Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 142

Creating a Human Empire with Subordinates 144

Vampire Consulting (5)

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Mykene, as befitting its name as an empire, was a nation with a vast territory.

While the north, where I was developing the industrial complex, was terribly cold, the cold vanished as I traveled south to join Vlad, and slightly warmer weather greeted me.

“Is that all?”

The blood relative Kiriyan, sitting on a palanquin [a covered litter carried on poles], asked me.

It wasn’t a tone of genuine curiosity but more of a mocking challenge, as if to say, ‘Is this the entirety of the force you’ve brought to aid Vlad?’—a mere 57 necromancers and roughly 21,000 undead. He acted as if this paltry force wasn’t even worth mentioning.

“I had higher expectations, considering I heard you were doing strange things in the north… Are you suggesting that the support you’ve brought is just skeletons, worse than goblins? Does Father really think he needs you for something like this?”

Kiriyan gestured dismissively at the army lined up before him.

His palanquin was positioned on a hill, overlooking a flat, wide field that would soon become a battlefield. His army was arrayed across the field.

“Look. There are corpses everywhere.”

Kiriyan’s army numbered approximately 50,000.

Vampire armies are typically large because they primarily consist of undead.

The standard tactic was to compensate for the low level of the undead with sheer numbers. While the undead tied up the enemy, the main force, composed of vampires and monsters, would crush them.

“You should have at least brought monsters.”

Kiriyan’s army was structured to execute such tactics.

About 7,000 monsters formed the spearhead, with the remaining undead acting as a shield. So, it was only natural that he found it ridiculous that I arrived without monsters. To him, it seemed like a brainless army without a striking force.

“Surely that’s not all, is it?”

After mocking me to his heart’s content, he asked again, a hint of doubt creeping into his voice.

“It’s not all.”

“Then where did you leave the rest?”

“Who knows.”

Kiriyan let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.

He assumed I was bluffing, pretending to have something I didn’t.

“I heard some nobody was flattering Father and receiving protection. I should have known you were just a piece of trash who doesn’t know anything about strategy. All you’ve done is bring back the necromancers Father lent you.”

It was an almost forced accusation.

Vlad did promise to treat me like an emperor.

But how long has it been since I came to Mykene?

Only a few weeks have passed. What could I possibly achieve in such a short time?

“Do you think I don’t know you’re planting strange people around Father and filling him with hot air? Don’t do anything foolish. Know your place and bow down.”

He was referring to the fact that I had placed several administrative subordinates in key positions around Vlad.

Since I was promised real power, I involved myself in various administrative matters.

It wasn’t for some grand purpose like reforming the Mykene Empire, but simply to nudge Mykene toward representative democracy and its inevitable decline, effectively squeezing its national power. I was tweaking things to efficiently consume land, manpower, and resources. It was completely different from when I was focused on increasing the empire’s capabilities when I ruled the Human Empire.

“Kiriyan-nim, the enemy is moving.”

“Damn it.”

Kiriyan, who had been glaring at me, turned his gaze forward.

Looking down from the hill, the coalition forces of the representative democracy were visible in the distance.

“How many are there?”

“A little over 16,000.”

Looking at the numbers alone, it was about one-third of Kiriyan’s army.

However, the coalition army was the one actively launching the offensive.

Kiriyan, on the other hand, was hesitating, as if unsure whether to retreat.

“What are you going to do?”

“Wait! I’m thinking!”

To be debating whether to fight or not even as the enemy approached…

I was dumbfounded and inwardly shook my head.

‘Indeed, his level has fallen significantly.’

If Mykene had been functioning properly, it would have been impossible for an incompetent like Kiriyan to be in charge of field command.

However, the Mykene Empire was in dire straits, having even had its capital occupied.

‘According to what the messenger told me, the coalition army deployed nine legions [a military unit of varying size]. Each legion wouldn’t be at full strength, so it would vary from as few as 3,000 to as many as 8,000. At least three legions, then.’

If we could defeat them here, Vlad would be relieved.

It would be like crushing about 30% of the enemy’s forces.

‘If I were him, I would retreat, though.’

But if I were Kiriyan, I would have retreated long ago.

Why fight when you’re outnumbered?

Even though the numbers were more than three times greater, the actual combat power was terrible.

‘The monster unit, which is the real strength of Kiriyan’s army, is less than half of the enemy’s. The undead unit would have to take down more than half of the enemy to gain the upper hand, but that’s realistically impossible.’

They can’t win. They should avoid a battle.

Since the enemy is too close, they should throw the undead unit as bait.

While the enemy is tied up with the undead, the main force should escape.

