Demonic Witches Harem: Having Descendants Make Me Overpowered!-Chapter 92: The Dark Harvest: First Campaign

The journey from Elysium through the treacherous Malgrave Mountains to Hyparia took nearly two days.

Even with a shortcut, the path remained difficult, veiled in poisonous mist that deterred most travelers.

Yet, this very danger made it the ideal route, ensuring their approach remained undetected as they were all immune to the poison.

Though, Lloyd had opposed Claude's presence on the battlefield, arguing that a king should not expose himself to unnecessary risk.

Yet, Claude had insisted. As a ruler, he needed firsthand insight into his army's operations—where they excelled, where they faltered, and what improvements were necessary to ensure efficiency.

To facilitate movement, Claude had ordered the Dark Mages to establish teleportation points, allowing the army to advance, retreat, or resupply.

He had also tasked Samson with constructing small military outposts—strategic rest stations for knights and mages that would also secure their logistical needs.

By evening, the army halted to rest. Troops swiftly erected magical tents—modest in appearance yet vast within, spacious enough to accommodate dozens of knights and mages.

Meanwhile, sentries took their positions, encircling the encampment with layered barriers to suppress the dark mana, ensuring the Church's forces wouldn't detect their presence.

Inside his tent, Claude sat at his desk, meticulously calculating the campaign's gold expenditure.

His fingers moved swiftly across the parchment, tallying costs and weighing future expenses.

The entrance suddenly flapped open. Sun strode in, his tail swaying with excitement.

"My Lord! Vulture has returned!" he announced, his ears twitching eagerly.

Claude didn't pause in his writing, merely nodding. "Let him in."

The moment Vulture stepped inside, Claude set his quill down, turning his attention to his newest servant.

The cacodemon, now in his humanoid form, bowed before delivering his report.

"My Lord, the village you spoke of is… weak," Vulture began.

"There are no proper defenses, just some men, miners, and hunters who work as volunteers for monsters that wander around."

"The village population only has fifty men, forty women, twenty-five children, and around twenty elders. No knights."

"The land is mostly infertile, so most of them work as miners as their village is surrounded by mountains."

Claude leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers beneath his chin. "No defensive line at all?"

Vulture shook his head. "None. However, I detected a faint mana pulse coming from one of the homes. An old married couple resides there."

"A weak pulse…" Claude mused. "Could the witch or mage be injured or sick?"

"As expected of you, My Lord," Vulture praised. "The mana core remains stagnant, unmoving. They are either gravely ill or incapacitated."

Claude exhaled slowly, considering the implications. "And the Church? Any holy presence?"

"There are three individuals, but they're weak," Vulture reported. "The village does have a church, but it's in ruins."

"According to the locals I questioned, they cannot afford Church taxes, so they receive no clerics or knightly protection. The holy men present are likely volunteers."

"Hmph." A smirk played on Claude's lips.

"A neglected, impoverished village on the kingdom's outskirts… It will make the perfect supply hub for iron and mineral resources."

He turned to the map before him, marking the location.

"Good. Continue your reconnaissance. Survey the nearby villages and towns. Gather similar intel, and determine the most strategic targets based on your findings."

Vulture blinked, his crimson eyes widening slightly. "Me?" He pointed to himself, clearly surprised by the responsibility.

Claude resumed his writing without looking up. "You are the closest to them. Your insights are valuable. While your judgment won't be the final decision, it will guide my strategy."

Vulture's surprise quickly gave way to determination. He straightened, placing a fist over his chest.

"Yes, My Lord! I will not disappoint you!"

Without hesitation, he shifted back into his avian form. His black wings spread wide before he took flight, vanishing into the night sky.

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***

The sun had risen when Claude's army emerged from the hill near the village. At the first sight of the village of Hyte, the dark knights spread into formation.

Behind them, the Sun's shadows in the form of about twenty chaos hounds prowled, their monstrous forms shifting in the shades, eager for battle.

Claude stood at the forefront. He raised his hand, and the army halted. His gaze swept across the settlement—small, isolated, but stubborn in its existence.

He had no intention of wiping it out, but he knew well that not all would surrender willingly. Some would resist, no matter how futile the struggle.

"Minimal bloodshed," Claude ordered, his voice carrying through the ranks. "We need workers, not corpses."

