GMersLifeisFUn21: Gilgamesh will appear at the end of this Arc. This story's Arc is only halfway. The King of Uruk invocation will be difficult because Miriel will have to utilize a system that is not meant for Servant Summoning... a system that is not even intended to be used in the New World.
You probably don't realize it, but summoning the dragon Elvil is a prerequisite for summoning Gilgamesh. Not that Elvil (by itself) brings anything essential, but simply the summoning of the dragon taught Miriel how to mix OOO's summoning magic and the New World's... This experience will be invaluable for Miriel. Because she will need to devise an invocation technique that combines three different forms of magic... from three different worlds.
I understand that some readers may be frustrated that Gilgamesh still hasn't appeared.
However, it's important to remember that the story is titled MIRIEL, not GILGAMESH.
The story you're reading focuses on Miriel and her fight against Nazarick. I was criticized several times because Miriel was 'weak' compared to Ainz... except that it is not a mistake of the author.
The first part of the story, before the invocation of Gilgamesh, aims to illustrate Miriel's struggles to counter Nazarick's schemes and the brutality of their method. Her limited successes, which are also accompanied by setbacks, are required for the plot to unfold as I planned.
I don't think I'm spoiling my own story by saying that invoking Gilgamesh will change the balance of power.
I chose to place Gilgamesh's summoning at the end of arc 2 to highlight the hero's importance. If Gilgamesh were summoned too early in the story, the Servant would just be another Miriel's minion, lost among the anonymous crown of demons, elementals, and monsters. On the contrary, I wanted to make invocation very difficult to emphasize the Hero's exceptional nature.
The pen or The sword: The truth is like a lion; you don't have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself. (Saint Augustine)
The sentence you quoted is not something I wrote in the narrative. This is an answer I gave to a Review. Even if you were right and I said that demiurge was stupid, I only expressed my opinion on the story's sidelines. Must I conclude that in addition to denying me the right to write a story that you did not specifically approve of, I also no longer have the right to have my own opinions? Moreover, you took the sentence out of context which gives it another meaning. If you didn't understand the answer, it's probably because you didn't read the question.
I was responding to a reader who said Demiurge was a genius.
Do you know the difference between genius and intelligence?
Arthur Schopenhauer (German philosopher) once said: Talent hits a target no one can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.
To be clear, if you can understand Demiurge's plans, it proves he's not a genius.
If you want a concrete example of genius, listen to this short story.
When Albert Einstein published his theory of relativity, there was a very negative reaction in the scientific community. A book called Hundert Autoren gegen Einstein (Hundred Authors Against Einstein), was published to refute his theory. Do you know what Einstein's answer was? « If I were wrong, then one would have been enough! »
EXCUBITORE: Just read the Overlord Bonus Story to be convinced. In this alternative version of this story, Suzuki Satoru is reincarnated in the New World alone, without Nazarick and all its NPC.
pandoraactor55: First of all, thank you. Nevertheless, you should not expect a serious fight between 'Riku Aganeia' and 'Jadalbaoth' in this Arc. You may remember that after the fight between Pandora Actor (disguised as Ainz) and Tsaindorcus Vaision's remote-controlled armor, Ainz said he didn't have enough information about 'Riku Aganeia' and that he was going to organize another test fight. So we will see this test fight. About my estimate of Tsaindorcus Vaision's power... Sorry, I will restrict myself from giving my opinion in the responses to Reviews ... This causes unnecessary debates that bother readers without any gain.
PoofyOhio: Thank you.
Mors Ultima Ratio
(Death is the Ultimate Reason (1))
Daggerford, Roble Holy Kingdom
In peacetime, the large hall was used for banquets. But it now looked like a military bivouac. Soldiers in chainmail or gambeson maintained weapons with a sharpening stone or a greasy cloth, trying to restore weapons too worn to have been carried away by the army of Archduke Demondidier. Further a dozen women sewed jacques (hide armor)
At the center of this agitation, Leyen Aristeia was standing with his hands on a table, inspecting several maps unfolded in front of him.
An officer in plate armor stood before him, drawing arrows on the maps to highlight the movements of the armies involved in the ongoing conflict. This man was called Esteban Juarez and belonged to the small nobility of Roble.
"... Count Montombre, set course south, seeking to reach a part of the territory that was not ravaged by the raids of Jadalbaoth to feed his troops."
