elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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I think she was trying to say that the empire seemed awfully short-staffed for a situation like this.
Lilly Lilium, Dorothea said, the demons are not the only threat to the empire. Both the existence of the Demon Queen and my true motives remain unknown to other countries. If we lessen security on our borders, we risk invasion from human territories.
What a surprise, Misha grumbled. If it isn t the consequences of your own actions.
To be honest, I felt the same way.
What s done is done, Dorothea replied. We have to make do with what we have now, not ruminate over how things could have been.
Hah. You re not wrong, but I m surprised you can be so unrepentant about it, Yu snapped with a smile on her face.
Again, I had to agree.
Let s not get too off track, Philine said, redirecting our attention. We need to lure the demon army toward Inferno. Does anyone have any ideas?
A short silence followed. The one to break it was Claire.
I think I might have a plan.
Go ahead, Claire.
We could try dangling a bait they can t possibly ignore. Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her expression was stiff. I had a bad feeling that I wouldn t like what she was about to say next.
And what would this bait be, Claire Fran ois? Dorothea asked what was on everyone s mind.
I was thinking it could be me.
Miss Claire?! I leapt to my feet, but she put her hand up before me and continued.
When we were fighting one of the Three Great Archdemons, they singled me out and told me to perish for what I had wrought. She was referring to the time we d fought Aristo. I haven t the slightest clue what they meant, but the demons seem to be targeting me enough to send the Three Great Archdemons to personally attack me. She smiled bravely. That s why I believe we can lure in the demon army by using me as bait.
I m against it! This plan s too dangerous! I vehemently rejected the proposal. I was right to be worried; Claire was trying to sacrifice herself again. I wouldn t let that happen. Not ever.
Of course, Claire said pleasantly, I d be helpless alone, so Rae will come with me. She smiled at me.
In an instant, my head cooled. I understood now. She wasn t sacrificing herself like before she was acting with survival in mind.
Unfortunately, I cannot command an army, as I haven t any relevant experience. So I ll leave that much to someone qualified. Rae and I will instead devote ourselves to provoking the demons. As a pair, we ll be more maneuverable and can quickly flee at a moment s notice. Our goal won t be to fight the demons but to simply act as bait.
I m against it as well, Philine said. I don t think it s fair to force such a difficult role on you two alone. The woman she cared for was proposing being sent to the battlefield. Of course she would have some misgivings.
Philine, do you have a counterproposal? Dorothea asked in a low voice. The look in her eyes was harsh, as though warning her daughter to not be foolish.
I do not.
Then be quiet. The worst thing you can do in these situations is voice an emotional complaint without offering an alternative.
Seeing Dorothea talk to Philine like that irritated me a bit, and I couldn t help butting in. Huh. Are you sure about that, Dorothea?
Out with it, Rae Taylor.
I mean, Miss Claire and I aren t citizens of the empire, right? How can you be sure we won t just abandon the empire and scurry off to Bauer the moment we see Philine has no objections to using us as bait? I particularly disliked how Dorothea had made it sound like self-sacrifice was expected of us.
The empire isn t the only thing at stake in this fight, she countered. We face a threat to all humanity.
Sure, but we don t need to risk fighting here. We could just as easily retreat and gather the forces of Sousse, the Alpes, and Bauer while the empire is getting overrun by demons.
Humph. It appeared Dorothea had nothing to say to that.
We want to help the empire precisely because someone caring, like Philine, is its empress, I continued. You can t just use cold logic for everything, Dorothea.
Dorothea considered this. You have a point. Forgive me, Philine.
Mother Thank you, Rae. Philine seemed a bit moved.
All I had done was point out the obvious, though.
It seems we re settled, then, Manaria said. I m not fully on board with the plan myself, but I ll put my faith in you two. You better not die, you hear?
Claire and I bowed deeply to Manaria.
I wouldn t dream of it, Claire said.
No matter the cost, I swear I ll at least bring Miss Claire back.
Our strategy meetings continued for several days, running long into the night every time, until only three days remained before our battle at the fifth stronghold.

