Chapter 370: Command and Collapse
"This is absolutely maddening."
Levis Ann broke out in goosebumps at the dire report the scout had brought. The enemy possessed a mage powerful enough to operate a portal.
’It couldn’t have been a portal set up on short notice.’
The fact that hundreds of soldiers had moved en masse over the course of two hours, if not instantaneously, meant one of two things. Either the portal had been prepared over a span of several weeks, or they had an archmage-level caster capable of deploying a portal on the spot.
’It’s not the latter. I didn’t sense any magic power reactions.’
If an archmage were present, Levis Ann would have noticed. She could quickly detect the flow of high-level magic, after all.
The answer was the former: the portal had been in place since before Levis Ann arrived. So seamlessly that she couldn’t detect any irregularity in the flow of magic power.
’A large force left the city all at once. Then where did they go?’
Abandoning the city to flee? That possibility couldn’t be ruled out. It could be an attempt to consolidate all forces in the dungeon for a defensive stand.
But Levis Ann’s instincts were telling her otherwise. The enemy hadn’t simply used the portal to relocate troops. If there was one possibility more likely than any other....
"...The moment the sun rises, we siege that city. Wake the soldiers and feed them breakfast. We take that city in one hour."
"What? We don’t even know where the enemy forces went...."
"Not knowing where they went is exactly why this is an opportunity. If hundreds of troops have left, the city should be nearly empty right now. Of course, it’s impossible to determine where they went. They might even be targeting our rear."
"Y-You mean...!"
The priest serving as adjutant immediately caught on to what Levis Ann was saying.
"Spica Castle is..."
"Enough. Shut your mouth."
Levis Ann flashed killing intent as she silenced the priest. She approached him and whispered low enough that no one else could hear.
"The rear has been attacked by enemy monsters. So what happens to the subjugation force?"
"...."
The priest, his face gone pale, couldn’t answer. Levis Ann answered for him.
"The adventurers will sense something is wrong and desert. The conscripts from the barony will demand to return to Spica Castle immediately. I cannot win with an army that can’t be controlled."
"B-But that’s...!"
"This isn’t a hardened battlefield. This is the deep rear, where monsters have barely ever appeared. A place that had virtually no connection to the war against the Demon King’s Army. These people have been steeped in peace for far too long."
That was precisely why they’d failed to detect the dungeon when it first appeared and had their city stolen by dungeon monsters instead. Granted, the opposing dungeon was a fairly high-risk one, but had they known that from the start, Levis Ann herself would have come here leading her personal guard.
"Listen carefully. What I just said stays between you and me. Understood? We will retake Zabiyaba, the city occupied by the enemy, ’as originally planned.’ Otherwise, nothing will work."
"B-But there’s one more person who knows."
"...I will issue separate orders to him. He survived enemy territory as a scout, so he should be more than capable. Right, I’ll have him deliver a warning to be on guard at Spica Castle."
"Wh-What if the scenario you described actually comes to pass...."
Squeeze. Levis Ann gripped the priest’s shoulder and let out a low laugh.
"Then he’ll come racing back here even faster to deliver the news, won’t he?"
"...!!"
The scout, dispatched to warn Spica Castle, would safely deliver the message. Then even the most incompetent baroness would at least set up minimal defenses.
If Spica Castle came under attack, the scout would immediately return to the main camp.
Even in the worst case where Spica Castle fell, Levis Ann could maintain firm control over the soldiers during the time it took the scout to make the round trip.
"The soldiers’ training is abysmal. No personal guard, no priest corps, no mage battalion, no proper supply lines. If I can’t even maintain control of the troops in a situation this woefully inadequate compared to the front lines, I’d rather retreat on my own."
At Levis Ann’s extreme declaration, the priest nodded gravely. Even he was thinking it might be better to slip away, given the state of this battlefield.
"While we buy time, the real Holy Knight Order will arrive from the Leo Marquisate. Yes... we need to hold out for at least two days."
Two days. Levis Ann had to keep the subjugation force as intact as possible until the Holy Knight Order she’d urgently summoned could arrive.
"Of course, we can’t just sit idle. If the enemy still has their portal open, we should be able to determine where they went. I’m certain of it."
Her instincts were pointing somewhere, but Levis Ann couldn’t bring herself to voice her suspicion. She was the only one who needed to be rattled.