Leyen frowned, but this was his only reaction. Any capable tactician knows that a defeated army must retreat on its reinforcements... that is, in this case, on Daggerford. Despite heavy losses, demoralization, and lack of food, and the fact that the fugitives abandoned some of their weaponry, Montombre still had an army of 30,000 men. the elf Ranger would have made good use of these professional soldiers.
Meanwhile, Esteban continued his explanation.
"Jadalbaoth is personally pursuing Montombre's army (2). He led a force of 40,000 fighters."
"How many are heading for us?"
The officer hesitated for a brief moment.
"We don't know... I sent scouts to locate enemy troops. But so far, none have returned. It will probably take another 24 or 48 hours to know the enemy's numbers and how they come to us. Count Montombre estimates that half the enemy army is following him... so we can fear that 40,000 enemies are heading for Daggerford. This army would have catapults capable of destroying the city walls. Their general would be... a female werewolf dressed like... dressed like a maid (3)."
Leyen nodded and straightened as Atiria Siina Verteil and Antilene Heran Fouche entered the room. The two priestesses arranged to cover the entire banquet hall and simultaneously cast the same miracle:
"Banishment!"
There, in the shadow of a piece of furniture, a flat, without thickness, soot-like silhouette appeared and contorted before disappearing with a cry of pain.
A Shadow Demon... the enemy constantly sent them such spies. As these devils were invoked, Jadalbaoth had an unlimited number at his disposal. The Demonic Emperor could therefore afford to sacrifice 100 of these summoned monsters, as long as one of them returned to report useful information.
Leyen tapped his finger on the table to draw the attention of the pale officer who was still looking towards the place where a demon had just been exorcised.
"What are our numbers?"
"Uh... Do you want to know the strength of the garrison, Sir Leyen?"
The elf simply shook his head. He was a man of very few words
"Well, a week ago, it was all the army of the northern barons; you must have seen their encampment at the city entrance. Now..."
Esteban Juarez spread his arms in a gesture of discouragement.
"There is almost nothing left to defend Daggerford. First, we have Elven refugees fleeing the tyranny of Decem Hougan. They are under the command of Sylyndyrryl Moonspinner..."
"The Misty Forest Elves are a unit of 50 elven infantry and 50 elite Elvish longbowmen" interrupted Leyen who looked toward Altiria. She replied with a smile. They knew Sylyndyrryl well... they had arrived at Roble accompanied by her 100 warriors and several hundred civilians. Was it not normal for a princess to be accompanied by a guard of honor and faithful servants?
About to ask a question, Esteban looked at his interlocutor's pointed ears... and closed his mouth. He would not ridicule himself by asking how an elf who had lived in Daggerford could know the existence of a unit of Elven soldiers stationed at Daggerford.
"Then there is another half-human unit, 100 dwarfs from the Dwarf Kingdom. Miners who were employed at a mine in the area. 50 of them are fighting as infantrymen, and the other 50 are crossbowmen. All of them have combat experience. They're led by Cyrag Hammerbone. He's a veteran of the Quagoa wars."
Esteban paused briefly.
"Among our best units are the soldiers who accompanied Her Majesty the Queen in her travels. The 3rd Company is a troop of 100 professional soldiers under the command of Freya Hojaplata. 50 paladins were in charge of the close protection of Queen Calca Bessarez. Their leader... Remedios Custodio unfortunately left with the queen. The last professional-level troupe is a band of 50 mounted mercenaries, the Aymerick's Ranger. They are survivors of the Re-Estize kingdom. Their leader is a former noble, Aymerick Amand Noirfond."
The Roble officer sighed.
"The final element of the Daggerford army is the actual garrison: 100 young men and women who have not only received military training but actually served in combat; 300 Peasants... they are basically common folk who have banded together to fight the Demonic Emperor with whatever weapons they might have at hand; then, the militia, 200 ex-members of various armed forces. Because they had some actual military experience it seems probable that they will fare better than the larger force of peasant rabble. Still, few of these individuals have seen actual combat."
This was the 'army' with which Leyen Aristeia would have to fight; about 1,000 men, less than half of whom were professionals.
A few hundred kilometers southeast of Daggerford.
Jadalbaoth, the Demonic Emperor was standing on the hill, looking at the scene with boredom. Fortunately for the morale of his troops, his expression of disgust was hidden by his mask.
