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Chapter 159




Chapter 159: 159
Five days later, the legions arrived at the imperial capital of Habsburg.\n
“…….”
The Demon Lords could only fall into silence as they passed through the tall gates. They were stepping foot in the capital city of Habsburg for the first time ever. They were looking forward to a glorious and joy-filled victory; however, all that was left was black smoke.
There was nothing there. They couldn’t even see a single animal. The sharp smell of smoke left by the flames dug deeply into their noses. The Demon Lords set up a rough encampment above the razed city grounds. Barbatos looked around at the city with a forlorn look on her face before her eyes suddenly opened wide in realization.
She hastily spoke to the other Demon Lords.
“This is a tactical retreat. Damn it.”
“They deliberately retreated?”
Gamigin furrowed her brows as she spoke. She had been covering her nose with a silk cloth ever since they entered the city. Her voice was muffled because of this.
“Do you remember the 5th Crescent Alliance? Agares. You were in charge of Moscow at that time.”
“It was the Kingdom of Kyiv back then and not Moscow.”
The ends of Rank 2 Demon Lord Agares’ mouth twitched as if she were displeased.
“Why are you bringing up someone’s bad memories all of a sudden?”
“They’ve already been doing it during this war, but the humans carried out a scorched earth policy back then as well. It also happened to be winter. You went through all sorts of effort to get to Kyiv, but there was nothing left by the time you got there.”
“So you’re saying the Habsburg Empire abandoned their capital as a part of their scorched earth policy?”
Agares brought her hand to her chin. She would always have a smile lingering on her lips, but she now looked serious. Barbatos continued speaking to the other Demon Lords.
“See? The imperial tombs were all emptied. They basically disassembled their imperial palace and took it with them. They probably intend to move their capital. Fuck, this is our last chance. We have to send out our elite soldiers to pursue them.”
“This is our last chance?”
Marbas asked back.
“What do you mean, Barbatos?”
“Those imperial bastards are trying to pick up their entire capital and move it elsewhere. Do you think their people would nod obediently and follow along? I’m sure that they forced them to move. Their public sentiment must have taken a severe blow!”
Barbatos got worked up.
“They’re retreating while trying to console those people. They’re probably moving at a snail’s pace. This is the moment we can bring this empire down. If we pursue them and bite their asses, then the entirety of Habsburg will become ours! Now then, comrades. Let’s raise our flags and attack them now!”
‘So?’ Barbatos looked at the other Demon Lords.\n
“…….”
“…….”
Barbatos’ brow twitched. This wasn’t the response she wanted.
“What? Do you think I’m wrong? Then say it.”
“Barbatos, the 2nd legion is satisfied with capturing the capital city of Habsburg.”
Marbas spoke carefully.
“The best tactic is a bloodless victory. We managed to take over the most reputable city in the center of the continent without shedding a single drop of blood. Is there a reason for us to needlessly pursue more battles?”
“Mhm. I agree.”
Gamigin chimed in.
“From what I can tell, this means the higher-ups of the human army turned their backs toward their people. Wouldn’t we gain a psychological advantage if we just leave them be?”
The other Demon Lords nodded. A fierce look appeared on Barbatos’ face once she saw this.
“……Hey, my close comrades. What are you talking about? I’m starting to doubt my ears right now. Let me explain it to you guys one more time. If we work together to pursue them now, then we could erase the Habsburg Empire from the map entirely. They’re hastily retreating while also trying to cumbersomely take care of their people.”
“About that.”
Agares chuckled.
“Unless they’re idiots, wouldn’t those imperials be expecting us to pursue them? Hm? I feel like they’re tossing out bait and asking us to bite it. Why should we intentionally take the bait?”
“……It doesn’t matter if they’ve set up a trap or are lying in wait to ambush us, Agares.”
Barbatos barely managed to push her anger down her throat as she spoke.
“There are only two things that are important. The enemy is weak and we’re strong.”
“What’s there to say that they aren’t hiding a trump card?”
“…….”
Barbatos could tell that something wasn’t right.