***

General! Demonic forces have been spotted on the highway!
So, they ve come. Thank you, you may leave. General Sascha received the report with a solemn nod. This was the man who d previously been in command at the third stronghold. He was a handsome, middle-aged fellow with a full beard, and his large, burly body was clad in magically imbued armor. It s time. Miss Claire, Miss Rae, are you prepared?
Yes. Please leave it to us, Claire replied.
We ll lure them over one way or another, I said.
The demon army was positioned right before the detour point that had been covered in the strategy meeting. We would be in a difficult position if they continued north, so it was up to us to steer them toward the fifth stronghold.
General, please have your forces retreat once you ve confirmed the demons have moved, Claire said.
Understood.
Inferno would wipe out everything in range not just the demon army, but the stronghold and any people left in its vicinity as well. It could be activated remotely, so there was no need to have any soldiers stay within the stronghold. If things went well and we lured the demon army to it, the plan was to have Sascha and his soldiers clear the area.
Shall we be off, then, Rae?
Let s.
We were already prepared, so all that remained was to meet up with the soldiers on-site. There was some distance to cover, so we were relying on an imperial mage who could use the wind spell Teleport to transport us there. Manaria had used the spell against me before in a fight, but there actually weren t that many people who could use it. The fact that many rare talents like this mage had gathered for this battle just went to show how serious the empire was.
I bid you good fortune.
Fortune to you as well, General, Claire replied.

When we arrived, the imperial and demon armies were locked in a standoff. Combat had yet to ignite, but the air was so tense, it felt like hostilities could erupt at any moment.
We ve been expecting you, Miss Claire. My name is Dennis, and I have command of the front line.
A pleasure. This is my partner, Rae. What s the situation?
The demon army arrived some hours ago. They ve taken up position at the highway s fork and are maintaining a standoff with our forces.
What s the enemy s strength?
From what we can tell, they number in the tens of thousands. Our own forces only number three thousand, so we expect to be able to hold them off for a few hours at best, if it comes down to it.
And their commander?
We ve spotted Aristo of the Three Great Archdemons. We believe he s the commander of their vanguard.
Perfect. He knows what I look like.
Please be wary of snipers, Miss Claire, I said.
Of course. I m counting on you to protect me, Rae.
We gripped each other s hands.
I ve assigned five hundred soldiers to you, Dennis said. They re all capable of acting independently, so there s no need to worry about commanding them. Feel free to move as you see fit.
Thank you.
Can you ride on horseback? he asked.
I can.
Claire had learned to ride from a young age, and I could do so too thanks to the horse riding lessons we d both in Bauer and in the empire. Mind you, the difference in our skill was night and day.
I bid you both good fortune, he said as we left the encampment.
Miss Claire, are you nervous? I asked.
Certainly. I ve fought a number of one-on-one battles before, but this will be my first time experiencing a battle between armies.
I see. Let s just focus on what we have to do: Show ourselves to the demons, provoke them, and flee.
Right.
Before we knew it, we had ridden close enough to clearly make out the demon army. At the fore, we could make out short-statured goblins. Behind them stood slightly taller orcs with boar-like heads, and further back, the humongous ogres.
These monsters were all categorized as demi-human for convenience s sake, but they weren t related to humans at all. Like water slimes, they each had a core, which would instantly dissipate them if destroyed. There was a chance some of them had intelligence, like Ralaire, but obviously, we didn t have time to go around trying to tame them one by one in the middle of a war, especially not with their numbers.
Let s see They seem to have noticed us, but this isn t quite the reaction we were hoping for, Claire said.
No, it s not.
The monsters seemed wary of us, which was only natural, as we were a brigade-sized unit charging forward from the front line. But they showed no signs of engaging us.
What should we do, Miss Claire?
It s simple, really. I ll just let them know I m here. She moved her horse forward a slight bit and called in a clarion voice, I am Claire Fran ois! Former aristocrat of Bauer and the leader of this unit! Come challenge me if you dare!
The monsters attitudes did a complete one-eighty. A bellow much like a Hateful Cry resounded, and they charged forward in a wild wave, breaking rank without thought or care.
Miss Claire, get back!
No time! Quick, cast a pitfall before us, Rae!
Following her orders, I cast my earth spell Pitfall in a wide area in front of us. The monsters at the fore fell in one after another, pushed from behind by their still-charging allies.
Flame!
At the same time, Claire manifested countless flame arrows and rained them down on the monsters that had fallen inside my pitfall. The death cries of the monsters rang out.
Incredible.
So those are the heroes of the revolution. They re strong.
I heard words of admiration from our allies. It seemed even veterans of the imperial army considered Claire a cut above when it came to magic.
Second wave incoming!
The monsters used their fallen comrades as a bridge and charged forward, depending on the strength of their numbers. It was fair to say they seemed to have taken the bait.
Miss Claire, this should be enough. Let s retreat.
Right! But still, it s a little strange she said, pulling the reins to turn around.
What is?
I don t see Aristo anywhere. I figure he d show up by now.

