CH 123

Chapter 123 – On The Way Back

A few hundred yards from the hill where the battle took place, I asked Myrril to stop the Tiran and get out of the gun seat.

“Mirryl, stop.”

“…Ah, yes.”

I think it was sixty miles to Casemaian, which is about a hundred kilometers or so.

The airborne surveillance by Owe-san, the winged tribe, showed no sign of the enemy on the way back. I am told that there are 500 soldiers of the Imperial Army who have set up a blocking line on the eastern route to the imperial capital, on the part of the road that we did not use, but I don’t care about that anymore.

“Owe-san, what happened to the wagons?”

“At thirty miles to Casemaian, Maeve of the winged tribe stopped it. The dying orcs are said to be brought alive along the road to the imperial capital by the beastman, but the effect is still unknown.”

“How about the earth dragon?”

“It is currently about 20 miles to the southeast, about halfway between the east and west city roads. It seems to have lost sight of the odor and is lost.”

“Thank you. We will get the results soon. If not, the end result will be the same.”

“Understood.”

I switched to Ural’s side-wheeled motorcycle and stowed the Tiran, which had done a great job.

Without this sturdy chassis, we would surely have died prematurely. Even if my body were safe, my heart would have been broken.

To fight against 500 regular troops in an open area, you need to have as many soldiers as your opponent, even with firearms. If we were to fight while protecting defenseless civilians, we would need to outnumber the enemy, and even then, we should be prepared to make sacrifices.

This victory is too limited a situation to be of any help in the future. It makes no sense to compare it to the theory.

Casemaian’s forces are too distorted.

Myrril and I followed the convoy on our motorcycles.

After a while, we see the butt of a Ural military truck. I pass it, honk my horn, and pull out in front of it, opening up a gap of around 200 meters before catching up with the bear-faced bus driving ahead of us.

“Do you want to ride over there?”

“I’d like to get a little more wind. If you want, you can stay with me until we get to Casemaian.”

“No problem, Your Majesty the Queen.”

We passed the bear-faced bus and continued on our way. As we continue to ride with the wind in our faces, my foggy thoughts start to fall apart and overflow. Motorcycles are inconvenient, but not bad for a kind of relaxation.

The entrance to Casemaian now comes into view. On the outer edge of the plain, at the foot of the bridge over the outer moat, the residents were out to greet us.

“””Welcome back, Yoshua.”””

“Welcome back, Your Majesty the Demon King.”

“Are the others all right?”

They all spoke words of encouragement to me. Suddenly I felt like crying, so I waved my hands and continued on my bike.

At the edge of the settlement, where the work was just beginning to be completed, Heimann-jiisan was waiting for us, sitting on a heavy construction machine.

“Good work, Yoshua. And you, too, Jou-chan. I hear you’ve done very well.”

“I was only going to check on things for four or five days.”

“It seems that the royal capital is already a chaotic place with all kinds of evil spirits of the mountains and rivers. No wonder they are all involved. Merel told me that the kingdom is being eaten up by seven domestic and foreign powers, large and small, doing whatever they want.”

“Does that include Casemaian?”

“Of course. We are supposed to be among the first to take the bait.”

I laugh and shake my head. The old man raises his hand and makes a sign to the winged tribe above us.

“We have a guest. Yoshua, after you get your truck and bus in, please remove the bridge and send everyone to the back. We need to welcome it.”

As the old man raised his hands to the outer edge of the plain, I saw a T-55 waiting on both the east and west sides of the southern end, blowing white smoke and starting up its engines.

“An earth dragon?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, the attempt to lure it to the imperial capital was unsuccessful. It is 20 miles to the southwest, and it is heading this way.”

“Ah, we didn’t have time to finish it off. I am sorry.”

“What is it? Just watch me. I’ll kill it in an instant.”

Heimann-jiisan, who had become a tank commander, turned on his heel and walked quickly away.

“Well then, I’ll go too…”

“Oh, Your Majesty the Demon King. It’s your bad habit to take away the work of the lower ranks.”

According to Myrril’s advice, I turn to assist the refugees. First of all, I lead the bear face bus and the Ural military truck across the bridge and into the Casemaian property, and then I lead them to the canyon entrance by motorcycle.

The refugees, relieved to be free from the cramped and stifling confines of the vehicles and containers, turned around to see a 70-foot-long (over 20 meters), hungry-eyed earth dragon.

“”””Hyaaaa…””””

The tank cannon fired and blew the dragon’s head off from both sides as if the screams of despair were a sign that the dragon had been killed.

The fact that they did not aim at the torso but at the small head suggests that they were not only training to fire artillery but also to secure some meat. I wonder if the earth dragons are tasty too.

“””…Eh?”””

The refugees’ eyes swam with an expression of not understanding, and their gazes eventually fell on Myrril and me as if they were seeking answers.

“Forget your conventional wisdom. If you’re going to spend time with Yoshua, you’re going to get tired of it.”

Oh, man, that’s terrible.

I smiled and welcomed the newcomers to our group of beastman, elves, and dwarves.

“Welcome to Casemaian.”