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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 98
Elbert gives a satisfied smile.
"Good thinking. It's not a task I'd assign to just anyone, so consider yourself honored."
He then returns to his solemn expression and pats me on the shoulder.
'Not a task he'd assign to just anyone, huh...'
Well, he's probably right.
He couldn't entrust this kind of task to just anybody.
Which is why this situation is even stranger.
"Why are you giving me this task?"
I voiced the question that had been on my mind.
There must be a reason why Elbert gave me this punishment.
The reason was simpler than I expected.
"Because I saw the qualities of a commander in you."
"The qualities of a commander, sir?"
"Yes, I watched you fight yesterday. You utilized your comrades quite effectively."
"Ah."
I think I know what he's talking about.
But, well.
Could you really call that the qualities of a commander?
'I was just doing what I do in the game.'
I simply placed Thompson and Barundel, who were the tank and damage dealers, at the front, and positioned Kayla, the damage dealer, at the back.
The battle did flow smoothly, but that wasn't because I had the qualities of a commander. It was possible because we had coordinated through numerous battles beforehand.
It wasn't that I was amazing, it was that our teamwork was good.
But did it look different in Elbert's eyes?
When I told him this, Elbert shook his head and said no.
"Your strength lies in your quick judgment. And that's the most important quality for a commander. Have confidence in yourself, mage."
Quick judgment, huh...
I don't really understand what he's basing this on, but I decided not to question it further and just accept it.
Whatever the reason, it wouldn't change the fact that I had to deploy the current troops.
Being imprisoned in the royal prison was something that absolutely must not happen.
'Sigh, okay. Let's do this.'
Since it's come to this, I have to deploy them successfully.
With that thought, I carefully examined the pieces.
Elbert explained as my gaze moved.
"Those are resource mercenaries. It's easy to think of them as a platoon grouped by each piece."
"The ones holding swords are knights. They're a key force, so you need to pay attention to their placement."
"These are regular soldiers. It's safer to keep them with the knights if possible."
Listening silently to the explanation, I pointed to the pieces gathered on one side.
"What are these?"
Four pieces painted red, as if they were important figures.
Three of the pieces had two blue dots on their eyes.
"Those are special pieces I use when there are persons of interest."
"Persons of interest?"
"Yes. Those who have very strong power, those who need to be protected because of their high status, or those who are dangerous and require attention. In this battlefield..."
Elbert looks up from the pieces.
Looking me straight in the eye, he says,
"It's the four of you."
The four of you.
It didn't take long to understand what he meant.
"The ones with dots on their eyes must be the three mages. And the one without is Barundel."
It was obvious he was talking about me, Thompson, Kayla, and Barundel.
"You catch on quick."
Of course, I don't particularly like the term "persons of interest."
It makes it sound like we're about to cause trouble.
Well... from Elbert Tyran's perspective, he could certainly see us that way.
Anyway.
"Hmm."
I've roughly finished grasping the pieces.
Now, what's left is the terrain and other complex elements.
The most crucial among them is...
"Is this where the new rifts will appear?"
That's right, the location of the new rifts.
Since that's where the enemies emerge, I need to know this to even begin deploying the troops.
I pointed to the three places marked with circles on the terrain, and Elbert nodded.
"That's right. Those are the estimated locations based on the [Magic Measurer]. There are three marked now, but you must keep in mind that more could appear."
"So we need to prepare for variables."
"Exactly."
Okay.
I've grasped the location of the rifts and sufficiently imprinted the structure of the battlefield in my mind.
Now, all that's left is the actual deployment.
"I'll need to concentrate for a moment."
I moved back slightly from the desk and took in the whole picture at once.
Then, I closed my eyes tightly.
All I see now is a black canvas with nothing on it.
On it, I began to draw images of war, one by one.
Images from the second wave of [Blood Moon Prophecy] that I experienced many times in the game.
Rumble! Crackle!
One in the northeast, one in the southwest.
Red lightning strikes, tearing open space.
And from within, swarms of demons begin to pour out.
Most of them are intermediate-level demons or higher.
Definitely a much stronger force than yesterday.
Furthermore...
Whoosh...!
Screech! Screeeech!
Hohoho!
Each rift contains a high-ranking demon commanding the legion.
From the left rift, a [Demon Minotaur].
From the center rift, a [Succubus].
From the right rift, a [Giant Scorpion with a Poison Sting].
From our standpoint, these are the ones we need to eliminate first.
We'll need an appropriate deployment to counter them.
An idea flashes.
I opened my eyes and started moving the pieces.
Carefully, matching the characteristics of those high-ranking demons.
Tak! Tak! Tak tak tak!
'The [Giant Scorpion with a Poison Sting] needs focused firepower all at once. I'll put six high-ranking knights here, and the [Succubus]... right, there's no need to take her down quickly. Regular soldiers can stall for time. Barundel and I can handle the [Demon Minotaur].'
