The Great Battle

Ria was troubled.

Troubled from the depths of her heart.

It wasn't about how to win this battle.

She had been thinking the whole time about what manner of victory to achieve.

According to the original plan, she was going to neutralize the enemy forces using simple, clear, yet magnificent and innovative tactics like she had until now.

Considering the charging power of the golem corps and the combat strength of the ogres, she had thought that even against the enemy's maximum mobilization, they wouldn't lose in a pitched battle.

That changed when she received a report from the reconnaissance unit that the enemy's supply lines had been torn to shreds.

Ria had made careful calculations and believed she had Serge prepare sufficient supplies, including surplus food.

However. However.

Demon Tribe Disruption Unit-san, you overdid it.

When you took prisoners, you had to feed them.

She had planned to take that food from the enemy's storehouses, but that was apparently no longer possible.

There was no way she could take food from the residents. Doing that would make enemies of the populace.

Where was she supposed to get food from?

Manesh no longer had surplus food prepared to feed hundreds of thousands of mouths.

Of course, there was nothing left in Cordova either.

In this situation, how was she supposed to deal with the starving enemies and residents?

She never imagined her allies would hold her back in this way.

And yet, these people.

The staff officers before her eyes.

Just how many defeat flags were they raising?

"This territory, as expected, should go to me…"

"I see, then since this one is adjacent to my territory…"

"No, considering future trade routes, I really must have this territory…"

"That's just what's convenient for you. This one also has advantages…"

They were discussing the post-war disposition of Cordova's territories over the map.

Ria instinctively drew her katana and cut the table in two.

Clean in half. The room fell silent.

"Gentlemen, what exactly are you discussing?"

With a cold voice and Dragon Eyes fixed upon them, nearly all the staff officers — in other words, the nobles — gasped.

"With only a 10,000 difference in troop strength, and moreover in a situation where we're inferior in cavalry power, why are you discussing what happens after the war?"

War is something far more pressing, brutal, desperate, and bleak!

Discussing post-war land distribution like you lot are doing — this isn't a topic for a strategy meeting.

Until now, they had never seen Ria angry.

They had been reprimanded for operational failures and lack of ability. But that had always been rational behavior.

This, however, was a complete eruption of emotion.

They learned.

Ria was harsh toward people who didn't take war seriously. She might even despise them.

"Serge, get a replacement table."

"Sorry, there isn't one."

"Then Fio, please prepare one. We'll take a break until then. I need to cool my head, but you all should also make sure to cool yours."

There stood the staff officers, nodding with all their might.

 

*

 

Inside the tent, Ria sat down heavily on a cushion.

She'd done it. It was close to taking out her frustrations on them. True, it was foolish thinking that ignored priorities, but that wasn't what Ria considered the problem.

No one understood what the problem was. That was what Ria couldn't stand.

Just as she was about to call Serge to share this indignation with him—

"May I come in?"

Carla entered the tent, carrying a pot and cups.

She didn't drink alcohol. Naturally, it would contain milk tea.

"Would you like some?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Sitting up, Ria accepted the cup.

The sweet fragrance of milk tea eased her frayed nerves.

"I showed you an unsightly side of myself."

"No, I think that was fine."

"Really?"

"Yes. The atmosphere in the war council had grown lax."

So it had looked that way to Carla too.

"Even so, it's not good for the supreme commander to explode with emotion."

"No, I think that was fine too."

Carla looked straight at her. With those eyes that resembled the color of the sky.

"You did the right thing."

She affirmed Ria.

"Ria-chan～?"

Maal poked her head in and entered the tent.

Ria beckoned Maal over and embraced her to her chest.

She felt at ease. Maal really was Ria's tranquilizer.

"Ah～, Onee-chan, that's unfair～"

Irina came in, apparently having been chasing after Maal.

It can't be helped. Since she's the Onee-chan, I'll give her half the right to hug Maal.

Following that, her companions came in one after another.

When Lulu and Carlos came in together, Ria thought "Riajuu scum," but right now she was the same.

Last of her traveling companions to enter was Fio. She seemed a bit surprised at the number of people.

"Um, the staff officers wanted me to check on how you were doing."

She wanted to tell them to come see for themselves.

"Well, Nee-chan is scary when she's angry, after all."

Serge agreed in a carefree manner, and even Maal in her arms nodded.

Well, she didn't like it, but if everyone said so, then it must be true.

Ria sighed, yet felt herself relaxing.

"Everyone, I want to borrow your wisdom."

With a serious expression, she spoke those words.

 

*

 

Several days later, the Ogress and Cordova armies faced off against each other.

It was a large-scale battle rarely seen even in the continental war history.

Due to the sheer size of both armies, neither side could choose a war of attrition.

The two armies that faced off early in the morning deployed their forces as if flowing, and entered combat without any speeches.

Cordova's formation was unchanged from usual.

