Waiting (Continued)

His arm was still trembling slightly.

Clearly, Maria's actions had frightened her quite a bit.

Even Theresis did not let his guard down around Maria.

"I'm truly sorry I didn't explain it to you directly last time, but please understand that I didn't actually intend to reveal my identity at first."

The girl exhaled.

She didn't initially reveal her intention to inherit the Demon King's throne.

She knew that she had no achievements and no prior fame, so if she rashly announced that she had inherited the Demon King's throne, almost no one would support her. Moreover, announcing it now was not a good time.

But Maria's struggle with Dukale made her realize that she had to reveal her identity.

Otherwise, if these two were to fight, the losses to the entire Kazdel would be too great.

She also disliked Dukale's arrogant personality, but she knew that nowadays, they had to fight for every ounce of power they could.

"It's alright."

Facing the Demon King whom everyone Sarkaz respected, Maria showed no particular emotion, merely nodding slightly before tilting her head back.

Lamaline to the side, nervously grasped Maria's hand.

"Then, Your Highness, is there something you wish to say to us that you have kept us here?"

"... Don't be so formal, Ms. Lamaline."

The girl seemed very embarrassed when someone addressed her as "Your Highness".

She wanted to tell Maria, who hadn't yet adjusted to her new identity, but quickly shook her head and then turned to look at her.

"We've kept you here in the hope of gaining the support of the Banshees."

"Support?"

Maria frowned slightly, glanced at Lamaline beside her, and then turned her head away.

"You are now the Demon Lord of the Sarkaz..."

"Yes, I am the Demon King."

The girl smiled bitterly, "A demon king that no one believes in."

"Um?"

"To them, I am a demon king with no past to talk about, no future to see, no identity, and no power. Who would follow someone like me?"

The girl took a deep breath and calmly stated her biggest problem at the moment.

"Even so, I still want to protect Kazdel, to protect this home that belongs to the Sarkaz."

"I need your strength."

The girl's voice was very soft, not even like the words a demon king would utter.

Having no other choice, she must gather all the forces she can currently mobilize.

Among them, Maria, with whom she has a relatively good relationship, is perhaps the most suitable candidate.

Maria's unconditional help to them and the refugees in the entire ghetto made her realize that Maria could be won over.

And in response to this...

"I can vouch for your status as Sarkaz wartime commander."

"That's what Theresa said."

There were many reasons why Dukale and others found it difficult to believe in the Banshees represented by Maria.

Ultimately, it's because there's no Demon King, no absolute authority to prove anything, that everyone can try to gain credibility with each other, leading to a lack of mutual trust.

But things are different now.

As long as the girl is willing to endorse Maria, no one will say a word against her.

After all, even the least prestigious demon king is still a demon king, and on the surface, the Royal Court cannot disobey the demon king's orders.

Unless they really want to bear the stigma of betraying the Sarkaz... or simply kill the girl.

"... a suitable deal."

Before Maria could comment on the girl's suggestion, Lamaline spoke up first.

This surprised Maria.

Because Theresa's condition was that she would gain the support of the entire Banshees in exchange for the position of commander.

But Maria didn't think she could do that.

After all, the Banshees have their Banshees choices. Although she and Lamaline have a somewhat good relationship now and she has helped the Banshees a lot, ultimately, she cannot make decisions for Banshees.

In other words, the Banshees owe her nothing, nor do they need to do anything for her.

But Lamaline... at this moment, used the Banshees to vouch for her...

This surprised Maria.

"It's fine..."

Lamaline shook her head, reached out, and carefully took Maria's hand.

The gentle touch made Maria's heart skip a beat.

The strange feeling, combined with the girl's almost unconditional trust, stirred up an unusual emotion within her.

But a moment later, she forcibly suppressed those thoughts, turned her head, and looked at Theresa in front of her.

After receiving Lamaline's promise, the girl's face lit up with joy, and she seemed much more relaxed.

"Thank you, Ms. Lamaline... and thank you, Ms. Maria."

Theresa visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and her eyes softened considerably.

Lamaline smiled, but her steps subtly moved a little closer to Maria.

Theresis nodded slightly and then stepped forward.

"I will offer you advice as your accompanying staff officer... Of course, this is not in the contract, and you can disregard my presence."

Theresis now believes in Maria's fighting prowess, but he is not entirely convinced that Maria truly has the ability to lead an army.

Therefore, he will serve as an advisor, assisting Maria.

Maria had no objection to this.

The matter was quickly settled.