‘Vlad, and the spirit of the relic that controls him, will know that fact too. Rather, they’ll be relieved that they encountered the enemy and didn’t lose the main force.’

The enemy also knows the actual combat power.

That’s why they’re advancing so boldly.

‘The overall terrain of the battlefield is such that Kiriyan’s army is on a hill. On the other hand, the coalition army has to climb up from below. The fact that they’re taking on the battle despite this disadvantage means they’re confident in their victory.’

Unless they’re idiots, they can’t not know.

Unless they’re dreaming of personal glory and hoping for a lucky break, engaging in a battle here is something only morons would do.

“We must fight!”

“The enemy is also separated from their main force!”

“We have numerical superiority, so how could we lose?”

The problem is that Kiriyan and his gang *are* morons.

Kiriyan pretended to ponder for a moment, stroked his chin solemnly, and answered.

“Alright! Let’s fight.”

At that foolish answer, his army began to move.

Beings who were dead but not dead moved forward.

Thud!

It was a terribly clumsy march.

They stumbled and fell over each other during the march.

Crack!

The fallen corpses were crushed by the back rows, and the necromancers didn’t even bat an eye at this damage.

‘Clumsy. It’s even worse than a ragtag bunch.’

It was a common occurrence. Who would complain about a few non-combat losses of undead? The necromancers simply thought they had done their part by sending the undead forward to fight.

“Human. You watch from there.”

“Watch from there? You’ll be short on hands.”

“Hmph. As if you’d be of any help.”

Kiriyan raised his chin and pointed at me.

“Do you think I’m so pathetic that I’d borrow your hand? Don’t be ridiculous and just watch. Watch how I crush the enemy. Watch what kind of end the morons who attacked the Mykene Empire meet.”

It was an attitude without even a shred of doubt about victory.

“I will.”

I nodded and stepped back.

I instructed the necromancers I had brought to deploy our group to the far left of Kiriyan’s army. Only deploy, though. We didn’t march.

“Will it be alright?”

A necromancer with a good eye asked.

Even to a mere subordinate, it was a battle without a chance of winning.

And the fact that this blood relative didn’t know this.

It was the bleak reality of the Mykene Empire.

“It’s Kiriyan who has no chance of winning, not me. This is also within expectations. There’s nothing to worry about.”

I sat on a stump.

A high ground with a clear view of the battlefield.

‘A first-class seat.’

I smiled wryly and rested my chin on my hand.

The battle began.

###

Deep in the lush forest, the sound of drums faintly echoed.

As the drums echoed, the subordinates who were sitting in the forest checking their weapons raised their heads. As they raised their heads, the necromancers, who had been nervously watching their expressions, swallowed hard.

In the vast forest, 393 subordinates, 47 necromancers, and nearly 20,000 undead troops were waiting for a signal.

“Sister.”

Several subordinates approached Rachel.

Rachel was in a place where sunlight shone through the forest.

She was kneeling and praying with the relic in her hands.

“Sister, the battle has begun.”

Rachel slowly opened her eyes and looked at the relic.

It was daytime, but the relic was glowing and trembling.

It was a signal. A signal sent by her father.

“Yes. I saw it.”

Rachel stood up.

Caw—

The cry of a crow that a subordinate had taken as a familiar [an animal companion with magical abilities].

Originally, that cry could not be heard.

Because it was too far away in terms of distance.

Waaaaaaaah——

However, the familiar’s five senses were irrelevant to distance.

The five senses were transmitted to its owner, and the owner’s thoughts were conveyed to Rachel and all the subordinates around her. The situation on the battlefield was vividly seen as if it were right in front of their eyes.

Boom! Bang! Bang!

Explosions caused by magic.

“Damn beast bastards!”

“My arm! Aagh! My, my arm!”

“Stay still! I’ll smash your head!”

Shouts and screams erupted from the chaotic battle.

A bloody battle between the dead and the living was taking place on the ground.

“Titus. Go first.”

Rachel nodded to Titus.

Titus, a combat-type subordinate who participated as the commander of the musket brigade in the Lizardman expedition. He also participated in this expedition and became the commander leading the subordinates.

351 subordinates, 8 necromancers, and 2,000 skeletons followed him and disappeared into the opposite side of the forest.

“Let’s move too.”

After a while, the remaining group stood up.

Clatter, clatter

The army of the dead passed through the forest, making the sound of bones clashing.

It wouldn’t be easy to walk because it wasn’t a plain, but no one stumbled.

The training period was only a few weeks, but walking was the most basic of basics.

Rather, it should be said that other necromancers who were clumsy even at this were incompetent.

