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Chapter 893: Siege Warfare

I am a demoness born as the third daughter of a baron family in the Demon King’s Kingdom.

I married into another baron family, but my husband is almost never home due to his work.

The three children I gave birth to have grown up and each started their own independent lives.

Left with too much time on my hands, I was getting restless and wondering if I could find something to occupy myself with when, luckily, Countess Chrome invited me to get involved in one of her ventures.

I can’t even tell my husband what exactly I do in this venture…

But to put it bluntly, I’m raising monsters called a Mereokan, which produces raw materials for beauty products.

The Mereokan, commonly called Mereo, is a large monster that exceeds five meters in length.

Raising them is, as you’d imagine, heavy labor.

You might wonder if a noblewoman, even a baron’s daughter, is capable of such work—but surprisingly, I am.

I guess it suits my nature.

It’s fun.

The labor isn’t an issue.

However, there is one thing that concerns me.

The Mereos in the breeding facility where I work have become exclusively females.

A female-only environment is hardly ideal for breeding, and the female Mereos have been gradually growing more lethargic.

It’s likely because they lack the stimulus provided by males.

Even the production of raw materials for beauty products has been declining year by year.

For now, it’s manageable, but thinking ten or twenty years down the line fills me with dread.

If only we could bring in a male Mereo from somewhere. However, due to overhunting in the past, wild Mereos are on the brink of extinction.

There’s a chance that the Mereos we’re raising might be the last ones left in existence.

-0-

That anxiety was a thing of the past.

Ever since Colin Colin-sama, the Viscountess of Luthers, brought in a young male Mereo, the activity level of the female Mereos in the breeding facility had significantly increased.

The production of raw materials for beauty products also showed promising potential.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

Or so we thought…

The female Mereos in the breeding facility suddenly stopped listening to the caretakers and barricaded themselves in a siege.

The reason was simple.

The male Mereo that Colin Colin-sama had brought in was about to leave.

The male Mereo had only been borrowed for breeding purposes.

Once the mating season ended, it was scheduled to be returned to its original owner.

Whether it would come back again was uncertain.

The caretakers were aware of this.

The female Mereos were not.

It wasn’t out of malice that we didn’t tell them.

It was to avoid stressing them.

After all, the female Mereos had not engaged in breeding activities for so long that they’d even forgotten their mating dances.

If they were made aware of the time limit, there was no telling how they might react.

In the worst-case scenario, they could have become violent toward the male Mereo.

That’s why we chose to keep it a secret.

We had intended to keep it a secret until the end.

The plan was for the male Mereo to quietly return home.

That would have been enough for us.

However…

Once all the female Mereos had completed their breeding activities and were simply waiting to lay their eggs, their guard seemed to drop.

Some of the caretakers accidentally let slip that the male Mereo would soon be leaving.

There was no malicious intent behind it.

It was simply their heartfelt wish to give the hardworking male Mereo a proper send-off, and they had begun preparing a farewell party.

Upon realizing that the male Mereo was about to leave, the female Mereos built nests in the forest within the breeding facility, confined the male Mereo, and barricaded themselves in a siege.

-0-

Day 1 of the Siege

For now, one of the caretakers is sent to hear the demands of the female Mereos.

「They are asking us not to return the male Mereo.」

Of course they are.

However, there is nothing we can do about that.

We don’t have the authority to decide whether the male Mereo stays or goes.

For now, we’ve contacted Colin Colin-sama.

And Countess Chrome too.

All caretakers, whether on duty or off, have been summoned, and a response headquarters has been set up.

That concluded the day… or at least we wanted it to.

Under the cover of night, we inspected the Mereo nest.

They’ve knocked down trees and arranged them to block out external threats.

The defense seems weak overall, but since the fallen trees are still fresh and green, fire is not an option.

Not that we’d even consider such a thing.

The gaps in their barricade seem sufficient to allow someone to crawl through.

However, beyond those gaps are Mereos over five meters long, and don’t forget, they can turn invisible.

If the barricade is intended as a simple stalling tactic, it’s an effective and troublesome one.

-0-

Day 2 of the Siege

Colin Colin-sama arrived on-site and took command of the response headquarters.

Although Colin Colin-sama pleaded for the release of the male Mereo, the female Mereos refused to listen.

Out of concern for the male Mereo’s health, we delivered food to him.

At the suggestion of one of the caretakers, we initiated the nursery rhyme strategy.