Thus, the deployment gradually came together.
It was my first time doing this, but it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.
That's because my head was full of data about the [Blood Moon Prophecy].
'The first wave already gave me all the information I need.'
I can guess the type of high-ranking demons emerging from each rift based on the types of demons that appeared in the first wave.
For example, if a [Demon Lizardman] appeared, then a [Demon Minotaur] would follow. If a [Demon Goblin] appeared, then a [Succubus] would follow. It usually goes like this.
And the location where they appear corresponds to their combat strength.
So, the weakest of the three, the [Demon Minotaur], will emerge from the left rift, and the strongest, the [Giant Scorpion with a Poison Sting], from the right.
This is a formula I figured out myself around the time I entered my fifth year of playing [Devil Fantasy].
Meaning, it's information I can trust.
Of course, I couldn't blindly believe it.
No matter how accurate the formula, this is the future, 100 years later.
The patterns might be different from what I know.
However.
'I can prepare for that too.'
There aren't that many types of demons that can appear in the second wave anyway.
At most, I can count them on my fingers.
Therefore, if I prepare for the cases where other demons pop out, I can sufficiently eliminate the variables.
And.
'Assuming there are no additional rifts.'
I completely ruled out the possibility of new rifts appearing besides these three.
Based on the situation in the first wave, there were no signs of that happening at all.
In my experience, the probability of additional rifts appearing without any warning was extremely low.
Tak! Tak! Tak!
The deployment proceeded smoothly.
About 30 minutes later.
"It's finished."
I finally completed the deployment.
Elbert Tyran looked at my finished arrangement and tilted his head with a subtle expression.
"Is it really finished?"
"Yes."
"...That's an unusual deployment."
He doesn't seem entirely pleased.
But at least in my eyes, it was a perfect arrangement.
I nodded confidently.
"Yes. If we fight like this, we can minimize our losses."
"What makes you think so?"
"Because I've arranged the troops according to the leader of each rift."
"Arranged according to the leader?"
Elbert looked at me with an expression that demanded further explanation.
Even though he entrusted me with this task, even though he gave me this role (deleted), I still had to convince him.
It wasn't a difficult task, so I gave him the reasons one by one.
From the type of high-ranking demons that would emerge from each rift to their characteristics.
After hearing my entire explanation, Elbert, naturally, responded with disbelief.
"How can you be so sure?"
It was understandable. After all, who could possibly know the exact types of enemies that would appear in a war?
It was only natural for him to be skeptical.
I didn't have much to say in response to his doubt.
"Uh... um... research?"
"Research?"
"I'm very interested in this war. So, I did some research, and it seems that wars caused by the [Blood Moon Prophecy] always unfold in a similar pattern."
"So you're saying you predicted them through your research?"
"That's right."
"And that there won't be any more rifts?"
"Correct."
"...Interesting."
Elbert said, stroking his chin.
His serious expression showed genuine curiosity.
"If that's true, there must have been many problems with my deployments so far. Because I've never been able to predict which demons would appear."
"Ahaha..."
Problems? That's normal.
Even I only figured this out after banging my head against the wall dozens of times trying to conquer the [Blood Moon Prophecy] event.
There was no way an average user or NPC could know this information.
Anyway.
"Alright, I'll trust you then."
Elbert nodded, seemingly convinced.
It seemed he was really going to proceed with the war according to this deployment.
I felt a weight settle on my shoulders.
Perhaps it showed on my face.
"Don't worry. I'll step in myself if anything happens."
Elbert patted my shoulder, easing my worries.
His words were certainly reassuring.
'If the Knight Commander steps in, nothing can go wrong.'
Elbert Tyran was undoubtedly the strongest force among the hundreds of allies here.
Originally, after the first wave, the commander should conserve their strength in preparation for the worst-case scenario. But if he were to step in, those high-ranking demons would be dealt with in an instant.
This meant I had nothing to worry about.
As I was thinking this...
"Ah—can everyone hear me? As I mentioned earlier, I will announce the new deployment."
Elbert picked up an artifact mounted on one of the walls and began broadcasting to the entire unit.
He was going to move the soldiers according to the deployment I had created.
"Regular soldiers from the 1st to the 3rd platoons, move to the flag planted in the northeast. The 1st Knight Division, gather at the north flag, the 2nd Knight Division, gather at the southwest flag..."
Elbert finished the broadcast after relaying the positions for the resource mercenaries and our party members.
As I realized that all the announcements were over, my heart started to pound.
Thump! Thump! Thump...!
It wasn't out of fear.
It was just that I knew there was no turning back now.
This was a deployment I had created entirely with my own abilities, without relying on the help of [Prodigy of Magic] or [Essence of Light], which I had been anticipating ever since I came to this world.
What would the result be?
"Let's get going too."
It was time to see the outcome.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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