Chapter 114: Team Formation ①

Hmm? Come to think of it, if I turn a Demon King into my subordinate through accepting them as bloodkin...how does their domain get handled?

Different to the times when I turn a Demon King into a subordinate through , the usual, noisy notifications weren't displayed this time.

I check [Domain] with my smartphone.

『

Demon King Shion's Domain

True Cores: 58

DP: 5500/5850

Domain Size: 367 km²

Population: 0

Depth: 12 floors

Special Effects: None

』

It hasn't increased. So what happened to the Domain ruled by Sarah?

"Kanon!"

I summon my dependable Google-chan.

"Yeees, what is it?"

Kanon approaches me by flying buoyantly.

"The Domain that Sarah controlled hasn't fallen under my control." (Shion)

"Wut? Is that sooo?" (Kanon)

"Investigate what happens to a Domain when a Demon King becomes a subordinate by changing them into a bloodkin!" (Shion)

"Okaaay." (Kanon)

Kanon gave me a carefree reply, but she entered a state of contemplation with a serious expression and shut eyes a moment later.

"U-Umm, that is...please don't get angry, okay?" (Kanon)

"What is it? Hurry up and tell me!" (Shion)

"Well, it's not me who decided it to be so..." (Kanon)

"I know, I know. Now, speak." (Shion)

"In case a Demon King is turned into a bloodkin...the Domain they ruled will be abandoned, it seems." (Kanon)

"Huh?" (Shion)

"Umm, since Sarah-san's Domain isn't ruled by anyone at present...it looks like it will become the possession of the person touching the [True Core] first." (Kanon)

"Eh? What's up with that?" (Shion)

"As I told you, it's not my brainchild..." (Kanon)

I ignore Kanon, her face stained with tears, and draw close to Sarah.

"Sarah! Tell me how many sectors your Domain possessed" (Shion)

"Don't be a jerk and address me properly! Like seven, I think?" (Sarah)

"Seven? Only seven despite being a level 10 Demon King!?" (Shion)

"Uwah!? The second I'm your subordinate, you yell at me? What a downer... I mean, I'm like totally bad at defense? I like attacking, but they were like stolen away by humans and other Demon Kings while I was away?" (Sarah)

The elf in front of me might be an idiot...no, if you just consider surviving, the tactic of continuously attacking has merit as well...?

Blah, that doesn't matter at all right now!

"Kanon! What happened to the monsters who were Sarah's subordinates?" (Shion)

"You can call them strays, or...having gone feral...?" (Kanon)

"Eh? My subordinates have become strays!?"

Sarah is surprised of Kanon's answer to my question.

"Sarah! Where's the sector where you deployed the most subordinates!?" (Shion)

"That's my stronghold, obviously!" (Sarah)

"Yeah, fine, so where is it!?" (Shion)

I press Sarah for an answer while unfolding a map.

"Shion-chi, aren'cha like way too pushy?" (Sarah)

"Who's Shion-chi! Bah, no matter, hurry up and tell me!" (Shion)

Sarah forms a gun with her fingers, and points at a part of Oyabe.

Even if I can't take all seven sectors...I want to seize as many elven subordinates as possible. Dark elves are subordinates with high versatility, but they cost a lot of CP.

"Cain! Do you remember the structure of Sarah's Domain!?" (Shion)

"Shion-sama...right now I am a nameless elf lord." (Cain)

"Haaaaaah!? Just stop with all the small details, and answer the question!" (Shion)

"Yes! I have memorized some of the sectors." (Cain)

Chloe's group is...in the middle of invading a Domain in Kahoku. It would be difficult to call them back.

I take Izayoi, Saburou, Kanon and 19 dhampirs for caution's sake with me, and begin invading Sarah's old Domain, with Sarah as a guide. At the same time, I have ordered Rina's group, who was on standby, to invade Sarah's former Domain as well, with ex-Cain as a guide.

◆

Two days later.

In the end, we managed to recapture four sectors. Once I asked, there were apparently two Demon Kings who regularly attacked Sarah's Domain whenever she went out to invade. Two sectors were snatched away by those guys. The remaining sector was liberated by humans.

Given that I succeeded in adding more than a hundred elves and dark elves as subordinates, I chalked it up to a learning experience.

Those two days were busy and noisy, but having regained my calm, I focused on what I should do. I decided to discuss the management of our forces with Kanon and Yataro.

First we noted down my bloodkin, the former Demon King subordinates, and the rare race subordinates on a piece of paper. Then we classified each of them according to their traits.

[Allrounders]

Shion, Chloe, Kureha, Layla, Izayoi, Saburou, and two dark high elves.

[Attackers (Close Combat)]

Rina, Red, Rouge, Guy, Blue, one elf lord, two ogre bravers, and six goblin bravers.

