"How goes the battle?"
The Demon King spoke, and Urza was quick to answer.
"The enemy is advancing from the south, split into three divisions. Their strength appears balanced, so it’s impossible to tell which one is the main force."
"Hmph. All three are the main attack, and all three are support. It’s the signature style Gratz excels at."
"All of them are both main and support?"
"It is a strategy where the unit in the best position is treated as the main force while those lagging behind provide support."
"Does that actually work?"
"Because every soldier attacks with the conviction that they are the lead, the opponent falls into a panic, thinking they're facing a total assault. Moreover, it leaves them agonizing over where to focus their defense. The judgment and leadership of the field commanders are vital... and Gratz is remarkably skilled at choosing his subordinates."
"As expected of Uncle Gratz. So, what’s our countermeasure?"
"One could perceive the split as a division of their forces and launch a concentrated counter-attack on a single army. Breaking through to charge their main camp is the standard move, but..."
"If it’s Uncle Gratz, he’s already accounted for that?"
"Invariably. Therefore, we shall drag them into a war of attrition—the one thing the opponent hates most. Time is our ally."
"Understood. We’ll meet them head-on. Uncle Beezel will take the center. Tiselle will handle the left, and Alfred will take the right."
"The enemy will try to provoke us. Tell them not to take the bait."
"Leave it to me."
"Uncle Demon King, this is bad! Tiselle’s Golem has been taken down!"
"What? That thing?"
"It looks like the Giant Race swarmed it in a group. Ah... they’ve broken through."
"Are they coming this way?"
"Let’s see... it looks like they’re circling around behind Uncle Beezel in the center. Uncle Beezel is... he didn’t pull back in time. At this rate, he’ll be surrounded."
"Push the main camp forward! We shall counter-encircle the enemies who moved to our rear! What about Alfred?"
"He seems shaken after seeing Tiselle’s Golem fall. He’s being pushed back, but the two former Four Heavenly Kings are supporting him. He’s holding the line."
"Good. As long as those two are standing, he should be able to persevere. Let’s go!"
"A flag semaphore signal from Uncle Beezel! 'WE ARE NOW CHARGING THE ENEMY CAMP. LONG LIVE THE DEMON KING!'"
"Guh. Beezel..."
"Uncle Demon King, what should we do?"
"I want to charge in with him, but I am the Demon King, after all. I cannot allow myself such recklessness. Watch for the right moment to pull back; we will retreat to Fortress No. 3. Tell Alfred to coordinate his movement with ours."
"Roger."
"Hmph. Do not look so grim. We have not lost yet. A Demon King never abandons the fight until the very end. And know this: it is I, the Demon King, who shall have the last laugh."
"Right. I’m counting on you."
In the plaza south of the village, a grand snowball fight was underway.
The rules were simple: the only restriction was that you could only use snow to attack your opponents. In other words, even if you were hit, you could keep going; it was a freestyle match where people pelted each other until one side surrendered.
I had politely declined the invitation to join. Standing out here under the freezing sky, I reaffirmed that I had made the right choice. While only snow was allowed for offense, magic itself wasn't prohibited. This meant using fire magic for defense was perfectly acceptable. Furthermore, while direct attacks by summoned Golems were forbidden, having a Golem throw snow was fine. Conversely, participants were allowed to use attacks other than snow against the Golems themselves. I suppose the Golems are categorized as magic constructs rather than participants.
When Tiselle summoned her massive Golem, I thought the match would become entirely one-sided. I was genuinely surprised to see the Giant Race form a literal scrum to topple it. Once her Golem was defeated, Tiselle had no choice but to flee, but she eventually succumbed to a heavy aerial bombardment of snow from Malbit and Reginleiv.
I had assumed Beezel was voluntarily sealing his teleportation magic, but I was mistaken. At the very last moment, he warped directly behind Gratz to take him out, but his luck had run out. Gratz must have predicted the move. There was a pit trap waiting exactly where Beezel materialized, and he was promptly buried in snow the moment he fell in. I hope he’s alright.
Alfred was fighting valiantly with the two former Four Heavenly Kings on either side of him. Those two usually stay in Village Five, but the Demon King had summoned them specifically for this event. They had seemed dissatisfied at first, but for some reason, they became incredibly cooperative with Alfred. Currently, they were working themselves to the bone just to get Alfred to call them "Jiiya."
Oh, impressive. Alfred just used fire magic to block a volley of snow from Ruincia and Razmaria. He even launched a massive snowball of his own in retaliation. It seemed to be a fairly even match.
Suddenly, a great cheer erupted. I looked over to see the phoenix chick, Aegis, soaring through the air while radiating enough heat to melt paths through the drifts. It was methodically destroying the snow fortifications the Demon King had spent so much time building. A large snowball suddenly soared toward Aegis, launched from a catapult positioned at the very rear of the Demon King’s Army. It was a remarkably accurate shot from Yor, but Aegis dodged it gracefully and retreated. In its wake, Gol, Sil, and Bron charged down the path Aegis had cleared, lugging massive blocks of snow for a final assault. I couldn't help but wonder if they weren't freezing.
Incidentally, this snowball fight had no prize money or rewards at stake. The only thing to be earned was honor. Because of that, I’d expected Gratz to take it easy, but he was being incredibly serious. He was barking orders and shouting encouragement loud enough for me to hear him from across the plaza.
"Ah, that’s because I added a little scenario to the mix," Progenitor-san said, answering my unspoken question.
A scenario?
"I told him the Demon King had forcibly carried off his wife. I thought a setup like that would make it easier for him to give his all against the Demon King, but..."
I see.
"Forward! Forward! Forward! We will bring down the Demon King today!"
I finally understood the source of Gratz’s intense fighting spirit.
The snowball fight concluded once the Demon King was finally "slain." Urza had held out for a long time, but she eventually fell as well. In the end, Alfred was the only one left standing on the Demon King’s side. Truly impressive.
Once it was over, I told everyone to head straight for the baths or the hot springs before they caught a cold. That went for the spectators, too. I asked Progenitor-san to help transport those who were too cold to move. Tiselle, who had been eliminated early on, was likely already soaking.
"Hm? What is it, Urza? The pork miso soup?"
Ah, I had planned to serve it as a snack after the game, but since they’d played until sunset, it was moved to the dinner menu. Ann and the others were already getting everything ready, so I told everyone to hurry through the hot springs.
"Gratz, stop your victory report there before Ronana freezes. You have my permission to head to the hot springs together; you can finish your report there."
The heavy snow had piled up high, making for a long, noisy, and very lively day.