I think she was trying to say that the empire seemed awfully short-staffed for a situation like this.

Lilly Lilium, Dorothea said, the demons are not the only threat to the empire. Both the existence of the Demon Queen and my true motives remain unknown to other countries. If we lessen security on our borders, we risk invasion from human territories.

What a surprise, Misha grumbled. If it isn t the consequences of your own actions.

To be honest, I felt the same way.

What s done is done, Dorothea replied. We have to make do with what we have now, not ruminate over how things could have been.

Hah. You re not wrong, but I m surprised you can be so unrepentant about it, Yu snapped with a smile on her face.

Again, I had to agree.

Let s not get too off track, Philine said, redirecting our attention. We need to lure the demon army toward Inferno. Does anyone have any ideas?

A short silence followed. The one to break it was Claire.

I think I might have a plan.

Go ahead, Claire.

We could try dangling a bait they can t possibly ignore. Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her expression was stiff. I had a bad feeling that I wouldn t like what she was about to say next.

And what would this bait be, Claire Fran ois? Dorothea asked what was on everyone s mind.

I was thinking it could be me.

Miss Claire?! I leapt to my feet, but she put her hand up before me and continued.

When we were fighting one of the Three Great Archdemons, they singled me out and told me to perish for what I had wrought. She was referring to the time we d fought Aristo. I haven t the slightest clue what they meant, but the demons seem to be targeting me enough to send the Three Great Archdemons to personally attack me. She smiled bravely. That s why I believe we can lure in the demon army by using me as bait.

I m against it! This plan s too dangerous! I vehemently rejected the proposal. I was right to be worried; Claire was trying to sacrifice herself again. I wouldn t let that happen. Not ever.

Of course, Claire said pleasantly, I d be helpless alone, so Rae will come with me. She smiled at me.

In an instant, my head cooled. I understood now. She wasn t sacrificing herself like before she was acting with survival in mind.

Unfortunately, I cannot command an army, as I haven t any relevant experience. So I ll leave that much to someone qualified. Rae and I will instead devote ourselves to provoking the demons. As a pair, we ll be more maneuverable and can quickly flee at a moment s notice. Our goal won t be to fight the demons but to simply act as bait.

I m against it as well, Philine said. I don t think it s fair to force such a difficult role on you two alone. The woman she cared for was proposing being sent to the battlefield. Of course she would have some misgivings.

Philine, do you have a counterproposal? Dorothea asked in a low voice. The look in her eyes was harsh, as though warning her daughter to not be foolish.

I do not.

Then be quiet. The worst thing you can do in these situations is voice an emotional complaint without offering an alternative.

Seeing Dorothea talk to Philine like that irritated me a bit, and I couldn t help butting in. Huh. Are you sure about that, Dorothea?

Out with it, Rae Taylor.

I mean, Miss Claire and I aren t citizens of the empire, right? How can you be sure we won t just abandon the empire and scurry off to Bauer the moment we see Philine has no objections to using us as bait? I particularly disliked how Dorothea had made it sound like self-sacrifice was expected of us.

The empire isn t the only thing at stake in this fight, she countered. We face a threat to all humanity.

Sure, but we don t need to risk fighting here. We could just as easily retreat and gather the forces of Sousse, the Alpes, and Bauer while the empire is getting overrun by demons.

Humph. It appeared Dorothea had nothing to say to that.

We want to help the empire precisely because someone caring, like Philine, is its empress, I continued. You can t just use cold logic for everything, Dorothea.

Dorothea considered this. You have a point. Forgive me, Philine.

Mother Thank you, Rae. Philine seemed a bit moved.

All I had done was point out the obvious, though.

It seems we re settled, then, Manaria said. I m not fully on board with the plan myself, but I ll put my faith in you two. You better not die, you hear?

Claire and I bowed deeply to Manaria.

I wouldn t dream of it, Claire said.

No matter the cost, I swear I ll at least bring Miss Claire back.

Our strategy meetings continued for several days, running long into the night every time, until only three days remained before our battle at the fifth stronghold.

***

General! Demonic forces have been spotted on the highway!

So, they ve come. Thank you, you may leave. General Sascha received the report with a solemn nod. This was the man who d previously been in command at the third stronghold. He was a handsome, middle-aged fellow with a full beard, and his large, burly body was clad in magically imbued armor. It s time. Miss Claire, Miss Rae, are you prepared?

Yes. Please leave it to us, Claire replied.

We ll lure them over one way or another, I said.