An unruly horde of Orcs stormed. The fighters screamed and wielded a disparate arsenal of axes, swords, scimitars, and spears. They were demi-humans with yellow eyes, pig groins with overdeveloped canines and green skin. Tall and muscular, dressed in armor made of leather, furs, metal scales, or chainmail, they were fierce warriors but not smart ones.
They were besieging a castle with hoarding reinforced walls. The Orcs had set up some ladders against a section of the rampart walk and climbed while screaming and growling. Their losses were heavy. The orcs were decimated by crossbow bolts fired from the towers, as well as by stones falling from machicolations. The onslaught of hostile warriors attacked the hoardings through the few openings used to shoot the attackers, but they were narrow and defended by halberds. Other Orcs climbed on the covered way attacking the roof of solid wood shingles with axes.
It would have sufficed to use his spell-like ability Meteor Fall to create a wide breach in the walls of the castle, but... Demiurge smiled under his mask... why would he?
The truth was that this vain and bloody assault was destined to fail. Demiurge's goal was not to conquer Roble on behalf of the Demi-Human Alliance but to weaken both sides in favor of the Sorcerer Kingdom.
The 7floor guardian turned to CZ2128_Delta.
"I leave you a moment Shizuni, continue the frontal assaults during my absence. Do not hesitate to execute the cowards, let them understand that the Demonic Emperor forbids any retreat."
The Heteromorphic Automaton nodded without saying a word. However, although she was a Magical Construct, she was uncomfortable with her current mission. It must be said that CZ2128_Delta was one of the rare exceptions among the Nazaricks with a karma of +100 which placed her rather on the side of the 'Good Guys'.
Because his tent was surrounded by a demon guard he had summoned, Demiurge did not need to whisper. With a finger on his head, he reported to the Sorcerer King using 'Message'.
"... to conclude, if everything goes as planned, the royal army will be forced to leave its current position to prevent us from conquering Roble. At that time, I would return to Abelion Hill and take the lead of the main army to cross the Great Wall. At that moment I would make a pincer movement, with the troops in the north of Robble as anvil using the army I would command as a hammer. The reserve army will then be surrounded and destroyed. Once this is done, all that remains is to march towards the capital."
Demiurge paused briefly. Manipulating these half-brained humans to lead them to the slaughterhouse like the animals they were, in reality, proved to be a disarming simple, hardly more difficult than stealing a lollipop from a brat. But it was normal, all things considered. What could they do against someone smarter than them?
"But as the people of Hoburns tremble with terror, fleeing behind their walls, the savior will come to sweep away the army of the wicked Jadalbaoth and save the Holy Kingdom. Worried about the ravages caused by the invaders, the Noble, Mighty Ainz Ooal Gown, listening only to his compassion for the lower creatures, had sent to Roble the army of his vassal, the emperor Jircniv of Baharuth."
Demiurge readjusted his mask with a finger movement. It was a common tick for him. Usually, it was his glasses that he put back. After a brief hesitation, the demon forced himself to speak again, he didn't just have good news. He had faced just one setback among the numerous goals he pursued simultaneously... No, not a setback, but merely a delay. However, Demiruge was furious because once again, a half-elf wizard had thwarted him...
"I must nevertheless report a... setback, Ainz-sama. Queen Calca Bessarez is unfortunately out of reach for the moment... Miriel brought her back to Hoburns. Of course, I kept in reserve a plan B to eliminate Calca if I failed to do so while she was in Daggerford... but it will take me a little while to put it in place."
He paused, listening to the Overlord's response.
"Miriel stayed in Daggerford, this Player seems to have difficulty invoking the army she wants to use against us. That's probably the full extent of her... talent. No one doubts that if you had been in her place, you would have already succeeded in summoning an army and winning the battle, Ainz-sama."
Demiurge nodded multiple times.
"Yes... yes... I understand, Ainz-sama. I would give orders for her to be captured alive. Nevertheless, these demi-human fools are little more than animals, I can assure you that an idiot even more stupid than others does not disobey. In her interest, let's hope that Miriel runs away... again. That's her main talent, isn't it?"
The demon listened to his lord's answer.
"Yes, of course, Ainz-sama. It will be done as you wish. I have an agent spying on the creation of the Philosopher's Stone and his reports are up to date. However, he did not witness the creation of the Dew of the Philosophers but he heard Miriel describe the process. During my next visit to E-Rantel, I will compile the reports of my agent and I will give everything to Fluder Paradyne."