Uwoooooooo—!

While the army of the dead led by Rachel passed through the forest with skillful steps, the battle between Kiriyan’s army and the coalition army intensified further.

“Le, let go!”

Thwack!

As an ogre’s fist struck a lizardman’s head, the head hit by the bare hand shattered like a watermelon, and the body was buried in the ground.

“You damn…!”

The beast howled and bit the enemy’s neck.

The coalition army, which had maintained its formation and confronted the monster unit, quickly entered a chaotic battle, and continued a fierce battle where neither side easily gave way.

“Push harder!”

Kiriyan struck the armrest on the palanquin.

The war situation changed unfavorably for Kiriyan as soon as the collision occurred.

Even if he didn’t have an eye for tactics, he could tell.

“Don’t fall back! You just have to hold on!”

The monster unit positioned in the center held up well.

However, the undead units on the left and right flanks were paper.

It was a matter of course for the undead to be swept away, but the extent was severe. Because the level of the coalition army was quite high, numerical superiority was meaningless.

“Aaaagh! Idiot! Moron bastards!”

Fortunately, the necromancer’s orders were absolute, and the dead could not think.

If the undead had even a little bit of reason, if they had even a little bit of emotion, they would have fled as they were.

Whoosh!

“My, my body…!”

The body of a necromancer melted away.

Subsequently, hundreds of zombies and skeletons he had been controlling also collapsed.

“What the hell are our mages doing!”

“Protect them! That’s how we’ll hold on!”

The necromancers were helplessly attacked by the coalition army’s mages.

Wooong—

Mana gathered in the place where 12 necromancers were gathered, and then a pillar of fire soared into the sky, causing a huge explosion.

A pillar of fire at least dozens of meters high.

After the fire subsided, nothing remained. Only the fact that 4,100 zombies and skeletons on the left flank fell indicated that the necromancers had died.

“We, we can’t hold on! The barrier is breaking!”

“Mana… Keheok!”

The difference in power was too great.

The coalition army’s mages were opponents that the mages on Kiriyan’s side could not stop no matter how hard they struggled. Even if they were only defending, damage was occurring everywhere, like holes in a dam.

The coalition army ignored the center where the chaotic battle was taking place.

They advanced while targeting the necromancers on both flanks. If the left and right flanks collapsed, what would happen to the center? It was their destiny to be naturally surrounded and annihilated.

“Hold on! Don’t retreat!”

Kiriyan went around the front lines himself and shouted.

He unleashed his magic to fend off the enemy’s spells, but he couldn’t stem the tide of the collapsing front lines. The power gap was simply too vast for him to overcome alone.

“Ah, no! Lord Kiriyan!”

The servant who had been attending to him cried out in despair.

Originally, Kiriyan had been attended by several servants, but they had all been sent to the front lines and perished. Now, the last remaining servant, realizing the dire situation, desperately tried to dissuade him.

“Damn it… Why did it turn out like this! We were supposed to win!”

Regret washed over him, mingling with his burning anger.

He should have sacrificed the undead as bait and ordered a retreat.

He should have heeded Edar’s advice.

‘If I had retreated earlier, I could have preserved the main force, even at the cost of a significant number of undead…’

He wondered if he should order a retreat even now.

But how? The main force was already embroiled in a chaotic melee.

How could he possibly extract them from such a brutal engagement?

‘If only we had inflicted more significant damage on the enemy…!’

But they hadn’t. The enemy’s losses were minimal.

It was only a matter of time before they were unilaterally massacred.

‘Father will never forgive me.’

Kiriyan shuddered at the thought of Vlad’s [Vlad is likely Kiriyan’s father] wrath.

To die at the hands of the enemy, or to die at Vlad’s hands…

Death was all but certain.

“Even if you die, take one of them with you! Don’t die pathetically!”

He roared in a fit of rage, and at that moment, the bushes not far from the right flank rustled.

“Undead?”

A small group of undead emerged from the undergrowth.

A mere 2,000 skeletons and zombies.

A separate detachment led by his vassal, Titus.

“Are you kidding me!”

The brief flicker of hope was immediately extinguished.

“What good are skeletons going to do!”

Kiriyan recognized the leader of the unit and became even more agitated.

No matter how desperate he was, the pride of the bloodkin [a race of powerful vampires] remained sky-high.

The assistance of a mere human only aroused anger, not gratitude.

“You stupid blood bag! You’re doing idiotic things because you have no experience! What can you possibly accomplish with only 2,000 undead!”

Driven into a corner, he lashed out with harsh criticism.

Thud, thud, thud…!

He scoffed at how the enemy responded.