"That’s why... we absolutely must get over those walls. Understood?"
"Yes, ma’am!"
The priest relayed the urgent orders to the other adjutants as Levis Ann directed. Levis Ann watched the darkness gradually lifting and dawn light settling over the camp, steadying her breathing.
"The night may belong to monsters, but the day belongs to humanity."
About an hour later.
The subjugation force pushed their catapults forward through the breach in the fence they’d destroyed, pressing on with the siege.
***
The morning sun had risen.
I sat at the table in the baronial castle’s dining hall with Lime, disguised as Baroness Virgo, Lune, who had changed into a noblewoman’s dress procured from the castle, and Meri.
"Let’s see what a noble family’s meal looks like. Heh heh."
A fairy who claimed to have once worked in some noble household temporarily played the maid and brought out the food. The plates were arranged with dishes that looked appetizing enough.
"Roasted potatoes, bread, and salad."
A meatless meal. The potatoes were a bit dry and crumbly, and the bread looked like it would be impossible to chew without at least some thin soup to wash it down. The salad didn’t even have dressing.
I didn’t want to complain about the food, but this was supposedly a noble house, and there wasn’t even an eggs Benedict, let alone a steak. My gaze naturally drifted to Meri, who would have eaten here in the barony regularly.
"...Meri?"
"The barony is poor. The dungeon disrupted the food supply too, so... this was probably the best they could do."
"I’m sorry. You’ve been working at the baronial castle eating meals like this all this time."
Compared to our dungeon, overflowing with harpy eggs the size of ostrich eggs and lion meat to spare, this was a world apart. I was genuinely moved to tears.
"This won’t do. The first order of business in this barony is a food revolution. Yes. At least one harpy egg per person per day."
I had no idea how many citizens would actually choose to stay and join our legion, but I finished a light meal while chatting with the three of them. Outside, the air was still thick with groans and screams, and now that breakfast was over, it was time to get serious about making the baronial castle our own.
"Ready, Lime?"
"Yep."
Lime smiled and fastened a chain collar around her own neck. Then Lune and Meri tore the baroness’s dress that Lime was wearing into ragged shreds.
"Forgive me. This amounts to humiliating you."
"It’s fine. The one being humiliated is the baroness. Not me."
"...Heh heh, right. That’s true."
I grabbed the leash attached to Lime, no, Baroness Virgo’s collar and headed up to the upper floor of the baronial castle. When we reached the terrace overlooking the square, the plaza below was packed with people herded together by my subordinates.
Even a rough headcount put the number in the thousands. The sheer weight of all those eyes on me left me breathless.
’I have to do this.’
I have to. These people will become my subjects, and they need to get used to our legion. In that sense, seeing me subdue ’Baroness Virgo’ would come as a tremendous shock to them.
"Behold, humans!!"
Clink. I yanked the leash attached to the baroness’s neck. The baroness collapsed to her knees on the terrace.
Crash!!
I lifted my foot and smashed through the terrace railing. The view opened up in an instant, and I stepped onto the narrow ledge, just wide enough for three or four people to stand.
"Eek!"
"The, the Baroness!"
"Goddess above...!"
The residents despaired at seeing the baroness taken captive. The ember of hope called Levis Ann still remained, but she couldn’t possibly reach them now.
"Your domain has been conquered by the Demon King’s Army! By rights, I should slaughter every last one of you here, but I was moved by the baroness’s devotion to her people!"
I grabbed the baroness by the back of the neck and hoisted her up. The crowd held their breath at the sight of her clothes, torn to near rags, barely even qualifying as noble attire; from certain angles, even her chest was visible through the tears.
"Now, say again what you said to me! Right here, in front of the people you cherish!"
"...I’m...sorry...ngh...!"
The baroness twisted in pain, forcing a strained smile.
"To save...everyone...I offered...myself...!"
"The baroness offered herself to me! She begged me to spare her people in return!"
"Baroness...!!"
Gratitude and guilt flickered across the residents’ faces. No matter how poor someone’s usual conduct might have been, no one would doubt or curse a sacrifice like this, made for their sake in such a dire moment.
"Then let me pose a question! Baroness!"
