Chapter 256: 256

Chapter 256 – The Blue Hydrangea of Farnese(1)

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“You are way too wicked, Dantalian.”

Paimon took a sip of her tea. Contrary to her words, she looked completely unbothered.

We were currently riding on a small boat. A small ferry that was painted in a clean white color. Our boat created a smooth wave as we drifted down a river. It was a comfortable ride thanks to the water spirit that was pulling our boat from below.

 

A peaceful afternoon. Enjoying a boat ride with a spirit as one’s boatman was probably a luxury that was unimaginable for anyone other than Demon Lords.

“Can you not be more considerate to women?”

“Considerate to women? There is no man more considerate to women than me.”

“Hah. I would probably like you more if you couldn’t talk. Sitri, what do you think?”

“Hm?”

Sitri, who hadn’t even touched the tea and had been snacking on the biscuits this entire time, tilted her head.

She looked back and forth between me and Paimon before she soon looked apologetic.

“Ah, well. Big Sis Paimon is right, but should I say that Dantalian is really kind……or good at being considerate……? Uuh. Sorry, Sis.”

“This is why friendships between women are flimsy.”

Paimon shook her head.

“The adorable Sitri who used to call out to me all the time while following me around has finally fallen for a man. So you are saying that this man is more important to you than me whom you have maintained a sisterly bond with for a thousand years? I am truly disappointed, Sitri.”

“A-Ah!”

Sitri tossed her biscuit aside as she panicked. The biscuit fell in the water with a splash.

“No! Not only is Dantalian not considerate to women, but he’s also a bad guy! Just as you said, he’s so wicked that the smell of his hair alone is enough to scare women away! The Goddesses have also stopped watching over the surface simply because Dantalian is here.”

Sitri seemed satisfied with what she had said as she nodded her head fervently. At that moment, Paimon and I shared a look. We didn’t utter a single word, but we managed to share a brief conversation.

“Yup, Dantalian is bad. Big Sis is right.”

“……I am devastated, Sitri.”

I tried putting on the saddest look I could muster.

“To think that this is how Sitri has always thought of me……. I am hurt.”

“Eh? Huh?”

“I believed that even if the entire world were to point fingers at me and curse my name, Sitri, yes, at the very least, I believed that Sitri would continue to trust and support me. But it seems that even Sitri is treating me like an irreparable bastard…….”

Sitri became bewildered.

“T-That’s not it! That’s absolutely not what I meant! Dantalian, this is because of Big Sis!”

“It’s because of Paimon? Are you saying that you made up insincere words because of Paimon?”

“Y……Yeah.”

I glared at Sitri.

“Have you always been someone who would slander me if someone told you to do it? So that is how much my existence means to you, I see. O Goddess, I thought that Sitri was my true friend all this time……!”

“Uaaah? Uaaeh?”

Sitri couldn’t stay still as she grabbed my hand.

“S-Sorry, Dantalian. I didn’t think it would hurt your feelings like this……. I was afraid that Big Sis would get angry and I just……sorry. I really wasn’t serious! I won’t do it again, so—.”

“Wait one moment, Sitri. What do you mean by that?”

Paimon spoke up with a tone filled with discontent. Sitri turned her head in panic.

“Are you saying that you were not being even remotely sincere to me just now?”

“S-Sis? That’s not.”

“I am disappointed. Truly disappointed. Aah, I never would have imagined that the day Sitri would lie to me as casually as she breathed would ever arrive.”

Paimon covered her mouth with her fan as she let out a long sigh.

On another note, this is something that I learned after coming to this world, but I guarantee you that noblewomen carry around fans in order to sigh like this. It’s super annoying if someone openly covers their mouth with a fan and proceeds to sigh in your face. There’s no better gesture than this to annoy others with.

“I might not be able to trust Sitri anymore. Friendships can rust as well.”

“Uh……uugh!”

In the end, Sitri blew up.

“I’m sorry to both Big Sis and Dantalian! As a way to apologize, I’ll push the boat myself, so please forgive me!”

She abruptly stood up. The small boat started to sway because of her sudden movement. Sitri dived into the river before we could even say anything.

“Kyah.”

Paimon let out a small cry because of the big splash of water. That was an act. Sitri probably couldn’t see it, but I could clearly see Paimon’s amused smile behind her fan.

“Paimon, please watch your expression.”

“But you are also grinning, Dantalian.”

“Whoops.”

Darn it, I accidentally lowered my guard because of how cute Sitri was acting.

We smiled brightly as we both turned to look at Sitri. Sitri was swimming and pushing our boat from behind. The boat was going much faster now compared to when only the water spirit was pulling it. 

Sitri shouted every now and then as she swam.

“Sorry! Big Sis Paimon, sorry! Dantalian, sorry!”

It’d probably be impossible for anyone to not laugh after seeing this. We finally burst out into laughter. The sound of laughter echoed throughout the sky and spread through the sunlight.

“Mm. Enjoying a boat ride like this is nice every now and then.”

“Although we have lost all of our tea and biscuits. It has been a long time since the three of us had a pleasant time together like this.”

“We’ve been busy in our own ways, after all.”

Paimon smiled gently.

“Thanks to you, we have acquired a total of 33 free cities.”

The Liberation alliance may have lost greatly in Frankia’s civil war, but it wasn’t like peerless heroes like Henrietta existed everywhere. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Teuton, and Sardinia……the people of all of these regions managed to successfully carry out their uprising.