They only sent 50 cavalrymen.

It was a clear indication that they believed they could easily deal with 2,000 undead with fewer than 50 cavalrymen.

In reality, with nearly 70,000 soldiers on both sides combined, what did it matter if 50 cavalrymen were diverted from the front lines?

“Look! That’s wh—”

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

But his ridicule was abruptly cut short.

Because the cavalrymen were instantly transformed into cold corpses by a single volley of fire.

Just like when they had ambushed the 20 beasts.

“What?”

Kiriyan’s eyes widened in disbelief.

The enemy commander must have felt the same shock.

“——! ———!”

The vassal’s familiar, a raven, surveyed the enemy lines.

The enemy commander, his face flushed with anger, waved his arms and roared.

Although his words were inaudible, 600 cavalrymen and 1,000 infantrymen, who had been waiting in reserve, immediately moved at his command.

“Don’t be careless! The enemy possesses an unknown artifact!”

Their expressions were grim, a stark contrast to the overconfident cavalrymen who had been annihilated moments before. Their determination to crush the opponent without underestimating them was clearly evident.

Rat-tat-tat-tat!

The second volley ripped through the air.

A significant number of the 600 cavalrymen collapsed, their charge faltering.

However, the charge did not stop. They had witnessed the devastating power of the previous volley, so they were not surprised. They charged forward with even more courage and fury.

They leaped over the bodies of their fallen comrades and collided with the 2,000-strong undead unit.

“…Damn it.”

Kiriyan shook his head, his voice laced with regret.

The suddenly appearing undead unit clearly possessed a formidable weapon.

Powerful enough to momentarily erase the ridicule he had harbored for Edar.

“You should have informed me in advance!”

But what good was it if they couldn’t sustain their firepower?

The battle was effectively over the moment the cavalry engaged.

At the very least, they should have provided escorts.

“Long live the Emperor!”

But it wasn’t over yet.

A shout rang out, not specifying which emperor they were praising.

The vassal cavalry charged out of the bushes, slamming into the Union’s cavalry, who were already engaged in a chaotic battle with the undead after their initial charge.

“······!”

The enemy, who were merely standing in place and swinging their weapons, had no way to effectively counter the sudden charge.

“Huh.”

And the enemy cavalry was utterly annihilated.

The 600 cavalrymen had endured the volley but could not withstand the subsequent charge.

The infantrymen who had been chasing the cavalry also faltered at the sudden appearance of the vassal cavalry, and were annihilated in the same manner by the third volley and cavalry charge.

“——!”

The enemy commander shouted something in frustration.

Because there were no more reserves the enemy could mobilize.

Out of the 16,000 Union soldiers, nearly 3,000 were held in reserve, but as the battle dragged on and they began to gain the upper hand, most of them had not been deployed to the front lines.

The remaining reserves had just been wiped out.

There were no troops left to send against the approaching undead unit after they reorganized their ranks.

“Is this… an opportunity?”

Kiriyan narrowed his eyes, carefully considering the situation.

They had landed a significant blow on the enemy, and the effects of that blow were still being felt.

But could they truly turn the tide of the battle with this? After all, it was only a little less than 2,000 undead? Besides the undead, there were a small number of cavalry who had slaughtered the enemy cavalry.

But their numbers were truly insignificant.

‘The humans played their part, but… they can’t possibly turn the tide of the battle with less than 2,000 troops.’

They could inflict further losses on the enemy, who now had no reserves.

But that was all, he judged.

Unless there were five times as many troops with the same firepower.

Glance.

Kiriyan inadvertently turned around.

Edar was looking down at him from the hill.

He was simply sitting on a stump, resting his chin on his hand, observing the battlefield.

Why, he wondered, did he feel a sudden chill and tremble violently?

‘I thought I heard he was a human.’

It was only for a fleeting moment, but he had the unsettling thought that Edar was not entirely human.

But Kiriyan quickly shook his head, reassuring himself that it was impossible. Now was not the time to entertain such bizarre thoughts. He had to focus on defending the front lines that he had barely managed to prevent from collapsing.

Thump— Thump——

A loud drumbeat echoed from the rear of the Union army.

An undead unit appeared, beating drums as if to taunt him.

The undead unit led by Rachel, numbering 15,000 strong.

The appearance of nearly ten times the number of undead units that had annihilated the reserves on the flank shocked both the Union army and Kiriyan.

“There were more…? Really?”

Kiriyan opened his mouth wide in astonishment and then quickly covered it with his hand.

He wondered if they had given the same advanced weaponry to these 15,000 undead as they had to the undead unit that had ambushed the reserves? If so, how could the enemy possibly stop them?

