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A large hole appeared next to me.

I felt fear as I looked at it. But that would not do.

I had to calmly assess the situation.

 

In a one-on-one fight, he had an advantage.

 

I felt this now, and so I moved back while launching fireballs at him. Then I called the remaining orc soldiers that had been left near the throne room.

 

Even while Sabnac struck fear into them, they had held their shields ready and continued to guard.

 

“Fool! Do you think that orcs will make a difference?”

 

Sabnac immediately dominated the battlefield he was in, but surprisingly, he was struggling a little due to the magic attacks.

 

His abilities in a duel was unquestionable, but dealing with ranged attacks and magic were clearly not his strong point.

 

If I could maintain this condition, the battle might just end right here. But Sabnac still wore a smile that showed he was far from over.

 

And so I asked him.

 

“You seem pleased, Sabnac. Are you certain of your victory?”

 

“Indeed. All you can do is try to buy time. But I wonder, who will really gain by this battle stretching out?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“This ditch you dug is impressive for the time you had to make it, but it does not surround your castle completely. I hear that the back is unprotected.”

 

“How did you know?”

 

I pretend to be surprised.

 

“Because I am not a fool. My scouts have told me.”

 

“I see. I suppose you have a hidden unit somewhere that will attack us from the rear?”

 

“Well, it seems that I made myself clear enough.”

 

Sabnac said confidently, and he was right to feel confident.

 

Ashtaroth castle really wasn’t protected in the back, by moat or soldiers. If they did come from that side, they could flow into the castle, and all would be over. That was how unguarded it was.

 

“Soon, very soon, my best soldiers will sweep into this area. High kobolds, the strongest among my kobolds. And they will destroy your core.”

 

“And having my core destroyed means game over, is that right?”

 

“It is.”

 

“Well, I must stop that from happening then.”

 

“You don’t decide that.”

 

And then Sabnac pulled out a crystal ball from his pocket and threw it.

It smashed on the ground and emitted a magical light.

 

This crystal seemed to be infused with power, and it was a tool that allowed non-magic users to use magic just once.

 

This one was for ‘farsight,’ and now, Ashtaroth castle’s rear gate was displayed in the sky.

 

It switched to a bird’s eye view now. And you could clearly see that a  group of high kobolds was moving towards the gate.

 

“This image is delayed by a dozen or more minutes. That means my soldiers will be here at any moment now.”

 

“I see, delayed. I thought something was strange.”

 

“Strange? What do you mean? Have you gone mad?”

 

“Hardly, I feel quite calm right now. Demon King Sabnac, your farsight is too weak. Do you mind if we switch to mine?”

 

I didn’t bother to wait for a reply, and with a few words, the spell was complete.

The newly displayed image was of the kobolds in front of the gate.

Sabnac looked at it with shock.

 

“Wh-what is?!”

 

Half of Sabnac’s high kobolds were not in the castle, but in a pit in front of the gate.

 

Yes, I had had a few engineers work to dig a hole in front of the gate.

 

And Sabnac did exactly what I had hoped he would.

I looked at him now. His shoulders were shaking and his expression was full of rage.

He was fighting the impulse to come and tear my throat open.

But I felt quite reinvigorated as I looked at him.

These were the moments of pure bliss that you felt right after your plan has worked.

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