Two days later, the Ford of the Dagger, Shelayen River, just outside Daggerford.
The town of Daggerford was located on the left bank of the Sheylayen River, which flowed north to Targos and the hills. There were two roads out of town. One road headed north and had to cross the river by a bridge halfway between Daggerford and Targos. It was the most direct road, but it was a narrow road along cliffs. Merchants never used it because a single cart that broke a wheel would immobilize an entire convoy. The second road crossed the Ford of the Dagger and continued east before turning north along the Shelayen. When one reached the canyon dug by the river, the road turned north until one reached another ford. This road was longer, but it went around the hills of Targos.
Moreover, it was near the Shelayen Ford (not far from the ruins of the dam destroyed by Miriel and her companions) that Jadalbaoth had crushed the army of the Northern Barons. There was little doubt that this was the route the invading army used. Luckily for the defenders, Daggerford was on the other side of the river. The Shelayen was a natural obstacle that could only be passed in one place, the Ford of the Dagger.
Leyen Aristeia hated talking. For him, words were more often a waste of time. The Ranger preferred the company of animals to that of 'two legs'. Nevertheless, using simple and short sentences, the young elf had explained his battle plan to his officers.
The numerical superiority did not come from the number of casualties an army could endure before losing its sharpness... unless its general knows no other tactics than the frontal assault.
The strength of a large army is due to two things, the length and the depth of its battle line.
It's easy to understand, that armies usually fight by grouping in one or more lines of fighters arranged face to face. When two armies of unequal importance are at odds, the smaller one is forced to choose between two equally unpleasant options:
1°) spread out its battle lines to cover a length equal to that of the enemy army... which is equivalent to arranging its forces in thin and vulnerable lines that its opponent will have no trouble breaking in a frontal assault.
2) to form solid defense lines. Unfortunately, this meant that the general had to gather his forces in a less extensive system than the opponent's. The foe will then be able to use the units on the wings to attack the allied device on the flanks, or even attack then in reverse, which will lead to an encirclement of the weakest army.
In addition, there is a principle that should never be lost sight of. In a battle, the smallest army is always the one that runs out the fastest because it has to do as much as its opponent with fewer men than it.
The Dagguerford garrison had to defend... Daggerford, is a town on the opposite bank of the Shelayen River. A fortified town on the other side of a ford. And a ford (or a canyon) prevents armies from deploying. The assailant could only advance on a narrow front, in columns, one unit after another.
And since the defenders knew where the enemy was going to attack and that the enemy would only arrive in a few days, this gave them time to build battle fortifications.
Miriel reached out and concentrated.
At the index finger of her right hand, the Actorios began to radiate.
"Intermediate Earth Elemental!"
A stone hand came out of the ground, groping to find support before pulling to the surface a cluster of earth and rock, which gradually took a coarse humanoid form.
The half-elf Summoner turned to Leyen interrogatively. The young elf had drawn a plan on a parchment. It was the representation of a slightly convex stone wall that would completely block the ford on their side of the river. This wall had an outer reinforcement resembling an oblique slope. This arrangement would have several purposes: to prevent the installation of siege ladders, and protect the base of the wall from rams, but also to allow the projectiles that fell from the machicolations to bounce back in the direction of the attackers. This rampart was crowned with overhanging battlements. There was no door (thanks to the Earth Elemental they could open one at will). The only openings were archers' slits and observation slots.
Leyen detailed the construction, pointing out certain details and Miriel transformed the Ranger explanations into orders for the elemental. The ground was raised as the elemental 'pulled away' the rocks that were in the basement. Then it shaped them like clay. In less than an hour, the wall itself was completed. But it took another half an hour to add the access stairs and round towers at both ends of the wall, as well as other details. Unlike the walls created by human hands and made of stone blocks assembled with mortar, the fortification created by the earth elemental was a single huge block of very hard rock. Of course, such a wall was more resilient than any human creation... yet its architects felt it wasn't enough.
Her work completed, Miriel freed the earth elemental, and then she settled at the top of the wall. Reaching out her hand forward, she concentrated.
"Intermediary Fire Elemental!"
On the pebbles' bank separating the wall from the river, a flame appeared, floating in the air. It started to grow rapidly, taking the form of a woman dancing without touching the ground, completely naked... her body and her long hair were made of fire!
"I want you to produce a flame powerful enough to melt the outer surface of this wall."
