seemed off.
“However, there’s no disturbance at the northern border. We have dispatched a fast messenger to confirm, but no signal fires, bells, or messenger birds from the Gates of Ghazal have indicated any attack.”
Another military officer reported the absence of any anomalies at the border.
“Then where did they come from?”
No one could answer King Henry’s question.
“Your Majesty, rather than debating where they came from, we should prioritize our response.”
Elizabeth offered a solution to the troubled ministers.
“Yes, indeed. The south is vital. We must prepare to repel them immediately.”
King Henry agreed with Elizabeth’s suggestion.
The south of the kingdom was fertile land, a major producer of crops. Despite the Demon King’s remnants causing trouble in the kingdom, the southern region remained untouched, ensuring food security.
“You mentioned the Flamme garrison witnessed the Demon King’s army. What happened afterward?”
King Henry asked, and a military officer responded.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The garrison saw between five hundred to a thousand soldiers of the Demon King’s army. However, the Demon King’s army retreated immediately upon seeing the garrison.”
“That’s not many.”
King Henry’s voice showed relief,
and the ministers also sighed in relief at the small number of enemy troops.
“If there are so few, three thousand soldiers should be sufficient. We’ll gather the garrison around the capital and form a subjugation unit.”
“Wait. According to the report, the Demon King’s army retreated without engaging the garrison, right?”
Elizabeth stopped the military officer from organizing the subjugation unit.
“Yes, Your Majesty. The garrison attempted to pursue, but the Demon King’s army escaped.”
“So, the Demon King’s army is cowardly.”
King Henry laughed, but Elizabeth thought differently.
Elizabeth was not well-versed in military affairs, but her experience in negotiations and meetings had honed her ability to read intentions.
She sensed something sinister in the Demon King’s army’s movements.
“Your Majesty, we should deploy our full strength for the subjugation. We need at least five thousand soldiers.”
“Is that necessary for only about a thousand of the Demon King’s soldiers?”
King Henry questioned Elizabeth’s estimate.
“If the enemy fights directly, three thousand soldiers would suffice. But if they retreat upon seeing our forces, they might disperse and escape.”
Elizabeth pointed to the map on the table, where the black stone indicated the Demon King’s army’s location.
“The Demon King’s army appeared in a place usually undefended. If they avoid direct confrontation and scatter, we must surround them to annihilate them. However, if we spread our net, they might regroup and attack a weak point.”
Elizabeth’s explanation left King Henry and the ministers speechless.
“Indeed, if that happens, subjugating them will be challenging.”
King Henry nodded in agreement.
“But if that’s true, a mere general cannot lead the subjugation force.”
King Henry frowned.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
The Demon King’s army seemed to allow its commanders significant freedom. To counter this, they needed an excellent general with broad authority.
However, most experienced and capable generals were under General Zaria’s faction. Granting them significant authority risked rebellion, more dangerous than the Demon King’s army.
“We don’t have a general fit for the subjugation.”
King Henry frowned and groaned, but Elizabeth smiled.
“No, we do have someone who can lead the unit. Someone here right now.”
Elizabeth’s words made the ministers glance around, wondering who she meant.
“Ah, I see! You mean I should go.”
Understanding her meaning, King Henry smiled.
“Your Majesty! That’s too dangerous!”
One of the military officers tried to stop King Henry.
“But there’s no other choice. Unless you have another suitable general?”
The officer fell silent at King Henry’s words.
“The southern region is too vital to ignore. I will lead the army and punish the enemy. This will remind the people who their hero is. Right, Elizabeth?”
“Yes, many will bow to Your Majesty’s might.”
Elizabeth agreed with the pleased King Henry.
“Very well, start assembling the army immediately. Mobilize the royal guard! This is a decree.”
King Henry issued his decree. The ministers had no choice but to obey.
“Messenger!”
As King Henry prepared to organize the unit, a messenger soldier rushed into the office.
“The Demon King’s army has appeared in the east as well!”
The calm office became chaotic again with the messenger’s report.
“What? Where?”
King Henry asked.
“In… the Graham territory.”
The messenger hesitated.
At the mention of Graham territory, King Henry’s eyes narrowed, and the ministers averted their eyes.
“We don’t have to respond to that…”
“Indeed, the Graham territory has an excellent knight order.”
The ministers, considering the relationship between the royal family and Romelia, tried to avoid sending troops east.
“No, we must send soldiers to the Graham territory as well if we send them to the Flamme region.”
Contrary to the ministers, Elizabeth insisted on dispatching a subjugation force.
“Elizabeth, are you serious?”
“I don’t want to save Romelia, but if we don’t send troops, people will say ‘The Queen is jealous of Romelia.'”
Elizabeth sighed in response to King Henry’s question.
The rift between the royal family and Romelia was well-known. But it was still just rumors. Since the broken engagement incident, there had been no conflicts or issues. However, if they didn’t send soldiers now, the rivalry would become clear. They had to act publicly, regardless of their personal feelings.
“Indeed… The Graham family are our vassals. We can’t ignore them.”
King Henry frowned.
“But we don’t have a general to lead.”
The same problem resurfaced, troubling King Henry.
“Understood. I will go east.”
Elizabeth’s words surprised King Henry and the ministers.
“Wait, that won’t do. I can’t allow you to go to the battlefield. What about the children?”
King Henry protested, but Elisabeth shook her head.
“But this is necessary. Since His Majesty is leading the campaign in the south, we need to send someone significant to the east. My presence will maintain our reputation,” Elisabeth replied.
King Henry frowned. Having already issued the decree, he couldn’t cancel his own campaign.
“Besides, the people need to be reminded who the true saint is,” Elisabeth added.
With this statement, it was decided that both the King and Queen would lead their respective armies.
Two days after the appearance of the Demon King’s army, Elisabeth led a force of 1,000 cavalry and 4,000 infantry, composed of the royal guard, towards the east.
After five days of marching, they reached the lands of Count Graham and set up camp as night fell.
In the unfamiliar environment, Elisabeth sighed inside her carriage.
She wished she could see the faces of her beloved children, Allen and Arel, which would lift her spirits. However, she couldn’t bring them to the dangerous battlefield.
As she sighed again, there was a light knock on the carriage door.
“Your Majesty, General Günes requests your presence at the war council. Will you attend?” A soldier of the royal guard informed her.
Elisabeth stepped out of the carriage and entered the recently erected tent.
Inside the tent, a table was surrounded by knights in splendid armor.
Standing to the right of the head of the table was General Günes, the effective Captain of the unit. Next to him were Captain Ledre of the heavy infantry, Vice-Captain Burns, Captain Koster and Vice-Captain Sergei of the heavy cavalry, Captain Sloane who led the mages, Captain Ruivo who led the archers, and Captain Fredo of the light infantry.
Seeing Elisabeth, the general and captains bowed in unison.
They were loyal to the royal family, but their loyalty to Elisabeth was even greater, as many of them owed their positions to her.
Initially, the appointments were made to eliminate General Zaria’s influence from the royal guard, but it had unexpectedly proven beneficial in this way.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
Thanks for the chapter