[Tanks]

Iron, Noire, two ogre generals, and four goblin generals.

[Attackers (Magic)]

Yataro, Flora, Sarah, and ten high pixies.

[Attackers (Ranged Weapons)]

Dakel and six elf snipers.

[Scouts]

Kaede.

[Search Tool]

Kanon.

"Eh!? Don't I belong in the [Attackers (Magic)] column?" (Kanon)

Ignoring Kanon, I next classify the subordinates above C rank according to their traits.

[Allrounders]

Dhampirs, and dark elves.

[Attackers (Close Combat)]

Werewolves, sixty weretigers, one hundred ogres, and fifty nekomata1.

[Tanks]

Living mails, seventy kobold knights, and twenty iron slimes.

[Attackers (Magic)]

Lilims, eighty elves, sixty pixies, fifty lesser demons, and seventy magic slimes.

[Attackers (Ranged Weapons)]

Thirty goblin snipers.

I guess that's it?

Next I divide them according to their roles.

[Demon King]

Shion

[Search tool and homesitter]

Kanon

[Defense]

Yataro, Izayoi, and Saburou.

[Invasion Team ①]

Rina, Iron, Layla, Guy, Flora, and Dakel.

[Invasion Team ②]

Chloe, Blue, Red, Kureha, Noire, and Rouge.

[Invasion Team ③]

Sarah, elf lord, ???, ???, ???, and ???

Under normal circumstances I can send 24 units into a given Domain as an invasion force. However, if all 24 invaders are elites, there will be deaths among my elites when push comes to shove. Not to mention unique beings like Rina, or precious subordinates I can't create, like Rouge and Noire, the other bloodkin have also grown and evolved through many battles, so I don't want to lose them either.

But, consistently conquering Domains without a single casualty is impossible. In that case, it's necessary to add sacrificial pawns for the sake of allowing the elites to survive. Currently the teams have six elites and eighteen pawns. I want the experience points to be concentrated on the elites as much as possible...I have been getting combat experience recently as well... except for large scale battles, I can comfortably give orders to five people at once, or up to ten in a pinch.

The number of basketball players per team on a full court is five. Soccer has eleven, but if you exclude the keeper and the defenders, most of the passing happens between five to six people. Even the number of people in sports has developed into its current shape as a result of optimizing the old-fashioned systems, right?

Thinking about it that way, it becomes necessary to add another four members to the invasion teams.

"Umm...Shion-san? You're not going to deploy the elves as fixed members of Rina's and Chloe's teams?" (Kanon)

Kanon calls out to me as I'm troubled.

"The elves? Why?" (Shion)

"Elves can use healing magic." (Kanon)

"In other words, they are healers, eh?" (Shion)

"Since they're healers, I don't think they'll disturb the teamwork of Rina's and Chloe's teams." (Kanon)

"I see."

Kanon's argument follows logic. I will add elves to invasion teams ① and ②.

"Shion-sama!"

This time it's Saburou who calls out to me.

"What?" (Shion)

"The protection of Kanon-tan――"

――! ――!

I make Saburou shut up physically, and transfer him away to a frontline sector so that he won't annoy me a second time.

Chapter 115 - Team Formation ②

"Shion...can I ask you one thing?" (Yataro)

"What is it?" (Shion)

"Won't you leave the elven lady and her knights to me for the time being?"

I raise an eyebrow after hearing Yataro's suggestion.

"You want them for defense?" (Shion)

"No, that's unnecessary since I will inform you if we get invaded by a formidable enemy just like this this time. Izayoi and Saburou are more than enough as combat forces." (Yataro)

"Why do you want Sarah and her elves then?" (Shion)

"It's not that I want them. I just want to take charge of them temporarily. I will have them gather experience points by prioritizing the elven lady and her knights. Judging by appearance, you have placed importance on their roles when organizing the members, Shion." (Yataro)

"That's true." (Shion)

"I also fully understand the importance of setting up a card deck...your feelings." (Yataro)

"Meaning?" (Shion)

"As you say, the elven lady is [Attackers (Magic)]. The elven swordsmen are [Attackers (Close Combat)]. In addition, it will probably be good if we can cover [Healer] with elves as well. In that case, we're short of two [Attackers (Close Combat)], one [Tank], and one more [Attackers (Magic)] or [Attackers (Ranged)], right?" (Yataro)

"That's how it is." (Shion)

"How about carefully selecting those members from the Domains ahead of us?" (Yataro)

I sort the suggestions provided by Yataro in my mind. It's not about forming the invasion team from the combat forces we already possess, but securing future combat forces in order to form an ideal lineup, huh...?

