Chapter 62
After passing through the forest and entering the clearing, a clear blue sky and dazzling sunlight greeted the party.
Broken castle walls, resembling the ruins of an ancient castle, and shattered trees were scattered across the dark purplish plain that stretched to the horizon.
“The plains continue for about five days from here.”
“It’s much larger than I thought.”
“Well, it was once the land where a single species lived.”
Vergil's proud voice reminded of Hoodwock’s earlier explanation.
Hadn't he said it was land the first Duke had obtained by driving out the Kobolds?
‘Did he really covet such land?’
I looked down at the dreary, dark purple ground beneath my feet.
This dark purplish color was proof that the land had been eroded by mana.
Even if a fortress were built on this land, humans would not be able to consu a single blade of grass or a sip of water from it.
‘Was it not to gain land, but to drive out the Kobolds?’
Or perhaps there was another reason.
I looked up and asked Vergil.
“Is Hoodwock back yet?”
“No, he said he would check the front from the tallest tree, so it will probably take a while.”
Checking the front before entering a clearing where the plains continued was essential.
Although we still had to travel for another two weeks to see Orcs, there was no telling what kind of enemies we might encounter, even if they weren't Orcs or Ogres.
Just as I was about to suggest a short rest, thinking it would take longer than expected, I saw Hoodwock running towards us in a hurry.
***
“Commander!
Commander!”
Hoodwock, his face grim, rushed over and, without even catching his breath, blurted out.
“Orcs, it’s Orcs!”
“Orcs?”
“An Orc settlent of at least tribe-level is up ahead!”
If it was an Orc tribe, we could simply bypass them.
But if…….
“The flags, what about the flags?”
“There were poles with black leather hung on them between the tents.”
Among the hundreds of tribes, there was only one that used black war flags mimicking human flags.
“Orc Legion ……”
Vergil, who had been listening with a serious expression, asked accusatorily.
“Squad Leader!
Are you certain about the black war flags?!
There’s no way those bastards, who were supposed to be over a month away from the fortress, are already here!”
“I couldn't scout from multiple locations in order to report back as quickly as possible, but they were definitely using war flags.”
“How could they already be here……”
At Hoodwock’s answer, Vergil sighed with a despairing look on his face.
From here, it was only a five-day journey to the fortress.
The fortress hadn't even finished its war preparations yet.
“Young Lord, we must return imdiately and report this news!”
At Vergil’s agitated voice, Hoodwock nodded and said.
“That's right.
It's not certain if they're an advance party, but if they've already set up camp, the main force must be close.
Shouldn't we return as soon as possible to help with the preparations?”
The two n's urgent gazes turned to .
The fortress expected to go to war with the Orcs in a month.
Before it was too late, we had to inform them of the enemy just five days away and prepare for a defensive battle.
It was certainly the correct judgnt, but my thoughts were different.
“We are not going back.”
I was sure Vergil would interrupt, but surprisingly, he said nothing and waited for an explanation.
“If our mission was to confirm the Orc Legion and return, then we should go back now.
But our mission is to confirm the number of Ogres.”
Besides, there were many other strange things.
How could the Orcs, said to be a month away, be camped here?
No matter how much more stamina Orcs had than humans, it was unlikely they could have moved faster than our scouting party, which had even cut back on sleep.
“Even if we go back now, nothing will change with just the information that the enemy is near.
We only know it’s the Orc Legion; we don't know the size of the legion or where the Ogres are.”
The one thing that bothered the most was that the Orcs hadn't attacked us.
The surviving mbers of the scouting party had clearly stated they were ambushed by Orcs.
That's why I had anticipated the Orc Legion to be the enemy from the start.
“If it really is the Orc Legion, why haven’t they attacked us?”
The Orc Legion was more adept at war than any other species.
They operated scouting parties just like humans and relentlessly tracked and hunted down enemy scouts.
This was precisely why the legion was so infamous.
Because they were an enemy whose numbers you couldn't even guess until they were at your throat.
“Perhaps they haven't discovered us yet?”
At Hoodwock's words, I looked at him.
“Do you really think so?”
The Orcs who had found all the fortress's scouting parties had failed to notice us, a group mixed with a knight and a maid?
eting my gaze, Hoodwock fidgeted and lowered his head.
“I suppose that’s unlikely……”
I gave a small nod.
“We could have been purely lucky, but it's more likely there's another reason.”
At those words, Vergil muttered under his breath with a serious face.
“…They want us to return.”
“Seeing the flags ostentatiously displayed everywhere, they must have thought we would return to the fortress imdiately.”
Their assumption wasn't wrong.
If anyone other than had led the scouting party, they would have turned back the mont they saw the flags.
No, would they have died in the Goblin ambush before that?
“Then what will you do?”
At Vergil's voice, which had beco calm at so point, I stared at him blankly.
“What, you’re not going back?”
Honestly, I thought he would have insisted on returning alone by now.
Even if it was the enemy’s intention, the fact that the enemy was this close needed to be reported.
It's never easy to remain silent even when you believe you are right.
Especially for a 5-circle knight.
“I will simply follow the commander's orders.”
Stunned by the unexpected answer, I just stared at him, but for whatever reason, Vergil didn't say anything more.
“Weirdo.”
Since when did he treat as a commander?
Whatever the reason, it was good that we didn't have to engage in a pointless argunt.
“As you two said, soone needs to return to the fortress and report the situation here.”
