"As you all know, Demons have begun invading your territory."
In the conference room where I was seated with my allies—Humans, and Elves—I addressed the pertinent issue facing us all.
"It's an attack on two fronts. They only have one goal..."
Aurora and the important Elves on her end, as well as my comrades, looked at me as I spoke.
"... To measure our capabilities."
Zenkiel, the Commander-In-Chief of the Demon Forces needed more information on the military might of the Elves and Humans before going any further in his plans to crush both ends.
"So? What should we do? I propose that we hide our strong cards and deal moderately with them." Aurora spoke with caution.
Even though she was the Queen, her experience in Military matters was limited.
As a result, she needed the consent of those more experienced to make a proper decision.
"I agree with the Queen. If we act that way, the Demons could underestimate us, allowing us to win in the long run." Clara—the Elf General—nodded in response.
Freya and her brothers also supported the idea. The Elf King, after seeing everyone agree, had no choice but to also respond the same way.
"What do you think, Jared?" Aurora turned in my direction.
Of course, they would seek my opinion. At this point, I had become an indispensable ally to the Elf Kingdom.
"I am not in agreement."
Surprised gasps and stares were directed at me, but I calmly focused my gaze on the Elf Queen.
"Why is that?"
"Firstly, your points are valid. It would indeed be much wiser to hide our true strength when subduing the Demons. Based on the surveillance of my Automatons, there are only a thousand Demon Beasts each—led by a Demon General."
It was a size that we would handle without going all-out. If we indeed followed the Queen's plan, there would be no real casualty. It would simply take longer.
"T-then—"
"But, that's only when you look at things on the surface." I interrupted Clara before she got a word in.
"Causing our opponents to underestimate us could work, but only that only depends on the type of enemy that's leading the Demon Forces."
Everyone now watched me in silence and surrender, ready to listen to my rationale.
"If it were me leading the Demon Forces, it'll be easy to see through your ruse. We don't know the level of intelligence the Commander of their Forces possesses, so it could be dangerous if we attempt to influence their decision by putting on a show."
I couldn't tell them that I knew Zenkiel, and that he wasn't the type to underestimate his enemies.
"So, what do you propose we do?"
A smile formed on my face as I heard that question.
"It's simple. We do the opposite of what anyone would expect. We hit them, and we do it very hard."
By easily subduing the enemy forces, even Zenkiel would be forced to admit how powerful we were.
Usually, people with limited strength tried their hardest to hide it so the enemy underestimated them. If we used the Queen's logic, Zenkiel would still be able to gauge our capabilities to an extent.
However, there existed a special kind of people who didn't bother hiding their abilities. They were too strong to care.
That was the image I wanted to portray to the Demons.
The Eastern Kingdom had executed things on their end perfectly. Now, it was the turn of the Elves.
"We'll devastate their armies with so much firepower that not even a speck of them will be found."
By exhibiting even more power than necessary, Zenkiel would have no choice but to overestimate our capabilities.
A simultaneous defeat on both ends—and the loss of precious subordinates—would be enough to steer the Demon Lord to the path I desired.
Once pushed to the wall, a creature's instinct to survive goes into overdrive. They would do just about anything to survive.
'That's what I'm after!'
"B-but, if we do that, won't they strike us with full force next time?" Aurora's gaze was full of concern.
Her anxiety was understandable, but unnecessary.
"Indeed. They will strike as hard as possible in their next attack. However, having to deal with both sides with unbridled force will be hard—even for the Demon Forces."
They had limited personnel and resources, after all.
"In order not to be spread too thin, they'll focus their forces on one continent, crushing us with their sheer force one after the other."
The Elves looked even more worried, but my smile simply stretched further.
From the corner of my eye, I observed Damien Lawcroft. He was actively paying attention to my every word.
"Since the Elves will be considered greater threats, I'm certain they'll strike your land first. After completely destroying the Elf Kingdom, the Demons will focus their attacks on the Humans."
"What? T-then why would you even think of instigating such a—"
"While it's true that your people won't be able to bear the full brunt of the Demon's forces, I assure you that there's no need to worry. That's why our Kingdoms are allies."
"A-ah, I see. So our forces will combine and face off against the Demons?"
"Exactly so."
It was the most certain way to rid ourselves of a chunk of the Demon Forces. Why wouldn't I take the chance?
"I see. Then, we will go along with your plan." Aurora smiled at me.
Everyone else in the room agreed, causing me to bow my head in gratitude.
"Now that we've settled that, it's time to split our forces and devastate the Demons."
*************************
For the Northern Border, I decided to let Serah go—alongside the other members of my team.
Clara and her forces would also be supporting them, though I didn't really see how they would need so many to subdue a mere thousand Demon Beasts.
Still, I transported them there with my Magic, wishing them the best—not that they needed it or anything.
As for me, I was heading to the Western Border alongside Freya... and someone else.
"Are you ready?" I asked the girl beside me.
Her black and white hair fluttered with the wind as she nodded clinging to my side.
"Alright, Lemi. Don't leave me for even a single moment." I smiled at the Half-Elf.
I could sense a chilly stare from Freya, but I decided to laugh it off.
'I'm just a father taking my daughter on a field trip. Is that so bad?'
Freya decided to stick close to me too, causing me to get sandwiched between the two girls.
Well, this was perfect anyway. After all, I needed to use Teleportation Magic to transport myself and the girls to our destination.
"Alright. Here we go!"
