A day after the incident in the laboratory, Sudirja summoned the entire royal army. He called upon every soldier from all the surrounding territories.
Naturally, the demons of Jagrapati gathered as well. They had made an agreement and had no intention of breaking their word.
William and Dion were also brought along.
“Due to the deliberate incident in the laboratory caused by the demons of Dahaluk, we will now invade the Dahaluk kingdom—to restore its environment, so the demons there can die permanently!” Sudirja declared.
The soldiers were fired up. They couldn’t wait to heal the environment—especially those who hailed from the lands around Dahaluk. More specifically, the lands they once called home before becoming soldiers of Aryapanggulu.
They were eager to reclaim Dahaluk from the demon race. They longed to return to their ancestral lands. If possible, they even wished for the Dahaluk territory to be annexed as part of the Aryapanggulu kingdom.
But unlike his soldiers, Sudirja’s only goal was to purify the land now known as Dahaluk. He had no interest in expanding the kingdom’s borders.
“Your Majesty, what if we do expand Aryapanggulu’s territory and grant it to Jagrapati, considering they’ve come to aid us?” suggested one soldier.
“I have no intention of expanding our territory—and it seems the demons of Jagrapati don’t want that either,” Sudirja replied.
“That’s correct. We have no need for land. We are the loyal subordinates of the demon king Semar, and we always will be,” one of the demons answered. His appearance was both majestic and terrifying: he had two pairs of arms, the head of a wild boar, and a body covered in black scales, as dark as obsidian.
“Then after Dahaluk is conquered, what will become of the territory?” another soldier asked.
“I intend to turn it into a wildlife reserve. That land will not belong to any nation,” Sudirja explained.
They couldn’t push their opinions further. They feared that if they did, the king might revoke their military positions—and that would mean losing their income.
Of course, Sudirja wasn’t that kind of ruler. He wouldn’t remove someone from their post just for voicing an opinion. At worst, he simply wouldn’t follow a suggestion—particularly one that was too forcefully delivered. But if an idea was good, even if it came from a soldier, he would accept it. That was only natural in a healthy discussion.
“All right, it’s time to move out!” Sudirja shouted.
Even if their proposals were rejected, the soldiers remained filled with spirit. There was no trace of sadness in their marching steps.
Strong, steady, and ready—they were prepared to fight. Even if they wouldn’t gain ownership of Dahaluk, it didn’t matter to them. As long as they could visit the land, they had no objections to any of the king’s decisions.
Still, a bit of uncertainty lingered. What if the king didn’t allow them to visit Dahaluk after the conquest? One of them finally dared to ask, just to be sure.
“Your Majesty, will we be allowed to visit Dahaluk once it has been conquered?” a soldier asked, stammering slightly.
“Oh come on, why are you so nervous? As long as you’re off duty, you’re free to visit the territory after we’ve taken it,” Sudirja replied.
Relief swept through them. Their fears had been unfounded. So they hardened their resolve, swearing to take back Dahaluk from the demons who infested it.
“But before that, shouldn’t we also consider the environment along our travel route, my alter?” William asked.
Despite his concern, the soldiers remained spirited. They didn’t care what dangers lay ahead.
Arga, however, understood the importance of terrain. He knew the number of soldiers joining the invasion was massive. Using flying royal carriages would be impossible. Anti-gravity artifacts were also out of the question.
“What William says seems to make sense,” Arga agreed.
However, Sudirja’s thoughts went in a completely different direction. Perhaps his alter ego would suggest turning Arga into a giant and having him carry all the soldiers to Dahaluk.
“Don’t get any funny ideas!” Sudirja suddenly shouted.
William blinked in confusion. Why was his alter reacting that way? All he had suggested was to be cautious of environmental hazards and perhaps the presence of feral demons—mindless, instinct-driven creatures that could attack.
“What do you mean?” William tilted his head.
“You’re thinking of asking Arga to turn into a giant and carry everyone, right?” Sudirja questioned.
“Wait—what? Is that what you thought I meant?” Arga looked at William.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, my alter,” William raised his left eyebrow.
“I should be the one saying that!” Sudirja grumbled.
“Then what did you think I meant, Duke Arga?” William turned to him.
“Well, considering how many soldiers we’re bringing, flying carriages are out. We also need to watch out for natural disasters or mindless demon attacks,” Arga said, a bit unsure.
“Not that detailed—but yes, your answer is basically right,” William confirmed.
“So you weren’t suggesting Arga to transform into a giant and carry everyone?” Sudirja asked again.
“What, did you leave your brain behind at Rogo Geni’s birthplace or something!? As if I’d think something that ridiculous twice!” William growled.
“Then how should we prepare?” another soldier asked.
“For that, I need detailed information about the travel route,” William said, turning to the soldier.
“We’ll pass through a forest shrouded in highly flammable mist. We should exit that forest in about three days. After that, we’ll cross a desert completely inhospitable to living creatures. The winds there activate random magic spells. We should be through it in about two days,” Arjuna explained.
If the flames were like those back in William’s old world, they might be easy to extinguish. But this world was too different—so he doubted conventional means would work. He needed to understand the nature of the fire.
“What are the properties of the fire?” William asked to Arjuna.
“It burns with a blue-green flame. Anything caught in it hardens like metal. But if it’s a living creature, they’re instantly obliterated—except for plants,” Arjuna replied.
Perhaps the fire could be used. William considered the idea. Maybe if they wore wooden armor—once burned, it would harden into something as strong as metal. That could turn weak gear into high-level protection.
But if the wearer got trapped inside armor they couldn’t move in, it’d be a disaster. So the only safe route was to avoid triggering the fire entirely.
“I was going to ask if the fire could be extinguished—but that seems pointless. So let me ask instead: what exactly triggers the flames?” William asked.
“Metal with a shiny yellow color,” Arjuna answered.
“Alter, you might want to leave your crown behind when we pass through that forest,” William warned to Sudirja.
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