The idea was to glaze the outside of the wall to make it extremely smooth and hard... like the walls of Minas Tirith in the Lord of the Rings (the books, not the movie trilogy).
Miriel then summoned another earth elemental to dig archers and observation slots at the base of the wall, as well as the traps of the machicolations under the battlements.
As night fell, the architects of this uncanny wall looked at their work with pride. In one day's work, they had revolutionized the art of fortifications.
As the stars lit up in the darkened sky, Miriel and her friends settled down in the middle of the small army's bivouac. The smell of a camp occupied by men in arms permeated the air: human and animal sweat, wood fire, roasted meat, leather, and oil. They could hear the men talking while sharpening their weapons, while others of their comrades ate, played dice, slept, or drank.
They sat around a fire. Altiria Siina Vertail was the first to speak.
"When we were in Hoburns, I met with the mule-drivers who had transported the humanitarian aid sent by Gown. They told me that between the border that separated the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Sorcerer Kingdom before the invasion and the ruins of the capital of the Fallen Kingdom, there is no city, not even a village that is still inhabited. There are only ruins left... apart from many undead, of course. The city of Re-Estize is in a worse state... the Sorcerer King has completely burned it to the ground except for the royal palace which now stands in the middle of a field of ruins."
The elven priestess shook her head sadly before speaking again.
"Do you know the meaning of this expression: 'Death is the ultimate answer'?"
Khalid scratched his head.
"That he who kills his adversary has the last word? That's what Gown does."
"Yes, of course. The word 'ultimate' is a synonym for 'supreme'. But we can also understand this expression as: 'Death is the last answer', since death is the end of the journey. It can also be interpreted as 'death is the last answer we can give'. When one begins to kill his opponents, there is no way back. By massacring a third of Re-Estize's population, Gown wanted to show everyone that he would not accept any opposition. But such a disproportionate response is self-destructive. The Sorcerer King has set a precedent that he must follow."
"A precedent?" asked Diolaine.
Altiria turned to the thief.
"Most nations understand the principle of a graduated response. A nation cannot respond to every diplomatic incident with genocide. It would take a few years to leave only a large cemetery in the place of all civilized nations. The worst part is that Gown is now trapped. After being so tough and cruel, he can't go back. He is obliged to continue on the path he has chosen if he does not want to look weak and lose face."
Antilene shook her head.
"Gown is a tyrant."
"We already knew," replied Khalid.
But the Heterochromia Girl immediately contradicts him.
"No, we thought he was a dictator."
Khalid Deez raised an eyebrow.
"Is it not the same?"
For any answer, Certain Death shook her head.
Until then, Miriel had listened in silence, she took the floor.
"Antilene is right. A dictator is an autocrat, a despot. He rules a country by force and fear. But a dictator is accepted by the population. They are comfortable with their dictator because he is implacable only towards those who oppose him. He is indifferent to the unarmed, submissive population. Gown is a tyrant because his decisions are irrational. Nobody knows what he's going to do. His plans appear to be continually improvised, progressing step by step without an overall strategy. For example, the battle of Katze Plains. He spared a part of the Re-Estize army, which he let escape. They were adult men, armed, and gathered to kill him. They were a legitimate target of his anger. On the contrary, during the invasion of the kingdom, his undead army surrounded entire cities and massacred all the inhabitants. As Princess Altiria recalled, more than a third of the country's population, including just-born children, have been killed or forced to walk thousands of kilometers to flee the country. An innocent civilian population, unable to defend itself... Let us forget for a moment the moral aspect; we are talking about a population of workers, peasants, and craftsmen. Useful people who paid their taxes and whose work enriched the state. It's a monumental waste of resources!"
Diolaine shook her head angrily. For once, the thief was not joking. Her face was as hard as a rock, and a pout of disgust creased her mouth.
"Burn a castle full of works of art just to steal the piggy bank."
But Miriel did not listen to her, the Summoner had not finished her demonstration and spoke in a passionate tone.
"Gown is a tyrant because he's unpredictable, going from being from meekness to cruelty in the blink of an eye. He acts like a madman (4)."
Altiria Siina Verteil appeared troubled.
"Yet most people who study the Sorcerer King's strategy say he is a genius."
"No, he's a liar and a manipulator. So far he has won because people believed his lies and they let themselves be manipulated."
Khalid disagreed and let it be known.