Whoosh! I spread my robe wide. Between the white tights I’d deliberately changed into, my grotesquely swollen member revealed itself before the crowd.
"Kyaaaaah!!!"
Women screamed. But I bellowed over their screams, my voice booming across the square.
"Baroness! If you truly wish to protect your people, then submit to my manhood! Spread your legs yourself and take it in, and I shall spare your people! Bwahahaha!!"
The residents began to stir. In the face of imminent death, a single ray of hope had appeared.
"If the Baroness does it with the orc...we get to live?"
"Th-That’s a lie. There’s no way.... But still...."
Hope is a truly terrifying thing. Eyes that had been dead and lifeless just moments ago began to gleam. They sent complicated, pleading gazes toward the baroness, begging for salvation.
"Hahaha, look! Baroness! Your people want to survive, even if it means sacrificing you! This is the ugly face of humanity!"
"No, Baroness!!"
One oblivious old man sprang up with a scream. Orcs approached to restrain him, but I raised my hand and stopped them.
"Kill me instead! If a monster defiles her, the Goddess will...!"
"Yeah? Then die. Someone, give this man a blade!!"
An orc strode over and handed the old man a dagger. The razor-sharp blade had only one purpose.
"Well? Care to die in the baroness’s place?"
"I, well...."
The old man trembled, glancing around at the others. Baroness Virgo wasn’t someone who had ever inspired genuine loyalty from her people. What this man truly feared wasn’t the baroness being violated by me; it was the violation of the Goddess Church’s ’taboo.’
"I’ll count to ten. If you can’t decide within ten seconds, I’ll kill everyone here. Ten, nine, eight...."
"...."
The old man sank powerlessly to the ground. His grip went limp, and even the dagger slipped from his hand. I sneered at him and set the leash down.
"It seems no one is willing to die for you. Let me make the opposite offer, then. I’ll spare you alone. I won’t lay a finger on you. But everyone here dies. What say you?"
"...."
Baroness Virgo limped forward and prostrated herself before me. Then she raised her head and let her body speak her answer.
"Please...spare my people...."
The baroness pressed her lips to the tip. Most of the residents sighed in anguish, turning away or closing their eyes.
"So you’ve chosen to let me have my way with you? Then so be it."
I hoisted the baroness up. Then I tore her dress, already reduced to rags, apart from both sides. The ruler of the Virgo domain, Virginia Virgo, was stripped bare before thousands of onlookers.
"Turn and face them all."
"B-But that’s...."
"Turn!!"
The baroness, trembling, turned to face her people. Tears of humiliation brimmed in her eyes, but she bit down hard on her lower lip, as if fighting to endure.
’Lime’s really selling this performance.’
It was as though the original baroness she’d consumed had possessed her. The illusion that I was genuinely tormenting the real baroness was so convincing. With Lime putting in this much effort, how could I possibly stand idle?
"Watch closely, people of the barony! From this moment, anyone who closes their eyes or turns away will be killed!"
With the threat issued, I lifted the baroness up. Supporting her from below with my thighs, I spread her legs apart.
"This is a woman who offered her own body for your sake! Your lord, Virginia Virgo, is sacrificing her maidenhood to protect your lives! Heh heh, I can hardly refuse such spirit! Listen well, people of the barony!"
Creak. I pressed the tip against the baroness’s entrance. I felt the distinctive springiness of slime mingled with the form of Baroness Virgo.
"If the baroness doesn’t climax even once before I finish inside her, I will truly spare your lives! Bwahahaha!!"
With a booming laugh, I thrust into Baroness Virgo.
Squelch.
"Ahhggh!!"
Something tore with a wet sound, and red fluid flowed from inside the baroness, dripping down to the floor. I held the baroness’s body firmly so she wouldn’t fall, grasped her chin, and tilted her face downward.
"Baroness, you who have sacrificed your maidenhood! Have you nothing to say!"
"...D-Don’t...worry...."
Even as her face twisted in pain, the baroness forced a strained smile toward her people.
"I’ll...save you...all...ahhk!"
"...Bwahahaha! She says she’ll save you all! Let’s see how long you can hold out, Virginia Virgo!"
Thwap, thwap thwap, thwap thwap.
Before thousands of her people, I claimed Baroness Virginia Virgo’s maidenhood and thrust my hips with vigor.