A few more days passed, and after the Allied Forces appeared at the predicted location reported from the front lines, the Sarkaz forces gradually formed a battle line.

Most Royal Court, after recovering from their initial shock, still harbored doubts about the current state of the Sarkaz.

An unknown demon king, a Banshees queen whose background is unknown... To be honest, if it weren't for the war god Nitze joining them, the Royal Court would have had a hard time having confidence in such a lineup.

But since Nitze had joined them, they also sent their elite troops to join them.

Scattered and piecemeal, they managed to cobble together a temporary team of 30,000.

The vast majority of these groups consisted of Banshees and Eaters of the Dead.

Inside the temporary command post...

"Currently, we have about 10,000 soldiers who can be mobilized and commanded at any time. The remaining 20,000 are being organized into units. The remaining conscripted soldiers will need at least two more weeks of training before the first batch of soldiers can enter the battlefield."

"It is estimated that we can replenish our forces to around 100,000 before the outbreak of full-scale combat."

Inside the meeting room, Theresis quietly reported the situation to Maria was sitting in the chair that now symbolized the supreme leader, with Nitze and Theresis sitting on her left and right.

After listening to Theresis's report, Maria nodded slightly, then looked at the Lich beside her.

"What happened to the first batch of Allied Forces troops?"

"It's unclear at the moment, but based on past patterns, this batch should number at least 100,000 troops... roughly a quarter of the entire Allied Forces force."

The Lich representative began to speak.

In fact, this estimate is actually an underestimate.

After all, there were only six lines in total before the battle lines collapsed.

The current Allied Forces are a combination of troops from the north, northwest, and west, numbering only 100,000, which is actually an understatement.

"If you're going to launch an attack on it... perhaps the opportunity is just around the corner."

Although the Sarkaz currently has only 30,000 soldiers assembled, most people still believe that the Sarkaz have the advantage.

And that is indeed the case.

If it's just 30,000 Sarkaz against Allied Forces of 100,000 from other races, then the advantage is indeed on the Sarkaz's side.

It's important to know that while they are susceptible to Oripathy, this also means they produce a great number of skilled Originium Arts masters.

At the same time, the Sarkaz do indeed have a natural advantage in physical fitness compared to other races.

Only...

How many high-speed warships does the enemy have?

Maria asked again.

The battle for Banshee Capital made her realize the ferocity of the Sarkaz, but it also made her realize the overwhelming advantage that high-speed warships had over the Sarkaz.

Those terrifying, high-speed cannons were virtually unstoppable for ordinary Sarkaz soldiers.

After all, not everyone has Maria's physical abilities.

Maria's words indeed hit the nail on the head regarding the current problem, and after a moment of silence, the Lich representative spoke.

"Currently, approximately 500 ships have been assembled, including 100 warships and the rest frigates, with the total number expected to reach around 1,400..."

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Maria turned her head away.

"How are the preparations going on Gargoyle's side?"

"The assembly is complete."

The leader of the Gargoyle was a short, old man with gray hair but bright eyes; one of his legs was a prosthetic.

"I have already followed your instructions and allowed all the Gargoyle to infiltrate the construction of the walls. At least a dozen cannonballs will not be able to penetrate the walls we have forged."

After saying that, he still hesitated for a moment before looking up at Maria.

"But... if there are too many, the Gargoyle's buildings might not be able to withstand them."

"I understand, there's no need to worry."

After calming the other person down, Maria turned her head again to look at the war table in front of everyone.

Kazdel is now built around mountains, with towering peaks behind it, making it inaccessible to ordinary armies. Even if they manage to bypass the mountains, they will inevitably need to rest and regroup, making them vulnerable to being discovered and surrounded by the Kazdel forces.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the other side will launch an attack from this side.

However, considering that the enemy has airship technology, we cannot relax our defenses too much.

In contrast, Kazdel is a vast flat plain, with a mountain range in the distance and several large rivers flowing through it.

This could significantly reduce the other side's transportation costs—if they want to wage a protracted war.

But they wanted to fight, and Maria wouldn't allow it.

This is also due to the terrain.

Once the Allied Forces have completed their assembly, it will be tantamount to cutting off Kazdel's connection with the outside world.

At that time, resupplying supplies will become extremely difficult.

Therefore, the fact that the Allied Forces did not arrive at the same time presents a rare opportunity for the Sarkaz.

If Sarkaz could seize control of this army in one fell swoop, it would greatly alleviate the pressure he would face later.

Only...

"Maria Highness, I believe we should wait..."

Theresis spoke up, offering her opinion.