"No, Gown won because he is powerful and has servants almost as powerful as he is. Even on his own, Gown can wipe out armies... like that" he snapped his fingers. "No one can face him and survive. That's why he's won, so far."
The half-elf Summoner trembled and lowered her head, blushing slightly...
"Yes, you are right... that's why I'm going to summon Elvil. We need an ally who can fight the most powerful of Gown's servants." Miriel sighed. "But it's not like I'm sure that even a venerable great dragon is powerful enough to destroy Nazarick. Is there even a way to defeat such powerful beings?"
The question was rhetorical, and Miriel was not speaking to anyone in particular. Yet one member of the group replied someone who had listened without intervening.
"Simple," said Leyen Aristeia. "Just let Gown win."
"Sorry?"
The Elf Ranger spoke again in a slightly annoyed tone.
"Yes, Gown has the power to conquer the continent." Leyen nodded at Khalid. "But Nazarick is just a Dungeon. So Gown doesn't have the manpower to run a continent. On the arrow that pierces it, the bird recognizes its feathers."
While most of the people around the campfire did not understand what the elf meant, Altiria smiled affectionately at her bodyguard.
"It's a parable. Leyen means that we often give our enemies the means to harm us. And he is right. Consider that Gown is already short of staff to administer the territories he has conquered. If he has to manage the whole continent, he will be mired in multiple revolts and therefore very vulnerable. That's exactly what happened to the Eight Greed Kings."
Miriel nodded. She suddenly remembered reading a text explaining what the study of history was for. Those who ignored the lessons of the past condemned themselves to repeat the mistakes of those who had preceded them.
The next night, east of the Sheylayen River.
The elves walked quietly among the trees of the forest. There were fifty archers in light sleeveless elven chainmail. They had a light metal helmet, leather straps, and shin guards. Their quiver was attached to the belt with a short dagger. Their bow was in the back, a weapon almost as tall as an adult man. Magically carved into the wood of elf-tree, the bow had a power of 200 pounds and shot arrows 1.20 meters long to more than 400 meters.
Leyen, who was leading the way, zigzagged through the thickets, gallantly spreading the branches of the trees to allow Sylyndyrryl Moonspinner to follow him.
Showing lights in the valley, he leaned towards the female elf with honey-colored hair.
"Here are their fires," he murmured.
Sylyndyrryl stiffens.
"Your orders?"
"Tell your men to stand still and be silent. In the meantime, we will make a recon."
She nodded.
The moon had just risen and its silver light revealed a path through the shadows of the undergrowth. The two elves were moving almost without making a sound. Arriving on a mound dominating a wide east-west valley, they discover a sentry. A Spidan. It was an arachnoid-like humanoid with four long and slender arms and legs identical to spiders.
Drawing his short sword, Leyen Aristeia stepped forward and, after a few seconds of struggle, laid down the sentinel on the ground. The Ranger waved to Sylyndyrryl, who joined him.
The two elves crouched down to contemplate the army sleeping below... It was like looking at a galaxy in the velvet of night. The whole valley seemed to be strewn with fires that flickered under the influence of the night wind. Leyen quickly assessed the number of campfires. There were sixty of them, just at the foot of the hill, the valley being at least ten times longer...
"600 campfires?"
The Ranger's eyes squinted as he focused on the nearest Campfire. He saw bodies lying on the ground. He counted them. There were about 30 half-humans. Assuming that's representative of each campfire...
"There must be at least 18,000, maybe 20,000."
That is, less than half the number they expected. Had they overestimated the size of the enemy army... unless the other enemies had been given another mission?
Sylyndyrryl reached out and pointed to tents beyond the first circle of fire. "Their general must be there." Her voice trembled slightly. The elf knew before coming that they would have to face a huge army with very small numbers, but it was something else than seeing it with her own eyes.
Leyen Aristeia made an effort to reassure her.
"The situation is favorable. Go and gather your men, spread them out in five rows and ten at a time." It was a few minutes before the elf woman returned with the archers. While she was gone, Leyen had been thinking.
"We can't fire more than eight salvos before they react."
"So we must aim at important targets," replied Sylyndyrryl. "The tents?"
Leyen hesitated and shook his head. "Too far, too random." He shrugged. "Shoot at the front rows, right in front of us, then with each new salvo, shift fire to the east."
"Understood."
The woman officer gave her instructions to the men. Taking eight arrows from their quivers, they planted them on the ground in front of them. Each elf archer proceeded with calm gestures, showing their long habit of this kind of work. Despite their apparent youth, most of these soldiers had lived for more than a century. They had fought more battles than any human troop.