“—! ———!”

The enemy commander had the same terrifying realization.

The commander shouted urgently, issuing a flurry of orders.

But there were no troops around him that he could effectively move.

With no reserves left, where would he find soldiers to defend against this new threat?

“Did you think of this too?”

Muttering to himself, he turned around again.

Edar was no longer looking at Kiriyan.

He was calmly scanning the battlefield, assessing the situation.

Bang! Thud!

The unit led by Rachel was significantly different from Titus’s unit in terms of equipment.

They possessed field guns and siege cannons that Titus did not have.

The siege cannons opened fire on the Union army.

Boom!

The Union army’s magical defenses were certainly formidable.

But they were all deployed to the front lines, desperately trying to hold the line. Many of Kiriyan’s mages had survived and were continuing to resist. How many could be spared, even if they were pulled back to the rear now?

Bang!

“Aaaaaaack!”

A mage was struck by a stray cannonball and had his leg torn off in a shower of blood.

“That’s the gunpowder weapon that the blood bags [a derogatory term for humans] use…?”

Kiriyan shuddered at the sheer destructive power, which was comparable to the magic power emitted by a skilled mage, even though he couldn’t sense any magical energy.

“If they can equip all the undead like that…”

The tide of the battle turned sharply, and the Union army was robbed of the victory they had almost grasped.

The enemy commander was different from Kiriyan.

He realized the gravity of the situation.

That continuing the fight would only lead to complete annihilation.

“The enemy is fleeing!”

“No… they can’t escape.”

Kiriyan shook his head at the servant’s excited cry.

Edar’s unit, which had been standing idly on the left flank, was now advancing at a brisk pace. Their objective was clear: to close off the only viable escape route, which corresponded to the enemy’s right flank.

Since they were just undead, they would have broken through if they had tried to break through with all their might, but Edar had placed a small number of musket soldiers among the 21,000 undead.

In the confusion, the enemy mistook the undead unit that appeared on the right flank for being equipped the same as the undead that appeared on the left flank and the rear. There was only one choice they could make.

“The weakest-looking place is the trap.”

Kiriyan thought Edar had said that.

He couldn’t hear the voice, but his lips were shaped that way.

“From the beginning, I was being played by that man.”

Kiriyan chuckled humorlessly and lowered his head in resignation.

He had unwillingly played the role of the anvil or the bait, but the sheer scale and effectiveness of Edar’s strategy was too overwhelming to complain.

He watched Edar’s mood and suggested in a softened tone.

“…If your army joins Father, even the Council will not be able to do anything. Let’s reorganize the army and move immediately. We must join Father before he fights another battle.”

“No, we will not join.”

Kiriyan blinked in surprise.

“What? What are you thinking?”

“From Vlad’s point of view, wouldn’t it be beneficial even if we were annihilated along with the enemy legion? But we are intact enough to continue the operation immediately after defeating the enemy.”

“That’s precisely why we should join Father even more!”

“Why?”

“Because it will be helpful if Father fights a battle!”

Edar smiled enigmatically, and Kiriyan flinched.

“What is it? What does that mean?”

“What if Vlad doesn’t fight a battle?”

“Why would Father avoid fighting?”

“Because even if he wins, the overall situation will not fundamentally change. It is far more advantageous to drag out the time and exhaust the Council’s resources. It is the allied forces that have invaded another country who will have difficulty operating in winter, isn’t it?”

It is a country with plenty of land but an extremely small population.

How can they possibly feed an army of over 100,000 in this desolate country?

Local supply is virtually impossible, so all supplies must be shipped from their home countries.

Time itself is flowing quite unfavorably for the Council.

“So Vlad will try to drag out the time and wait for winter to arrive. He will maintain a safe distance so that the opponent cannot easily attack, occupy terrain that is advantageous for defense, and leverage his numerical superiority.”

Originally, they should join forces to solidify their numerical superiority.

However, thanks to the annihilation of the enemy legion, they can secure numerical superiority even without joining forces. Then there is no compelling reason to join forces and be dragged along.

There is a far better option available to them.

“So? What are you going to do?”

“If the enemy has gathered their forces aiming for a large-scale battle, there must be a weakness somewhere. We will target that weakness and exploit it to our advantage.”

Kiriyan sighed in exasperation.

“Look, even if you occupy a city or two, the enemy will—”

“We will continue south and recover the capital.”

Edar pointed to his left chest with his index finger.

“I will help you regain your lost heart. I heard that dwarves have settled there? I want to show those people who are only good at craftsmanship what the difference in technology is.”