Vergil and Hoodwock nodded simultaneously.
“It's dangerous, but we'll split into two groups here.
Hoodwock, bring two of the fastest soldiers.
Vergil, you bring two knights.
The four people you choose will return first.”
“The knights too?
A battle might break out, wouldn't it be better for them to stay here?”
Hoodwock's point was valid, but I shook my head.
“You have a point, but the safe return of the returning party cos first.
Even if there's another ambush, with two knights, the soldiers should be able to escape.”
“What?!”
Hoodwock's eyes widened as he looked back and forth between and Vergil.
“What's so surprising?
Should the soldiers, who would die in seconds, throw themselves in harm’s way instead?
A knight can buy ti for the soldiers to escape, but a soldier can never do that.”
In a way, it was an obvious statent, but understanding it was another matter.
Seeing Hoodwock’s troubled face, Vergil nodded his head quietly as if to reassure him and said.
“It is a matter of course for the sake of the mission.”
Who was it that used to scowl every ti I told him to stand watch for the mission?
“Then let them know.
Tell them they must protect the soldiers so they can return to the fortress no matter what.”
“Yes!”
After the two of them turned towards the soldiers, I approached Reina, who was standing nearby.
She had hardly left my side since the last battle.
I would prefer it if she returned this ti, but…….
“No.”
As expected, before I could even say a word, she shook her head with a determined look.
“Do you know what I was going to ask?”
“I cannot return and leave you alone, Young Master.”
She shook her head so vigorously I worried her neck might break.
It seed she would return if I ordered her to, but…….
“Instead, pick up your weapon.”
A flustered Reina quickly averted her eyes.
“You didn't really think I wouldn't know, did you?”
I didn't know where she had hidden it, but Reina had no weapon on her right now.
“You can’t be on a battlefield without a weapon.
Either pick up your weapon or go back.
The choice is yours, Reina.”
At my words, without a mont's hesitation, she replied that she would pick up her weapon.
***
While Vergil explained the plan to the four gathered knights and soldiers, I climbed the tree that Hoodwock had climbed.
Following the path Hoodwock had taken up, I could see the vast plains at a glance.
“You can see if you look behind the old castle.”
Looking where he pointed, I could faintly see flags fluttering in the wind.
“Can’t we get a closer look?”
“Ah, please use this.
If you put your eye to the cylinder, you can see far away.”
Hoodwock took out a palm-sized rod from his pocket and handed it to .
I had expected a telescope, but seeing no glass on either end of the rod, it didn't seem to be one.
“Do I just put this up to my eye?”
“Yes.
They say you can see farther if you put mana into it, but it’s quite visible even if you just put it to your eye.”
Indeed, as I brought the rod to my eye, the faintly visible flags beca clear.
It felt less like it was bringing objects closer and more like it was enhancing my vision itself.
Occasionally, technology that couldn't be understood by common sense would pop up.
To think a world that had this didn't have a sewage system.
While I was lost in such useless thoughts for a mont, three Orcs ca running out of the old castle.
The three highly agitated Orcs seed to be shouting sothing at each other, then the Orc at the very back threw an axe at the back of the Orc running ahead.
“What the……”
I was only briefly surprised by the incomprehensible sight.
The old castle wall crumbled with a thunderous roar, and a grayish-white giant was visible through the dust.
“It's an Ogre!”
As Hoodwock, who spotted the giant, shouted, the Ogre that had broken through the wall lifted the fallen Orc with one hand and shoved it into its mouth, chewing it to pieces.
The other two Orcs, having successfully bought ti, climbed the castle wall and blew their horn flutes, and Orcs ard with weapons appeared from all directions.
Spotting an Orc among them with tusks that reached its chin, Hoodwock shouted with an excited face.
“A Great Warrior, it’s definitely a Great Warrior!”
There was no need for Hoodwock to shout.
If he wasn't a Great Warrior, there was no way he would have spotted us up in the tree.
“Look at that bastard, the power in his eyes.”
The Great Warrior, who had been staring nacingly at Ian's location, tilted his head a few tis before climbing the wall.
“I-I’m sure our eyes just t……”
Just as the pale-faced Hoodwock said, the Orc had definitely looked this way.
He had erased all signs of his presence with the Ghost King's secret art, so the Orc couldn't be certain.
“Quiet.”
Thinking that such a perceptive fellow might even be able to sense sound, I quieted Hoodwock and kept my eyes on the Great Warrior.
Once on the wall, the Great Warrior abruptly pulled out his axe, cut off the head of the Orc who had blown the horn flute, and kicked the headless Orc, sending it flying towards the Ogre.
The Ogre snorted and glared at the Great Warrior before charging towards the surrounding Orcs.
Every ti the giant, the size of a small hill, slamd its fist down, dozens of Orcs were crushed without a trace, but the Orcs only hastily distanced themselves; no one attacked the Ogre.
A one-sided war of attrition continued for so ti.
When the Ogre chased, they fled, and when it stopped, they stopped too.
As if they didn't care how many died in the process, the Orcs' encirclent did not thin in the slightest.
As the excited Ogre, which seed to have done this before, roared at the Great Warrior several tis, the Great Warrior grabbed an Orc in front of him, threw it, and chuckled.
“Let's go down.”
A war of attrition against an Ogre.
Thinking that this would definitely not end in just an hour or two, I called Hoodwock and headed for the ground.
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