Marbas, Agares, and Gamigin, the leading members of the Crescent Alliance had apathetic looks on their faces. It didn’t matter if the enemy had set up a trap since they could just break it apart with their overwhelming strength. There was no way that the Demon Lords gathered here weren’t aware of this fact.
Despite this, their minds were obviously elsewhere. In other words, they weren’t interested in destroying the Habsburg Empire. \nThere could only be one reason for this.
“You fuckers―don’t tell me. Do you guys not want to conquer the continent?”
The Demon Lords didn’t think the 8th Crescent Alliance could conquer the continent.
The blonde Gamigin tilted her head before speaking.
“Eeh?”
She made it seem like Barbatos was the weird one and not them.
“There’s no way our Crescent Alliance’s expedition will succeed.”
“…….”
“Seriously, you say the weirdest things sometimes, Barbatos. You should be satisfied with taking over the northern part of Habsburg. Why are you getting greedy? You’re going to get an upset stomach at that rate. Hehe.”
Agares followed up.
“If anything, this is a good thing. Since they’ve abandoned their capital, the people of Habsburg most likely don’t have the strength to strike back. If we use this opportunity to clean up the remaining areas of the empire, then we should be able to take our time enjoying our spoils of war.”
“…….”
“My 2nd legion was originally assigned the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Barbatos. The only reason I joined you this far was to secure a path to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth without having to go through the Black Mountains. Since there is now no reason for us to worry about our rear, my 2nd legion will be returning to our original goal.”
Marbas continued.
“Conquering the continent is a sizable task that will require a lot of time anyway. There is no reason for us to be impatient and try to get it all done at once, Barbatos.”
“……Don’t be impatient?”
Barbatos gnashed her teeth.
“You retards……. Is that something Demon Lords should be saying? An opportunity to destroy a human empire is right in front of our noses. Our mission is to wipe out the humans and gift the continent to demonkind. You guys are…….”
“Ah, ah. Who cares about that mission! It’s just annoying.”
Agares shouted.
“Go pursue that great mission on your own, you old school brat. All of the demons that genuinely wanted to take over the continent died a thousand years ago. Other than the people around you, no one believes in that nonsense anymore. Do you understand? We’re satisfied as long as we can feed the people that follow us.”
“You…… how could the rank 2 person.”
\n“Well, I’m not that greedy. Just give me some land that’s as big as a dukedom. It’s fine if you take the capital, Barbatos. Mm, even I think I’m being incredibly generous.”
“Ah, I would like an area near the Black Mountains if possible. I came here even though Baal told me not to. It’d be weird if I got land that’s far from the mountains. Mhm. I’d be satisfied with Brandenburg or something.”
“Oh right. The location is also important. Hm. What should I do?”
Barbatos became silent.
“…….”
Rather than anger, she felt more like vomiting.
She didn’t want to admit that these people were her equals. They didn’t have even a sliver of pride. They were a pack of coyotes that only moved for the sake of their own personal gains.
Barbatos left without a word. No one tried to stop her. Only the Demon Lords from the Plains Faction followed her.
She gave an order with an absolutely cold expression on her face.
“Prepare a pursuit group.”
“Are we going to pursue with only our legion?”
Zepar spoke carefully.
“Your Highness, I apologize, but I cannot guarantee that we will succeed.”
“Success is not something you predict. It’s something you go out and grab yourself.”
Barbatos responded sternly.
“The other Demon Lords may be pieces of trash, but, at the very least, we have to show demonkind that we Demon Lords are still fighting for their sake. That is what a monarch has to do.”
“……Understood.”
“Sons of bitches.”
Barbatos growled. She glared behind her out of the corner of her eyes.
“Fine. If that’s what you guys want, then we’ll conquer the continent at a later date! Before that day arrives, I’ll clean up all the trash that exists in the world.”
It was at this moment, the Plains Faction separated themselves from the other factions.
***
TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Sorry, I finished this chapter a day sooner, but I forgot to send it to my proofreader immediately after I was done. A little delay won’t kill anyone. I think. Probably.Welp, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.