I wouldn't need them for long. I would only borrow these forces for a year or two, and all the expenses during the process would be covered by the Holy See.
That's right, it was a total free ride!
These forces alone would be enough to make the nobility tremble with fear. What did I have to be afraid of?
However... while the numbers seemed massive, the only ones with true elite rank combat power were likely the thirty thousand knights and fifty thousand infantry from the Snow Country, and the ten thousand knights from the Kingdom of the Highlands.
The others looked powerful, but they had experienced far too little actual warfare. More than half were essentially new recruits.
But this number alone was enough to scare those nobles to death.
When the time came, whoever dared to strike first would inevitably face the full weight of this army of six hundred thousand!
At that point... I would no longer have any reservations.
Anyone who dared to resist would be executed without mercy!
The path of every ruler is paved with corpses.
This was the reality taught by all of history.
"It seems Your Highness already has everything under control. Since that is the case, I will say no more."
"Yes, but it seems it will be difficult to move your mage tower to Brilliant City today. I will head back first. Also, you should prepare yourself. I have a title to bestow upon you."
"Is it Temple knight?"
"No, it is a Mage title."
Ligeia was slightly stunned for a moment, but then she smiled brightly and said nothing else.
"By the way, Ligeia, keep an eye out for any close friends of yours and recommend a few to me. Ideally, I need talent in management."
"I understand. I will prepare a list for you shortly."
Saying this, she suddenly paused, her expression looking a bit hesitant.
"Your Highness... are foreign races also acceptable?"
"Of course. The Kingdom of the Moon will not reject any race. Starting with the officials... anyone from any race can come, provided their character and abilities are sufficient. I believe... you understand what I mean."
"I understand."
Ligeia nodded, but her expression suddenly changed, and she looked at me with a smile.
"Your Highness, someone is looking for you~"
She raised a finger and pointed downward.
Clearly, someone below had business with me.
"I see. Move the mage tower to Brilliant City as soon as possible. I will find a location for you. Send me down."
"Of course, Your Highness."
There was little to be said about the walk back down.
Just as I reached the bottom floor, Hilda appeared before me with a grave expression.
"Your Highness, urgent news from Brilliant City."
"What is it?"
For Lola to send an urgent report, it had to be something serious.
"Your Highness, communications with the eastern border were cut off this morning. At the same time, Sir Kariel sent word that his unit was ambushed by the demon army while heading to the border. They suffered heavy losses. Furthermore, a massive wave of refugees is fleeing the border. It is estimated to be at least several million people!"
"Sss!"
I hissed as I sucked in a sharp breath, my brows furrowing tightly.
I hadn't expected the demon army to make their move so soon.
Communications in Brilliant City had only been restored for a few days, and now the border's communications were cut.
Clearly, the demons had begun their assault on the border.
If I didn't send reinforcements... the knights at the border likely wouldn't last long. But if I did, it would mean Brilliant City's defenses would be dangerously thin!
If the demon army turned their focus toward Brilliant City at that moment, it would inevitably lead to the worst possible outcome!
"Return immediately! Full speed ahead! The heavy cavalry regiment and the Saint's Carriage will go first. The rest of the infantry will follow behind!"
"Yes!"
I couldn't afford a single moment of hesitation. I boarded the Saint's Carriage, and as the vehicle began to move, we rushed toward Brilliant City.
The internal reforms of the Kingdom of the Moon were indeed urgent, but the external threat was now staring me in the face, bloody and raw.
If we couldn't stop this wave of demon attacks, there would be no reforms left to speak of for the Kingdom of the Moon!
We raced back to Brilliant City, and as soon as we arrived at the gates, I saw Lola already waiting for us.
"Get in!"
There was no time to wait until we were inside the city to talk, so I immediately called Lola into the carriage.
Lola was not one to waste time and reported immediately.
"Your Highness, according to the latest reports, Sir Kariel's five hundred cavalry suffered heavy losses. Over half are dead, and Sir Kariel himself is seriously injured. He is currently covering the retreat of the refugees. A rough count puts the number of refugees at at least two million. They are fleeing toward Brilliant City and Plain City in the south. If we don't react immediately, I fear there will be widespread riots."
Such a massive migration of refugees was no different from a plague of locusts. They would eat everything in their path, and in the end, they might even resort to trading children for food. I would never allow such a thing to happen within the borders of the Kingdom of the Moon!
"Have Sir Robert head east immediately. Also, send Sir Nar and Lady Yuna. Each will take a thousand knights and five thousand infantry to provide immediate support to Sir Kariel's position. Contact Kevin; I need to know where he is right now. Urge the Wyvern Knights of the Kingdom of Sand; I want to see them within ten days! Have the Kingdom of Sand's airships load up on grain from the Holy See and get here immediately. Contact the Holy See; I want to speak directly with the Pope."
