The Imperial Army was annihilated.
The approaching reinforcement unit, which also served as a supply line, was routed by the Demon Lord Army led by Henry.
They were likely the forces sent to deliver the finishing blow to the Elven village, but they probably never expected their main body to be completely destroyed.
They could hardly be blamed for the sight that greeted them: an army of the undead and monsters.
The corpses of the Imperial soldiers were all reanimated as undead.
Those with missing parts were combined and fashioned into grotesque ghouls.
They were shaped as quadrupedal beasts.
They were designed so the monsters could ride them.
It wasn't needed this time, but I'd like to have something akin to a cavalry unit eventually.
The Demon Lord Army should be prepared to respond to various battle situations.
The human armies will devise countermeasures sooner or later.
It would be better for us to adopt a variety of tactics as well.
After the battle concluded, we gathered at the temporary outpost established by the Imperial Army.
Among the Demon Lord Army assembled in orderly ranks, tens of thousands of new undead had been added.
The ghouls, armored and armed, maintained an eerie silence.
The sight was quite breathtaking.
With an army of this scale, it would be impossible to enter the World Tree Forest.
Just treading inside would exert a significant negative influence.
The elves would also resist.
To avoid unnecessary conflict, the best course of action was to withdraw them immediately.
"That was a refreshing landslide victory. We'll drink well tonight."
Henry laughed, looking satisfied.
His entire body was drenched red with the blood of the slain.
He appeared uninjured.
Though he had led the vanguard, Henry had engaged in a brutal melee against the Imperial Army.
His effort was so ferocious it was likened to that of a demon god, to the point that even his monster subordinates feared to approach him.
In truth, if they had carelessly gotten too close, they likely would have been caught in the crossfire.
The monsters' judgment was wise indeed.
"Wash the filth off your body before drinking."
I generated water with magic and showered it over Henry, washing away the blood.
After thoroughly rinsing the blood away, I blew wind to dry him.
He still had important work remaining.
It would be inconvenient if he remained soaked in blood.
At the very least, he needed to appear somewhat human in demeanor for now.
After that, I offered words of commendation to the monsters, then sent them back to the Royal Capital via teleportation magic.
The newly acquired undead from this battle were sent along with them.
Back there, Grom or Luciana would store them in an appropriate location.
At worst, having them patrol the outer perimeter of the Royal Capital would suffice.
That alone could fend off minor external threats.
The only ones remaining on the scene were myself, Henry, and Logan.
We three will now depart for the elven village to explain the chain of events to its inhabitants.
And to inscribe the subordination mark on those who haven't received it yet.
I'm bringing Henry along to put the elves at least somewhat at ease.
Having just me, the undead, appear alone would create a worse impression, no matter how you look at it.
They'll certainly resent the act of subjugation itself, but that can't be helped.
Logan had already informed me that the Demon Lord's army was present.
I had once visited the village myself to establish barriers and defensive magic.
I'd like to believe there won't be too much chaos.
We teleported to the World Tree Forest and proceeded on foot toward the village.
Once we passed through the barrier, a large number of elves were already waiting.
Roughly six hundred, perhaps?
My sensory magic told me every single resident of the village was gathered here.
They had all been waiting for the tribal leader's return.
Their worry was understandable.
After all, Logan had been traveling with the Demon Lord's army when they attacked the Imperial forces.
It was a situation fraught with anxiety on multiple levels.
Logan stood before the assembled elves.
In the silence, he began to speak.
"The Imperial army has been annihilated. By the hand of the Demon Lord's army itself."
A murmur of shock rippled through the crowd.
The elves knew the formidable might of the Imperial Army.
To hear that such a power had been utterly destroyed was, frankly, unbelievable.
"We have been saved from the brink of our clan's destruction. We believe we must repay that debt."
When Logan reached that point in his speech, some of the elves raised their voices in objection.
"You call that form servitude! In being dominated, you are no different from the Imperial Army!"
"Does our chieftain ask us to become slaves to despicable undead?!"
The protests seemed coordinated. They must have planned to object from the moment they were informed of the Demon Lord's Army's existence.
Henry, standing beside them, made a subtle move as if to ready his bow. I gave him a quiet glare to restrain him. He probably found the dissenting elves irritating, but if they were shot here, things would spiral out of control.
We should maintain our observation.
Logan, on the other hand, did not waver in his resolute stance. He nodded with a magnanimous tone.
"Yes. To counter the violence of the Imperial Army, we yielded to a greater violence."
Murmurs spread among the elves once more. This time, strong insults were mixed in.
The elves inhabiting this land were not a monolith.
There were those plotting to oust Logan from his position as chieftain. The details were unclear, but various grudges were surely swirling beneath the surface.
"Call me a coward, a spineless wretch—do so freely. But I am the chieftain. I have made my choice in accordance with the duty borne upon these shoulders. And I do not regret it even now."
In response to Logan’s words, the elves fell abruptly silent.
Those who had been shouting insults flinched.
Before his commanding presence, they could no longer speak.
His words carried that much weight.
"If you have objections, you may abandon the village. I will not criticize you for it. Those who remain in the village will receive the Brand of Servitude. Make your choice now. Here."
Logan cut his statement short, then closed his mouth and stood quietly.
This was his declaration that he would say no more.
Left to make their choice, the elves looked at one another.
Those who had been dissenting hesitated, seeming to want to say something.
However, sensing Logan’s unwillingness to engage, they eventually muttered their complaints under their breath and departed.
Though scattered at first, others followed.
They had given up on Logan’s stance and policies.
"…………"
Logan did not try to stop them.
He simply waited in silence for the people of the village to make their choices.
Only I knew that the fists clasped behind his back were faintly trembling.
(It is inevitable. I can understand the feeling of rejection.)
Logan had made this proposal with the resolve to be hated by his own people.
There must have been a more tactful way to proceed.
Nevertheless, he forced this decision through to make the tribe's future clear.
He could not abide this state of ambiguity.
It was a kind of self-sacrifice.
For the rest of his life... no, for a period even longer than that, he would bear the infamy.
Logan accepted that.
Even if he was reviled as a fool, he had decided to act for the sake of his tribe.
That dignified bearing resonated with me as the Demon Lord, in my own way.
Eventually, the elves finished making their choice.
The vast majority of them remained.
The acting patriarch—Logan's sister—was among them.
Those who left were fewer than one in ten.
The elves present had decided to entrust their tribe's future to Logan.
"I understand your will. You have no regrets?"
The attention focused on Logan as he questioned them.
No one spoke.
It was a silent affirmation.
Having acknowledged this, Logan turned back to face me and declared:
"That is all. We are submitting to the Demon Lord's subordination."
"Very well. I accept your oath."
Hearing his proclamation, I activated the Subordination Seal.
On the backs of every elf present, a common pattern was inscribed.
I stepped forward before the elves.
"What needs to be done is complete. To be direct, I order you to relocate to the Demon Lord's Domain."
At the abrupt proclamation, the elves reacted with violent agitation.
Most showed bewilderment, though some directed their anger at me.
"--What is the meaning of this? We accept subjugation, but we cannot abandon this forest. Even if we are to relocate, we must have some remain to manage it."
Even Logan, tough as he was, pursued me with a severe gaze.
For the elven race, the World Tree Forest was something more precious than life itself.
To protect the forest, they had cast aside their dignity to become subjugated.
And yet, they were told to relocate abruptly.
They must have felt their clan's pride and resolve had been trampled.
Of course, that was a misunderstanding.
I declared to the elves in an unwavering tone.
"The elven clan and the World Tree Forest are already my possessions. I will claim them as they are."