Heavy infantry at the center, cavalry deployed from both wings.

Cordova's tried-and-true tactics. Despite having already been broken before, did they have no other option?

Or had they grown arrogant, now that they had overwhelming numbers in hand?

Or perhaps they were showing their usual tactics while having some other plan?

No, that wasn't it.

With an army of this scale, hasty tactics would be counterproductive. The most practiced, simple tactics would be the most effective.

You couldn't call it negligence. But you also couldn't say they were progressive.

The Ogress army, unlike before, pushed one of their main forces to the front from the very beginning.

The golem corps.

The charging power of the golems was on a different level from cavalry. The Cordova infantry that had boasted of their iron discipline and truly ironclad defense until now were being trampled with shocking ease.

No matter how many long spears they wielded or steel breastplates they wore, they were powerless before simple mass.

Their center broken through, the Cordova soldiers split to the left and right.

Following that, the cavalry positioned on both sides spread out even further to the left and right, trying to surround the Ogress army.

But even though they had chosen a plain suited for commanding large forces, there were limits to how far the left and right extended.

The uneven terrain and forests that greatly reduced cavalry mobility blocked them, making it impossible for the Cordova cavalry to make use of their specialty.

What remained now was simply a war of trampling.

She sent the ogre soldiers against enemy forces that barely maintained discipline.

When their order collapsed, she immediately pulled them back. The Cordova army that had become mere mobs of soldiers surrendered with disappointing ease.

This was also trust born from Ria's distaste for needlessly killing enemies.

That queen would not meaninglessly slaughter us who have lost the will to fight — or so they believed.

In fact, even in this case, Ria did not kill them.

Even knowing that killing them would be advantageous in terms of provisions, Ria did not kill.

This was both a matter of Ria's aesthetics and a result of considering future occupation policies.

The battle that was supposed to determine hegemony became unexpectedly one-sided.

Enemies who would no longer even flee simply threw down their weapons and surrendered.

They were no longer enemies, but pitiful individuals.

They won the war without greatly reducing Cordova's national power — in other words, its population.

Ria's scheme succeeded frighteningly well.

This great battle began in the morning and ended by evening.

Nearly 200,000 prisoners were disarmed, each unit and commander separated.

That processing took three days.

 

*

 

And Ria was angry.

Not at anyone in particular — she was angry at the situation.

To feed the nearly 200,000 prisoners, she had to slaughter the captured horses for food.

Tens of thousands of horses.

Ria loved horses just as much as cats. This was hard for her to bear.

Therefore, she was driven to relieve her stress.

Maintaining the mental equilibrium of the supreme commander was tremendously important, after all.

"Let me grope your breasts!"

"Huh?"

She pulled Shizuna, who she had summoned to the tent, close and began unceremoniously groping her chest.

"Haah～, so calming～"

"C-Calming my butt!"

Shizuna protested, face bright red, but it wasn't very persuasive. After all, her body wasn't resisting at all.

"Oh stop it, you feel good too, don't you? What's this? These bumps here?"

She couldn't sexually harass the pure Carla or the serious Fio, but she could with Shizuna.

Because she knew that Shizuna actually enjoyed it.

"Th-That's! Stop!"

"Nope～"

Nibbling on her earlobe, Ria thoroughly toyed with Shizuna.

"Actually, aren't you already wet?"

"I-I'm not!"

That lewd display continued until Carla was summoned and put a stop to it.

"Now then, time to begin the speech."

Stress had been relieved.

She bathed to cleanse herself, polished her armor until it sparkled, and Ria stood before the captive Cordova soldiers.

The content of the speech wasn't particularly novel. But for the Cordova soldiers who stood dazed, realizing they had lost to this beautiful girl before their eyes, it was effective enough.

She spoke concretely about how much oppression the country called Cordova had imposed until now. She compared it to Manesh.

Then she spoke of how Cordova had not prepared sufficient provisions for this battle, and how they were about to be discarded.

Ria further dangled bait before their eyes.

She would return the weapons and armor taken from them.

In the coming assault on Cordova's capital, they would serve as the vanguard.

Violence against citizens was forbidden, but all the treasures of the royal palace would be left to the soldiers' plunder.

It was outrageous.

The royal palace had been an unattainable flower for the soldiers. An existence they could only look up at.

And they were told they could violate it however they pleased.

To the commanders who were not swayed by mere impulse, she also made an attractive proposal.

If they distinguished themselves in this battle, they would be elevated to Ogress nobility.

"However, only for three days after breaching the capital's walls. Anyone who continues plundering beyond that will be executed without question."

Carrot and stick. There probably hadn't been such a clear example of this on the continent.

With the soldiers who had been Cordova soldiers until just the other day now under her command, their morale couldn't possibly be higher.

Leading a great army of 400,000, Ria advanced toward Cordova's capital.