Realist Demon King – 7
The Man who was called Boushin
The battle between the Demon King Sabnac and Count Ismalia began one week after, in a field near my castle.
This was because I had leaked information to both sides that this is where the other side would set up camp.
Demon King Sabnac,
“How dare you try and take my brother’s lands, human. This is unforgivable.”
He was enraged by the arrogance.
As for Count Ismalia,
“A demon thinks he can attack my protected territories!”
He said with righteous indignation.
In fact, Sabnac had brought two-thirds of his army with him and was fully prepared to fight.
Count Ismalia too, brought fifty knights with him, along with some mercenaries.
The two sides clashed at 12 o’clock.
It was a vicious battle. Sabnac’s monsters fell one after another, and Ismalia’s knights fell to their knees.
Their numbers dwindled as I watched, and yet neither sides showed signs of shouting that word, ‘retreat.’
It had initially been a battle over who could claim dominance over my lands and Ashtaroth castle, but they were stubborn, and it was now about proving their worth as a leader.
The one who pulled back first would be the loser.
I couldn’t help but smile.
“They are such fools. Pride doesn’t put food on the table.”
“Indeed, they are all fools. They fight each other, and we are left unharmed.”
“If I followed your advice, Eve, I would just have to spring an ambush now that they are weak. Both sides would be crushed, and I would be free of any threats for a while.”
“Will you do that?”
“Hardly. I do not like war. What I want right now, is materials to grow my army and expand the castle.”
“I understand. And how will you acquire that?”
“I will tell you. We will now take some soldiers with us and head for Demon King Sabnac’s castle. And there, we will attack his storages and seize what we want.”
“…So, you are going to ambush Sabnac’s castle while his army is fighting on our behalf?”
“I do not remember asking him for help.”
I said coldly.
“…Well, I did ask Count Ismalia, on the other hand.”
“You did.”
“But I never made any sort of alliance with Sabnac. I am not his subordinate. I am not under his protection. This is not even betrayal. It is scheming.”
“Scheming.”
Eve looked at me with a serious expression.
“There was this country called Japan in the world I was researching.
And in that country was a general named Mori Motonari.”
“A fine name.”
“Yes. He was a minor lord of the Chugoku regions, but his wisdom allowed him to eventually become governor of ten provinces. He utilized trickery to rise to the top.
Later generations called him:
Boushin.”
“Boushin. The ‘god of strategy.’”
“Exactly. He once said that wars of the world were ‘won the more you schemed and lost the less you did so.’ You must always be thinking, and trying to exploit the enemies weaknesses.”
“Currently, Demon King Sabnac is in the battlefield with over half of his soldiers. That means the defenses of his castles should be rather sparse.”
