Lord of Disease (JP-GL) 295

295: The Unity of Humanity

The members of the Human Alliance Against Demons’ roundtable meeting looked exhausted.

It was only natural that their expressions were tired and grim.

The representative from the Perte Empire began to speak, his voice a low murmur.

“…In the Empire, the newly cleared fields and the food stores were the primary targets. There was no damage to the barracks or the cities. But… much was lost. It is a rough estimate, but we should assume that we have only about seventy percent of our originally planned food supply.”

“The Holy Kingdom has suffered a similar level of damage… There were no human casualties, other than the sentries.”

“The Kingdom, as well…”

The representatives of the Holy Kingdom of Etrantal and Rank Kingdom also nodded, their expressions weary.

“…The attack was a single one. But the damage is devastating. A considerable number of livestock were also attacked. …Before, they were just stealing to eat, but this time, it’s different. They have chipped away at our food supply, broadly and shallowly. There will be deaths from starvation this winter. Hashir… was right.”

He, too, was an Elector. And the one he had named, Hashir al-Carnac, had also been an Elector. He was now deceased. He had advocated for a full-scale offensive, and when that had been rejected, he had advocated for an attack by assassins… and had failed miserably. He had ‘died at home’ after that, but it had undoubtedly been because he had incurred the wrath of the Lord of Disease.

He had failed. But he had been right.

“—The Empire advocates for a full-scale offensive. …With our current food supply, we cannot feed our people.”

The humans had been free from a true famine for four hundred years. While the poor may have gone hungry, it had not been to the point where people were dying of starvation.

Unlike the northern lands of the demons, the climate was warm. Crops and cultivation techniques had improved, and yields had been steadily increasing. Magical beasts had been exterminated, or their territories completely separated, and they had been able to secure farmland and even enclose large areas of land for pastures.

But now…

“Shouldn’t we prioritize rebuilding…?”

“…Even by our estimates, the food supply was barely enough. By next year, thirty percent will be dead. Are we to fight the demons with seventy percent of our forces? Or are we to let everyone starve… and be chipped away at our weakest points?”

They had been attacked at their weakest points. But was that not to be expected?

It was possible to have vast farmlands within the city walls. But it was impossible to deploy enough troops to withstand any attack, when you didn’t even know when you would be attacked. And as for the food stores, they had simply been consolidated to deliver a large amount of food to a large number of people. The same was true for the large pastures. It was impossible to provide the same level of security for a barn as for a royal or noble residence.

“It was fine until now! Until now… until now…!”

At the Rank Kingdom representative’s desperate cry, everyone fell silent.

Yes, until now. Everything had been going well. Everyone had thought that even the Lord of Disease was not strong enough to fight the soldiers who were stationed within the city walls. That complacency had led to this tragedy.

And yet, they would defend themselves next time. …But there would probably be no next time.

The fact that she hadn’t attacked the city walls was probably due to a lack of forces. But her main objective… had been to launch this attack at the perfect time.

If she had targeted the leaders of each nation, any assassin would have been defeated. But to have the fields and food warehouses, which were lightly guarded for their size, singled out…

Until now, the Listrea Demon Kingdom had been a thorn in their side, but not an imminent threat. They would have to be destroyed eventually. But as long as they existed as a threat, the ‘unity of humanity’ would be maintained… in a way, they had been a convenient existence.

But now, a venomous snake was raising its head.

…It had been less than three years, and the ugly squabbling over ‘who would bear the brunt of the subjugation’ was almost nostalgic.

The representative of the Empire declared, his voice tired but firm.

“…We must now fight as one. We will mobilize all the volunteers we can, and with all the food we have, we will head north. With the full strength of humanity, to… drive the demons from this continent.”

Why had this war begun?

The thought, which was useless to dwell on, rose in everyone’s hearts.

Were they afraid? Of a being stronger than humans? Did they think that if they destroyed all non-human beings, there would be peace?

In the beginning, the humans had had the upper hand.

The enemy was a disorganized mob. …Or rather, in the case of the undead, demons, and dragons, it was not uncommon for them to act alone.

The dark elves and the elves had formed small nations, but they were no larger than city-states. The beastmen moved in tribes, and each group was even smaller.

If they had united, they would have been a threat, but on each battlefield, they had been defeated one by one, in the face of the overwhelming military superiority of the united humans.

But the seeds of disaster had remained.

A single leader, who had come to be called the ‘Demon King,’ had united the demons—the non-human races.

The name of the nation they had built was Listrea.

The humans of that time had not had the resources to pursue the demons who had fled to the undeveloped north.

Their pursuit, after they had built up their national strength, had been stopped by the wall that had been built—Fort Litalside.

And a distorted stability had been established.

The demons had withdrawn behind their wall and had not launched any aggressive attacks… and for a time, there had been peace. If they had attacked, they could have been wiped out, and their weakened walls could have been breached, but that had not happened.

Various plans had been made to capture Litalside, but they had all failed.

Because the humans had not been serious.

“It is not too late. Humanity is far more numerous than the demons. If our sixteen nations cooperate… but.”

“…I agree. The reorganization of the Order of Evangel is also underway. To destroy the evil that should not exist in this world.”

“Even without the Dragon Knights, the Dragon Scale Knights are still intact. …Very well. We will recruit volunteers… and launch a full-scale offensive. …If we do not win, the history of humanity will end.”

The representatives of the Holy Kingdom and the Kingdom spoke, and the representatives of the smaller nations also nodded in silent agreement.

They probably had their own thoughts. It was difficult to devise a plan where only one nation would suffer losses, and it was unclear how many volunteers would gather, and there were also a mountain of problems with logistics and supplies.

But still, there was one thing that everyone at the roundtable shared.

The rightful ruler of the continent was not the demons.

It was the humans who should win.