The plan was to evoke nostalgia in the female Mereos by singing nursery rhymes, but…

They ignored us completely.

How frustrating.

We even sang to them back when they cried to us about how lonely it was to sleep alone!

-0-

Day 3 of the Siege

Countess Chrome arrived on-site.

The Countess explained to the female Mereos that if they didn’t allow the male Mereo to leave, he might never return again.

However, the female Mereos refused to listen.

Their unity appeared to be stronger than ever.

While the Countess was explaining, a seven-member caretaker team secretly began a mission to rescue the male Mereo.

Unfortunately, the mission failed.

Who would have thought Mereos were capable of throwing projectiles?

How are they even throwing things with those shoulder joints?

It shouldn’t be physically possible!

Regardless, the rescue team members returned covered in mud and dung.

They were immediately sent to wash themselves.

-0-

Day 4 of the Siege

Negotiations continue, but there has been no progress.

However, we’ve managed to establish a set of rules of engagement.

To ensure safety during the night, combat hours are restricted to daylight only.

A truce will be observed from sunset to sunrise.

After all, nighttime activity is the enemy of beauty.

Additionally, the battlefield has been designated as the grounds of our managed enclosure.

Under no circumstances are the Mereos allowed to leave the premises, regardless of combat.

This is a matter of safety for everyone.

Magical attacks have been banned as well.

The risk of damaging the facilities or setting the forest on fire is too great, so this was a natural decision.

Guidelines for the treatment of captives have also been established.

Even as prisoners, cruel treatment is not acceptable.

Any captured female Mereo is to be returned to her quarters to reflect on her actions.

Other minor rules were decided as well, such as a depth limit for pit traps and the prohibition of placing harmful objects within them.

We’ve also banned the throwing of stones or rocks—not that they’d likely throw them again after last time, but better safe than sorry.

Above all, a key rule has been agreed upon: neither we nor the female Mereos may harm the male Mereo.

His safety is the top priority.

However, there’s always a risk of injuring him while attempting to secure his release.

To address this, the male Mereo will wear a crown.

If one of us caretakers removes the crown, the female Mereos are to release him without resistance.

Not a bad compromise.

There was always the possibility that the male Mereo might be reluctant to leave himself.

As long as we can remove the crown, victory will be ours.

-0-

Colin Colin-sama provided fresh straw bedding for the male Mereo.

Even though it’s spring, the nights can still get chilly.

We were also issued new clothes, pants, sheets, and undergarments.

It seems the headquarters is preparing for a prolonged standoff.

However, late at night, Count Chrome visited the site.

After a discussion with the Countess, the Count expressed a strong preference for a swift resolution.

We would prefer that, too.

-0-

Day 5 of the Siege

Count Chrome and the Countess once again appealed to the female Mereos for the release of the male Mereo.

As expected, they were ignored.

On a positive note, we confirmed that the male Mereo is still in good health.

Additionally, the Count informed the male Mereo that the village chief would be visiting soon.

The village chief is apparently the superior of the male Mereo’s owner.

Having a familiar figure arrive should help stabilize the male Mereo’s mental state.

However, I must ask: why is Count Chrome in such a rush?

His impatience is starting to unsettle the female Mereos.

A bit more composure would help immensely.

The Countess is also doing her best to persuade the female Mereos, but patience is key here.

Losing one’s temper won’t lead to a resolution.

We need the female Mereos to believe we have all the time in the world; otherwise, negotiations will only become more difficult.

Wait, what?

Destroy the nest?@@novelbin@@

Ah, well… preparations are already underway, but… understood.

We’ll mobilize two strike teams.

The first team will conduct a frontal assault on the nest using a battering ram.

This is merely a diversion.

The second team, operating slightly behind, will attack the left side of the nest using a massive iron ball suspended from a crane.

This is the main offensive.

Fufufu.

We’ve been caring for these female Mereos for years.

We know their habits and quirks inside and out.

They’ll absolutely fall for the bait and focus on the frontal attack.

-0-

The results?

Both the battering ram and iron ball attacks failed.

The nest wasn’t even breached.

We were thwarted before we could reach it, not by the female Mereos but by demon beasts called Net Turtles.

Net Turtles are terrestrial demon beasts that already live in the enclosure.

Normally harmless and non-confrontational toward the Mereos, we caretakers have always left them to their own devices.