There was even a place where a revolution was carried out successfully by only farmers. There were a fair number of places where revolts were led by guild masters or emerging nobles. Thus, free cities started to pop up here and there like mushrooms.

Paimon’s complexion became dark.

“Although, in the end, we failed at establishing a new republic nation…….”

“Nothing is perfect from the beginning. Paimon, this may only be a small step for us, but history will remember it as a mighty leap.”

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“…….”

Paimon stared at my face.

“……You say some surprisingly fantastic lines sometimes, Dantalian. Even though you have no artistic talent whatsoever. It’s mysterious.”

“Were you not aware? The Goddesses naturally bestow their graces upon those who genuinely try to comfort others.”

I reached my hand out and touched Paimon’s left hand. Paimon uttered an ‘Oh my’ as she covered her mouth with her fan. It didn’t seem like she disliked it.

“Truly. Did you bewitch someone like this yesterday as well?”

“I was rather unfortunate due to my lack of skill. I was told off for making my partner lonely at night. That is why I intend to not miss my chance today.”

“Oh dear.”

Paimon giggled happily.

While I was at it, I slowly moved my hand higher and higher. I went from her wrist and slid up her arm. Paimon leaned into me like a cat as she allowed me to touch her. Eventually, Paimon’s red hair flowed between my fingers.

“To be honest, I wish we could continue like this.”

“Indeed. This lady has never done it on a small boat before, so I was looking forward to it.”

“But it seems we have arrived at our destination.”

We turned to look at the riverside.

There was a burning city there.

Would it be a slight exaggeration to say that it was burning? There were about five to six pillars of smoke rising up from the city. Thousands of monsters were holding spears and surrounding the city.

“We have finally occupied Heidelberg after a year.”

“It’s the sturdiest fortress city in the center of the continent, after all. It only took a year. It would be better to say this.”

Heidelberg was a fortress located on top of a slope.

This city, which was created around the river of Neckar, was managed by the Habsburg Republic……Leader Elizabeth’s nation. It was built in order to stop the Demon Lord army from invading any further into the continent.

Honestly speaking, Heidelberg was no different from being impregnable.

For starters, the ramparts were thick and tall. Not only was the fortress completely surrounded by a moat, but it was filled with towers as well.

Adding to this, the size of the city was massive as well. It had a population of more than 10,000 which was immense for a fortress. Where else would you find 10,000 people living in a single fortress?

The citizens were all soldiers who were accustomed to fighting monsters and they had a knight brigade of 900.

It might not have been an issue if the entirety of the Crescent Alliance had attacked, but the Crescent Alliance expedition was currently over. Paimon and Sitri had to occupy this with only the forces within the Mountain Faction.

It was widely known that the Mountain Faction had lost a sizeable amount of its troops due to standing as the vanguard during the previous war. Additionally, they lost even more troops due to the civil war 2 years ago. They didn’t have the strength to crush a fortress like this.

“You simply have to encircle the fortress.”

It was at this moment that Laura came up with a strategy.

Paimon came to consult me about how impregnable the fortress was and I immediately went to consult with Laura afterward. Laura tilted her head after she listened to the situation.

“Laura, I told you that the fortress has the river of Neckar next to it. Even if we were to surround the city, the enemy would continue to receive supplies through the river.”

“As I said, Lord. Couldn’t you seal off that river, then?”

“Hmm?”

Neckar was about 500 to 600 meters wide. How would we manage to completely block something like that?

“Well, placing patrol boats could be somewhat effective, but……the Habsburg Republic’s army isn’t incompetent. They would move their supplies during the night when it would be hard for us to see them. It would be impossible for us to perfectly block everything.”

“Seriously. Your Lordship is way too dull when it comes to strategy.”

Laura spoke in an annoyed tone.

“I am not saying to place patrol boats. I am saying to put a bridge down across the entire river. This should completely prevent them from moving supplies.”

“Huh?”

Make a bridge and seal the river?

“……The river is wide, so making a bridge would require a tremendous amount of manpower and funding.”

“It does not have to be a proper bridge. Simply create a dock and place a bunch of battleships in a line. And there you go, Your Lordship. A splendid bridge.”

“…….”

I fell into deep thought.

In other words, this would be like the strategy Cao Cao used in the Battle of Red Cliffs where he lined up battleships. Using small boats as a temporary bridge was a common occurrence, but doing the same thing with battleships was unheard of.

It was an extremely bizarre suggestion, but…….

“……It is possible. No, it will definitely succeed. The Republic of Batavia is on our side. If we secretly use their river to bring battleships…….”

“Indeed. The encirclement will be complete.”

Laura smiled brightly.

“Heidelberg may be the greatest fortress in the center of the continent, but how long could they last when they’ve been completely surrounded? At most, they will last one year.”

“Between capturing the fortress and being at a stalemate, it would be better to wait leisurely for a year…….”

“That is the idea.”

I immediately informed Paimon of Laura’s plan.

At first, Paimon and Sitri gave me a weird look. However, their expressions became serious as I continued my explanation.

“……Mm, I feel a bit uneasy because of how bizarre this strategy is, but—.”

“It definitely sounds plausible. Very well, then, Dantalian. We will carry out that strategy with haste.”

A siege that was carried out using an unprecedented method began.

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TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Uh, sorry about the sort of spontaneous delay? I completely forgot that my booster shot was like 2 days after I posted the last chapter. I started feeling feverish after I got the shot and the day after was spent with a really annoying headache, so I didn’t get much translating done. I still don’t feel 100%, but I’m managing. I’ll do my best to recover as soon as possible.

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter when I’m hopefully okay!

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