"Not bad as a plan." (Shion)

"Shion, you will eventually unify the Ishikawa prefecture...the western region of Japan...Japan itself――――and then the world, correct?" (Yataro)

"The world, eh...? I wonder about that." (Shion)

"Har har har, you're still young. You should dream big. If you want to develop the power to unify the world, you will of course have to form invasion teams that consist solely of former Demon Kings eventually." (Yataro)

"Don't put so much pressure on me." (Shion)

"Har har har, you're my lord, Shion. My future depends on you. I'm pinning my hopes on you." (Yataro)

I avert my eyes from Yataro's smile of a good-natured old man, hiding my embarrassment.

◆

"Kanon, tell me the special traits and species of Demon Kings." (Shion)

"Okaaay." (Kanon)

It's information I will know if I browse 『Laplace』, but it's quicker to ask Kanon. Above all, this kind of flow has turned into a habit after I have become a Demon King. Kanon begins to happily talk about the Demon King's species and traits.

"There are eleven Demon King species. The initial species are [Human], the Body-specialized [Ogre], the Mana-specialized [Devil], the Knowledge-specialized [Elf], and the Alchemy-specialized [Dwarf]. Moreover, [Beast] with excelling bodies, [Vampire] with his superior darkness attribute, the balanced [Fairy] and [Slime], and the unknown [Fallen Angel] and [Dragon]." (Kanon)

"Which species is suited to being a tank?" (Shion)

"If it comes to tanks...it should be [Ogre] or [Dwarf], I think. I believe it will be rather difficult to capture one since they are kind of rare, but the [Fairy]'s dullahan seems to have a high sturdiness too. Also, if you don't insist on it being a Demon King, then monsters with general or lord in their name tend to have a high sturdiness as well." (Kanon)

The indispensable role when forming a team is ― tank.

I have fully comprehended the importance of tanks when joining Rina's and Chloe's teams.

When challenging an unknown domain, the team will take up position with the tank as core, while acting cautiously. Moreover, if they are surrounded by enemies, the defensive effort focuses on the tank as well.

That's why I deploy so many living mails, which can be sacrificed, as members of invasion teams. However, you can't compete with formidable enemies, using only disposable living mails. The existence of a tank, who can take on a strong enemy, like Iron in Rina's team, is essential. Noire of Chloe's team has a belligerent character and thus looks like an attacker on a first glance, but he takes the initiative and draws the enemy's attacks when they fight strong enemies.

"Ideally, I'd like to make a dwarf of level 10 or above submit. It'd be nice if they had unique subordinates as kin, and if they were endurance and Alchemy-specialized..." (Shion)

"I think those terms would be way too convenient..." (Yataro)

Hearing my words, Yataro lets a bitter smile slip.

"Indeed... I guess we will need to force two dwarf Demon Kings to surrender then." (Shion)

"Yep...I heard so from Rina, but the great part about Iron isn't his sturdiness, but his willpower. Of course, his sturdiness is great as well, she said." (Kanon)

"Willpower?" (Shion)

"Yes. According to her, he doesn't feel any fear unlike humans... She mentioned that his willingness to become the enemy's target is a strong point humans don't have." (Kanon)

If you put Kanon's comment about "the enemy's target" into game terminology, it'd probably be 『Aggro Control』. Now that she mentions it, I have also acquired a special skill to increase the enemy's hostility called , but I have absolutely no intention to proactively use it.

If one has a normal mindset, they won't deliberately take the enemy's attacks, unless they are pure masochists, suffer from some extreme type of hero syndrome, or trust their comrades quite a bit.

However, created subordinates (monsters) don't have such emotions.

"That means, it would be better to not choose a Demon King as a tank, but...a monster?" (Shion)

"Even the invading humans occasionally have some heavily equipped tank-like people among them, but if they get into a real predicament, they will run away..." (Kanon)

Demon Kings are former humans. Their mindset is closer to that of humans than that of monsters.

As their leader, I can forcibly turn Saburou, Kanon, or Yataro into tanks if I order them, but even then, you can't really call that tanking. Considering it like that, I cannot help but admit that it would be very difficult to turn a Demon King into a tank, unless I capture an abnormal Demon King possessing a unique disposition.

I think Demon Kings fall into the two extremes of being attacker types, who fight by themselves, or strategist types who rely on their subordinates.

"I guess it would be best to turn valuable monsters into subordinates without killing them when invading Domains ruled by an[Ogre] or [Dwarf] then." (Shion)

"That makes sense. When it comes to attackers, it looks like we have more choices than we can possibly use, though." (Kanon)

"Even if there are countless choices, it's still hard work to make them ." (Shion)

"I will believe in your abilities on that part, Shion-san." (Kanon)

I had been charmed by the sound of an invasion team consisting of only former Demon Kings, as suggested by Yataro, but that dream quickly suffered a setback.

Translation Notes: