“My lord, the army is ready, but are you sure we should be dealing with this Deedee? Wouldn’t it be better to ally with her?”
“The time for that has already passed. “I responded irritably. “Just focused on preparation.”
A week had passed by quickly. I had Miki making potions. Lydia was running drills. Elaya, I had sent on a special task that only she could accomplish. We were just about ready, but if I had to say where everyone’s mind was at, their morale had reached an all-time low.
After seeing the fighting capabilities of the girls, the soldiers had immediately recognized them as the generals of the army. Prior to that, they had been almost dismissive and condescending toward them, but after seeing such a brutal fight that would have wiped out all of them if they had joined, the men wouldn’t dare disrespect the women of their lord. Previously, they had respected me, but now they feared me too. Each of the girls now had a position of leadership.
That was what I was hoping for, but it had also served to demoralize them. After all, the other side had women just as strong. How could someone march into a battle of giants when they were a mere human and feel easy. Knowing the strength of the girls they faced, this caused them to not have a good feeling. Furthermore, the girls or maybe the residents of Deeksville had seemed to leak what was going on regards to Deedee. They now knew that we were going to be fighting Chalm, not the demon lord, first.
This had made a lot of them unhappy. I had received numerous complaints, but I had ignored them all. Instead, I had prepared them for the battle. I explained and revealed all of Deedee and her army’s weaknesses. They understood the army we were going to face intimately. They knew exactly how to fight them, and that was what I wanted.
I had already gazed upon Aberis’s army. The men were practically zombies, demon knights corrupted with miasma. Then, the monsters were dumb trolls and giants from the northern mountains who Aberis had likely tamed somehow. Simply put, they were an army of brute strength, and there was no sense in understanding them. Rather, they were truly easy to understand. They hated life and wanted to eliminate it.
I had contacted the property in Alerith to fight out the state. Lord Reign had stayed behind. Although many citizens had gone missing, nearly half, and the city was full of unrest and nearly crumbling. Those citizens were likely used as food for monsters and slaves for the knights. Aberis had spent 20 years stripping Alerith of resources to build his army in secret, and now he had finally moved. All that was left of the city was destitute, starving, and beaten people. At least, that’s how I saw it.
Alerith would have to wait. My focus had to be on Deedee right now. First, her, then I’d defeat the demon lord, and then finally we could conquer the west.
“Alright.” I stood up, standing before an army of knights, paladins, priests, and conscripts. “We’ll begin.”
“Master…” Lydia looked over at me worriedly.
I smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. “Do you trust me?”
Lydia met my eyes, and then without hesitation, she nodded. “I do!”
“Then, trust in me this once. I know what I’m doing.”
I opened up a portal. “Move out!”
At the end of the day, there would only be one victor.