Net Turtles sustain themselves using their own shells to catch food, so they require no effort from us.

Occasionally, an idle caretaker will clean their shells, but that’s the extent of our interactions.

As it turns out, the female Mereos enlisted the Net Turtles to defend their nest by offering them portions of their food—grass.

It seems we neglected to explicitly prohibit hiring additional forces in the rules of engagement.

Though frustrating, we can’t really complain; we were also considering bringing in reinforcements.

-0-

The nest was not destroyed, but we managed to capture two female Mereos.

It seems these two ventured out during the chaos of the battle and infiltrated the enclosure’s food storage.

If they leave their nest, we have a chance.

This also confirmed another weakness—there’s a strain on the Mereos’ food supply.

Hiring the Net Turtles as additional defense with food must have exacerbated their situation.

This gave us hope: food could be a bargaining chip.

-0-

Day 6 of the Siege

We were deceived.

It turns out the female Mereos had stockpiled a large amount of food before the siege began.

They made a point of flaunting their feast, mocking us.

Grr…

-0-

A tunneling operation was launched.

One of our caretakers skilled in earth magic had been steadily digging a tunnel toward the nest since Day 2.

By today, the tunnel was almost complete.

The moment it broke through to the nest, our caretakers were to rush in and seize the male Mereo’s crown.

Even Colin Colin-sama had high hopes for this operation.

But it failed.

They anticipated it.

The female Mereos countered by flooding the tunnel.

Thankfully, they gave us a warning before releasing the water, saving us from serious harm.

-0-

After the failed tunnel operation, the Countess gave the order to resort to more forceful measures.

“The problem so far has been relying on clever tricks,” she declared.

“True caretakers don’t need such schemes. We’ll win through sheer determination and power.”

Her rallying cry energized us all, and we steeled ourselves for the next phase.

But just as preparations were underway, the village chief’s gift arrived ahead of him.

A large shipment, painstakingly delivered by Count Chrome himself.

Its contents? Fruit.

Proper etiquette dictates that even if a gift arrives ahead of its giver, it should remain untouched until the giver’s arrival.

However, since the fruit was perishable, and the village chief himself had said we could go ahead and enjoy it, we made an exception.

Of course, the proper procedure had to be followed.

First, the Countess, as the representative of our group, accepted the gift.

Then, she distributed portions to us caretakers via Colin Colin-sama.

When it was finally my turn to taste it…

Delicious.

No, not just delicious—exquisite.

…

Wait a second.

Could this be the famous, incredibly expensive fruit that’s been trending in the royal capital?

Ah, it is.

May I take one home?

I’d love for my husband and sons to try it.

Thank you.

The fruit was also shared with the Mereos still holding out in their nest.

It’s important to include them in these gestures, ensuring no lingering resentment remains after this ordeal is resolved.

-0-

After enjoying the fruit, we took a moment to rest.

The tea was exquisite.

-0-

The All-Out assault begins.

With a rallying cry, we charged toward the Mereos’ nest.

Leading the charge was Colin Colin-sama.

I was positioned just behind him on the right.

…

That’s quite far up the line for me.

Oh well, no matter.

I’ll give it my all!

-0-

We fought tirelessly until sunset but only managed to capture three female Mereos.

To our surprise, they had constructed a second nest behind the primary one.

Clever.

But their numbers are thinning.

Tomorrow, we will surely capture the crown of the male Mereo.

No—we will make it happen.

-0-

The Seventh Day of the Siege

The village chief has arrived.

At first glance, the chief seemed like an ordinary person.

But one accompanying him was anything but ordinary.

It’s hard to put into words just how extraordinary this individual was. At first sight, she appeared to be a regular woman—or so it seemed until you noticed the bizarre weapons strapped to both her arms.

Her presence was unlike anything I’ve encountered.

Though her stature was no larger than that of an average woman, her aura dwarfed even the Mereos.

She radiated the kind of power that instantly communicates one thing: Do not, under any circumstances, make an enemy of this person.

The Mereos and the Net Turtles clearly shared this sentiment.

They were trembling.

Naturally, we caretakers were trembling too.

「So, who do I need to beat up?」

She said this casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

But there was no time to let fear paralyze us.

I turned to look at the female Mereos still holed up in their nest.

Over the past few days, we’d built enough rapport to agree on certain rules of engagement.

The female Mereos exchanged glances with one another, then gave me a firm nod.