With that, the assault began.

The dark mages raised their hands, casting thick veils of black mist over the village, dulling the senses of those within.

Confusion spread before realization dawned, and the first screams rang out as the villagers spotted the approaching soldiers.

"Invaders!" a miner shouted, brandishing a rusted pickaxe.

Others quickly followed, grabbing whatever tools they could—shovels, hammers, anything to defend their home.

Some of the younger men rushed to form a barricade in the main street, tipping over carts and crates in a desperate attempt to slow the enemy.

But against trained warriors, it was little more than a momentary inconvenience. The first wave of dark knights crashed through the makeshift defenses, their swords flashing as they cut down the bravest of the defenders.

Steel met steel, though the villagers had little more than crude iron tools to pit against the honed edges of enchanted blades.

"TAKE THIS AND GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS VILLAGE!!!"

One miner, a burly man with soot-covered skin, swung a heavy sledgehammer at an approaching knight.

The impact sent the soldier staggering, but before he could strike again, another knight's sword found his gut, silencing him with a single thrust.

Blood splattered onto the dirt as his comrades watched in horror. Some faltered. Others, fueled by grief, fought harder.

From the rooftops, a handful of hunters with bows fired down upon the invading force. Arrows whistled through the air, striking armor.

However still, a knight fell to his knees, a shaft embedded in his throat. Another staggered back, the tip of an arrow protruding from his shoulder.

"EAT THIS!!!"

"YOU MONSTER!!!"

The scream could be heard all over the place as the hunters still attacked with their arrows.

As the knights busy with the hunters, some of the men help the women, children, and elders to run to the safest place in their small village, the church.

Claude merely raised a finger. "Get all of them, Sun's clone."

A group of cacodemons reacted instantly, leaping onto the rooftops with inhuman agility.

Claws tore through wood, shattering tiles as they reached the archers. The screams that followed lasted only moments before the rooftop resistance was silenced.

Near the village square, a desperate group of women and elders had gathered around the tattered church, clutching whatever symbols of faith they could find.

Some of them panicked, searching for their family members that have been separated because of the chaos.

Some were crying because they could see the knights coming closer and closer, ready to slaughter them all.

One of the holy men stood at the steps, trembling as he raised a wooden staff.

"Begone, creatures of darkness!" he shouted, his voice steady despite the fear in his eyes.

"The light shall cleanse your evil!"

Claude scoffed. With a flick of his wrist, a shadow tendril lashed forward, wrapping around the priest's throat and lifting him into the air.

He choked, struggling against the force, his staff falling from his grasp. The gathered villagers shrank back, paralyzed by fear.

"You do not need to cleanse what is already rotting," Claude said coolly before dropping the priest onto the church steps.

"Surrender, and you will live."

The fight was all but over. With their strongest men either dead or incapacitated, the remaining villagers—mothers clutching their children, elders too weak to flee—slowly dropped to their knees.

Some wept. Others stared at the ground, their pride swallowed by defeat.

Claude let the silence stretch before he finally spoke."This is not a massacre. This is the beginning of your new purpose," he declared.

"Your lives are spared because I see value in you. You will work, you will contribute, and in return, you will be kept alive and fed."

His eyes flicked to the miners. "Your village has iron and stone—resources I require. Serve well, and you will find purpose in my kingdom. Resist, and…"

He gestured to the handful of fallen men. "Well, you've seen the consequences."

The villagers had no choice but to submit. Their home had fallen, and their lives were no longer their own.

Claude turned to Henrich. "Secure the area. Gather the resources and assess who among them is useful."

Henrich straightened with pride, his chest puffed out. "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Their first campaign had ended in victory, and the momentum was theirs to seize.

At his command, the soldiers moved swiftly, herding the captives while others began inspecting homes and stockpiling supplies.

The first village had fallen. Soon, more would follow.

Claude, however, had other matters to attend to. He turned away from the scene.

"I'll be gone for a while. See to your duties properly."

Without waiting for a reply, he set off toward the outskirts of the village, where an old couple resided.

If the reports were true, someone inside that house possessed a mana core, albeit weak.

'A mage or a witch…' A smirk curled on his lips. 'Let's hope it's the latter.'