"Fire!"
Leyen nocked his arrow at the same time as the other archers. But unlike them, he did not shoot in the direction of the camp, preferring to neutralize a sentry standing on top of a nearby hill. The arrows went up to the night sky and then swung together before falling back down to the ground.
Even on the hill, the shock of arrows sinking into the earth... or flesh... was distinctly heard. There was a cry of agony. The first. Already the second salvo was in the air. The sleepers were not yet all awake. But when the second salvo came, panic spread among the warriors who had been awakened in a sudden burst. At a moment they understood that they were being attacked... but the arrows seemed to emerge from the night, generated by darkness. Blinded by the light of their campfires, they began to go around in panic and shouting. They were silhouetted on the campfires, making easy targets.
The batches were quickly succeeding each other. The sixth had just fallen back on the enemy camp when a cry was heard.
"Campfires, put out the campfires, everyone in the dark."
Sooner or later, someone had to overcome the shock effect caused by the sudden surprise attack. But the elf ranger had not thought that the first order given by an officer deprives them of their main advantage.
Leyen identified the one who had just spoken. It was a Caben (a kind of ape-man with atrophied eyes). He took an arrow and fired. The half-human staggered and collapsed, the elf projectile piercing his shoulder.
The Ranger grimaced. Too bad, he would have liked to eliminate that officer; he was too competent to be left alive.
As the campfires faded away one by one, Leyen heard the excited screams of the enemies calling each other out. They seemed to be unaware of where the attack had come from, but that was no reason to linger.
"We must get out of here before they get their act together."
Seen from the standpoint of tangible results alone, the attack had been completely futile. Even if each arrow had killed or wounded an enemy, which was unlikely, the elves would not have even scratched the huge army of half-humans.
Except, of course, that wasn't the point. Leyen smiled hearing the excited whispers of the archers and the angry cries of their pursuers. Even fifty men could defeat an army of 20,000. And the effects on morale would play a role for the future...
Moreover, by attacking the army at the bivouac, Leyen Aristeia had ensured that the furious enemies would follow them to the ford. They should not try to move elsewhere! With a little luck, they might even be angry enough to attack the wall without getting properly prepared. A stupid enemy (and an angry enemy always acted stupidly) was a gift for any general.
The wise man said anger is a punishment that one inflicts on oneself for what others have done to him.
Author Note: There is a quote from Genghis Khan that sums up Ainz's problem very well: "One can conquer an empire on horseback, but one cannot reign over an empire on horseback."
The Mongol hordes conquered almost all of Asia thanks to their superior tactics and mounted archers. Unlike Alexander's Empire which disappeared after his death, and divided between his successors, the Mongol Empire endured the passage of time because Genghis Khan managed to build an efficient administration based on a single code of law (the Yasaq)applied throughout the empire. Local governors remained in touch with the capital through a network of horse couriers that inspired the Wild West Pony Express.
Ainz must manage to create the same kind of effective administration if he wants to keep his conquest.
(1) This sentence is sometimes translated as "Everyone is a liar". If we have to wait until people are dead to know who is right, then all the living are liars.
(2) Obviously, Demiurge cannot entrust this task to someone else... unless he explains to this eventual warlord that he must let Montombre escape.
(3) Lupusregina Beta, of course... Her presence at the head of the enemy army is a stroke of luck for the garrison, this Pleiades is far too impulsive and impatient to be a good warlord.
(4) Note that Miriel expresses her opinion based on what she knows and understands of the situation. Miriel's reasoning, although logically correct, is biased.
Ainz spares a part of Re-Estize's army because he was the only one to decide at the Battle of Katze Plains. On the contrary, it was Albedo and Demiurge's reaction after the attack on the food convoys destined for Roble that prompted Ainz to invade Re-Estize and be relentless. However, when Nigredo and Pestonya ask Ainz to spare the civilian population, especially the children, he sabotages the sieges he diriged. He uses too few troops to effectively encircle the cities, allowing part of the population to flee. Remember also that in the third episode of the anime, Sebas is the one who encourages Ainz to rescue the inhabitants of Carne Village.
It's worth noting that Ainz is very suggestible. In addition, for him, it is often the last person who speaks who is right. Imagine what would have happened if it was Sebas Tian who reported the attack on the food convoy.