The demon army was positioned right before the detour point that had been covered in the strategy meeting. We would be in a difficult position if they continued north, so it was up to us to steer them toward the fifth stronghold.

General, please have your forces retreat once you ve confirmed the demons have moved, Claire said.

Understood.

Inferno would wipe out everything in range not just the demon army, but the stronghold and any people left in its vicinity as well. It could be activated remotely, so there was no need to have any soldiers stay within the stronghold. If things went well and we lured the demon army to it, the plan was to have Sascha and his soldiers clear the area.

Shall we be off, then, Rae?

Let s.

We were already prepared, so all that remained was to meet up with the soldiers on-site. There was some distance to cover, so we were relying on an imperial mage who could use the wind spell Teleport to transport us there. Manaria had used the spell against me before in a fight, but there actually weren t that many people who could use it. The fact that many rare talents like this mage had gathered for this battle just went to show how serious the empire was.

I bid you good fortune.

Fortune to you as well, General, Claire replied.

When we arrived, the imperial and demon armies were locked in a standoff. Combat had yet to ignite, but the air was so tense, it felt like hostilities could erupt at any moment.

We ve been expecting you, Miss Claire. My name is Dennis, and I have command of the front line.

A pleasure. This is my partner, Rae. What s the situation?

The demon army arrived some hours ago. They ve taken up position at the highway s fork and are maintaining a standoff with our forces.

What s the enemy s strength?

From what we can tell, they number in the tens of thousands. Our own forces only number three thousand, so we expect to be able to hold them off for a few hours at best, if it comes down to it.

And their commander?

We ve spotted Aristo of the Three Great Archdemons. We believe he s the commander of their vanguard.

Perfect. He knows what I look like.

Please be wary of snipers, Miss Claire, I said.

Of course. I m counting on you to protect me, Rae.

We gripped each other s hands.

I ve assigned five hundred soldiers to you, Dennis said. They re all capable of acting independently, so there s no need to worry about commanding them. Feel free to move as you see fit.

Thank you.

Can you ride on horseback? he asked.

I can.

Claire had learned to ride from a young age, and I could do so too thanks to the horse riding lessons we d both in Bauer and in the empire. Mind you, the difference in our skill was night and day.

I bid you both good fortune, he said as we left the encampment.

Miss Claire, are you nervous? I asked.

Certainly. I ve fought a number of one-on-one battles before, but this will be my first time experiencing a battle between armies.

I see. Let s just focus on what we have to do: Show ourselves to the demons, provoke them, and flee.

Right.

Before we knew it, we had ridden close enough to clearly make out the demon army. At the fore, we could make out short-statured goblins. Behind them stood slightly taller orcs with boar-like heads, and further back, the humongous ogres.

These monsters were all categorized as demi-human for convenience s sake, but they weren t related to humans at all. Like water slimes, they each had a core, which would instantly dissipate them if destroyed. There was a chance some of them had intelligence, like Ralaire, but obviously, we didn t have time to go around trying to tame them one by one in the middle of a war, especially not with their numbers.

Let s see They seem to have noticed us, but this isn t quite the reaction we were hoping for, Claire said.

No, it s not.

The monsters seemed wary of us, which was only natural, as we were a brigade-sized unit charging forward from the front line. But they showed no signs of engaging us.

What should we do, Miss Claire?

It s simple, really. I ll just let them know I m here. She moved her horse forward a slight bit and called in a clarion voice, I am Claire Fran ois! Former aristocrat of Bauer and the leader of this unit! Come challenge me if you dare!

The monsters attitudes did a complete one-eighty. A bellow much like a Hateful Cry resounded, and they charged forward in a wild wave, breaking rank without thought or care.

Miss Claire, get back!

No time! Quick, cast a pitfall before us, Rae!

Following her orders, I cast my earth spell Pitfall in a wide area in front of us. The monsters at the fore fell in one after another, pushed from behind by their still-charging allies.

Flame!

At the same time, Claire manifested countless flame arrows and rained them down on the monsters that had fallen inside my pitfall. The death cries of the monsters rang out.

Incredible.

So those are the heroes of the revolution. They re strong.

I heard words of admiration from our allies. It seemed even veterans of the imperial army considered Claire a cut above when it came to magic.

Second wave incoming!

The monsters used their fallen comrades as a bridge and charged forward, depending on the strength of their numbers. It was fair to say they seemed to have taken the bait.

Miss Claire, this should be enough. Let s retreat.

Right! But still, it s a little strange she said, pulling the reins to turn around.

What is?

I don t see Aristo anywhere. I figure he d show up by now.