"Your Highness, Sir Robert has already been dispatched. However... Sir Nar, Lady Yuna, and those two thousand knights are the essential garrison for Brilliant City. Without them, the defensive strength of Brilliant City will drop too much!"
"There's no time to worry about that. Have them bring as much food as possible. How much money is left in the treasury?"
"About six hundred thousand gold coins."
"Buy up all the grain from all the surrounding towns. Buy as much as you can and have them take it all to those refugees. We have to sustain them for as long as possible."
"But Your Highness, this way Brilliant City will not only be short on combat power, but we will also face a food shortage. If anything happens, we won't be able to react in time."
"Lola, that is an order!"
"...Yes."
Lola adjusted her glasses and nodded slightly, accepting the command.
I couldn't consider anything else right now. A migration of millions of refugees was an absolute shock to the Kingdom of the Moon!
The situation at the eastern border was currently a complete mystery.
"Tell Baker to investigate immediately. No matter what, no matter the cost, I want to know the current state of the battle at the eastern border. I want to know how many troops the demon army has, how many Demon Marshals, and how many demon generals. Scout everything clearly!"
"Yes!"
"From this moment on, Brilliant City will enter a state of martial law. Unless absolutely necessary, no citizens are allowed to leave the city. Everyone passing through the city gates must be strictly inspected. Bring all the remaining Holy Water to the gates. Anyone passing through must submerge their hands in the Holy Water for ten breaths before they are allowed to enter."
At a time like this, Brilliant City's defenses would inevitably be thin. If demons were to take the opportunity to coordinate an attack from within and without to open the gates, the entire city would face an apocalyptic slaughter.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid there isn't enough Holy Water..."
"There is!"
"But Your Highness, the production of Holy Water isn't as simple as just taking a bath. There is a limit to how much Holy Water Your Highness can produce each day."
"Take however much there is!"
I didn't care about that anymore.
Upon returning to the Temple, I immediately got in touch with Kevin.
Looking at the grave expression on Sir Kevin's face, it was clear he was also aware of the situation.
However, after I explained my arrangements, Sir Kevin flatly refused.
"Absolutely not! Your Highness, Brilliant City must have at least four Guardian Knights and a standing force of five thousand knights. Those twenty thousand soldiers are the entire infantry of Brilliant City. Once they are gone, the city's defenses will be empty! Your Highness, you are the heart of the Kingdom of the Moon. If anything happens to Brilliant City, we won't be able to react in time!"
"It has to be done, Sir Kevin. We can't worry about that now. I suspect this is exactly what the demon army wants."
The sudden loss of communication with the border, the sudden flight of millions of refugees from the east, and the ambush on Sir Kariel's unit... everything was designed to completely cut me off from any news regarding the eastern border.
"Are you saying the demons want to lure the tiger from its den and weaken Brilliant City's defenses to the absolute minimum?"
"Yes. When Zuka led the demon army to invade the first time, that was his intention. And this time, no matter how you look at it, the situation seems similar."
If the demons had any brains, they would surely plant spies among those millions of fleeing civilians. The vast majority of the demon race has the ability to transform into ordinary humans. No one could say for sure how many demons were hidden among those millions of people.
The stockpile of Holy Water couldn't possibly support a million people.
Cutting off the border communications wasn't strictly necessary. If the demons had the power, they could simply take the border defenses. If they didn't, there was no need to cut communications.
The reason they did so was likely to prevent me from getting news from the border.
Leading me to make a misjudgment.
"If that's the case... Your Highness, I believe the main force of the demon army must be hidden among those million refugees!"
Exactly. That was also what I had thought. However... I could not simply leave millions of people to their deaths, no matter what.
From the very beginning, the demon army's target has been me. Their goal is to seize my Authorities.
So, the target this time should still be me.
"There should only be a small portion of the demon army among the refugees fleeing toward Plain City. If I'm not mistaken, they will likely start a slaughter outside Plain City to draw our attention. Then, they will hide the majority of their elites among the refugees heading toward Brilliant City to launch a surprise attack while our defenses are thin. That would be the most effective tactic."
"As expected of a god. To think that you, who has never experienced war, could understand it so well."
Kevin stared at me blankly for a long while before squeezing out those words, making me not know whether to laugh or cry.
It wasn't that I understood war, but rather that their goals were already known to me.
"But... doesn't that make you the one in the greatest danger, Your Highness?"
"Yes, I am indeed the most vulnerable. But... I still have all of you. Kevin, how much longer until you can reach Brilliant City?"
This time, I will make sure the demon army never returns!
Rate on N.U.
