Chapter 292
Chapter 292
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.63 – A Knight's Valor Knows No Recklessness (2)
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The soldiers moved with desperate urgency, even though the fatigue and lingering heat from the battle still weighed heavily on every part of their bodies.
As if they'd completely forgotten what fatigue even was.
"Is the ammo sufficient?!"
"What about the gunpowder?!"
"Potions! Start counting the potions first...!!"
They dashed from place to place, shouting like banshees—it was the very picture of panic-stricken chaos.
That was how dire the situation was.
And amid all this frenzy, there was one lucky mutt lounging about, watching the spectacle.
"Whine."
"Kng?"
"Hiss."
But this dog wasn't just any ordinary mutt.
A beast with two heads and a snake for a tail could hardly be called a normal creature.
Orthos.
That was the identity of the beast currently leashed and observing the humans.
It looked utterly harmless, but among the knights and soldiers who had laid eyes on Orthos, many instinctively furrowed their brows or shuddered.
Weak as it was now, Orthos had once been a notoriously infamous monster even in the barracks.
No one had died, but it frequently raided food supplies, and the quartermaster had more than once itched to plunge a butcher knife into it to settle old scores—yet he couldn't bring himself to touch the "benefactor's" prized catch.
Thus proving that a dog's luck could indeed be the best kind, Orthos lay sprawled out, smirking faintly as it watched the frenzied humans.
With intelligence surpassing that of humans, Orthos could roughly guess what was unfolding.
"Whine."
'So "that thing" has finally broken its seal.'
The entity that had summoned Orthos and the other monsters into this world.
A creature that, though not a monster itself, harbored malice, hatred, and deathly aura beyond any monster.
Now that it had been unleashed upon the world, the outcome was obvious.
"Whine, whine."
Orthos grinned broadly.
Now that it was free, Orthos's own liberation couldn't be far off.
No matter how strong that human was, he was still just human—and no human could defeat that thing.
Thus, Orthos waited eagerly.
"What are you lazing around for?"
"!!?"
"Playing like some pampered pet, monster or not. The world's gone topsy-turvy, I swear."
"...Kng, kng..."
"I already saw you grinning like an idiot, so cut the pitiful act. Hey, up."
"?"
"Don't play dumb. I can start by ripping off one of your heads."
Up!
Orthos sprang to its feet in an instant, face snapping to attention as if it had never been lounging.
It desperately wanted to rebel, but that human was the type to follow through on threats.
Orthos's stubby legs trembled unbecomingly, but the human showed no mercy.
On the contrary.
"Down, roll, up, roll, up, march in place."
"!!"
He drilled it even more relentlessly.
Though it swiftly obeyed each command, Orthos's body soon hit its limit.
After all, it was in the body of a young pup—there were only so many tricks it could pull off.
Yet the fact that it understood and executed every order was proof of its extraordinary intelligence.
Watching this...
"Damn, you're one smart mutt, huh?"
"Woof?"
"Ah, just talking to myself."
"......"
The human muttered ominously in admiration, and Orthos's eyes twitched.
...Chilling. It felt an anxious dread, as if an axe might fly into its chest at any moment, sensing that his mumbling was like a test—probing how much it understood, how clever Orthos truly was.
Not just its sharp mind, but the keen animal instincts unique to monsters made Orthos's heart race...
"Pup, wanna do some work with me?"
"......"
"Play your cards right, and I might even guarantee your freedom."
"Grr..."
Orthos backed away warily at his honeyed words.
Did he think it was a sucker?
"Grrrr!"
Where did this scam come from...?
It was obvious he was trying to dump some insanely dangerous task on it, and Orthos growled fiercely.
Sure, it might die tomorrow in its current state, but it was still Orthos, an upper-class monster.
Even as a monster, it had its pride—no way it would help some human...
"-Knew you'd say that. Guess beasts and monsters can't be reasoned with after all."
Crack!
"!?!!"
"I don't have time to negotiate right now. Short course it is. Hmm, I've never really used joint manipulation on spellcasters or beasts, let alone monsters, so the control might be sloppy. Bear with it."
"!!!!!"
"Once you feel like cooperating, we'll talk then, okay?"
"...!"
"Stubborn one, huh? Got some pride as a male. Holding out pretty well..."
"!!?"
—No, you devil!
Orthos couldn't even scream.
Each casual tap from the human unleashed otherworldly agony without respite, teaching Orthos why some said death was preferable.
It pleaded with its eyes.
'I'll cooperate with anything—just make it stop!'
But...
"Tough bastard, won't even nod once, huh?"
He watched leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world, and Orthos realized.
That defying this human had been a mistake from the start.
...If word came that an army of 200,000 was marching on them, most people would first think of fleeing.
And not just any army—this one made of monsters.
Not mere goblins either, but tens of thousands of mid-sized orcs and massive ogres mixed in.
To face that, an entire kingdom would need to mobilize fully—and even then, it might not suffice. Yet barely a thousand troops were to hold them off?
Even if Pendragon's legendary warrior-king, the War God, returned from the grave, he'd balk at the odds.
Flight would be the choice, no question.
But...
Thud!
"How's the wall repair coming?"
"We've patched the worst spots for now. The knights' help made a big difference."
"Bring more gunpowder here!"
"Should I haul the collected magic stones too?"
"You call that a question? Without them, how do we fire the [Flame Cannons]!"
"All 10,341 reserve rounds accounted for."
"Hmm, and the cannons?"
"About twenty ready to go."
"...Hoo, gonna lose my mind."
No one here had chosen flight.
Exhausted and desperate as they were, every eye burned with fierce battle spirit.
And rightly so.
Each warrior of Mordred had survived over a thousand monster waves, and not one was anything less than elite.
They'd seen too much death to fear it now—and behind them were things more precious than life itself... people they had to protect.
Thus, they felt no fear.
If anything scared them, it was dying pointlessly, achieving nothing.
"That damned Great Evil Spirit, that filthy pest!"
"May my bullet pierce that bastard bug's skull..."
"Keep order, maintain formation."
The Great Evil Spirit's existence fueled their resolve even more.
After centuries tormenting their ancestors—and now them— that loathsome thing was finally showing itself?
Nothing could ignite their fighting spirit like that.
Even if it meant certain death, they'd ram swords and bullets down that pest's throat before departing this world—!
They had steeled themselves long ago.
Only...
"-Don't resolve to die. Resolve to survive."
...Their lord's calm words made the soldiers blink.
Whether they found it odd or not, he spoke plainly, as if stating the obvious.
"Since when have we been on this land to die? We're here to protect our families and reclaim our peaceful lives—not to throw our lives away."
"......"
"Yes, the enemy is mighty now. Overwhelming enough to warrant facing death. But don't resign to death before the fight even starts. That dismisses the hearts of those who love you and await your return."
The words made them flinch as one.
The day before, before the letters, they might not have resonated so deeply.
Five years on the front—no, perhaps even longer—their spirits worn as thin as a pencil nub, unfit for use.
Yet reading those letters, those precious "hearts," had rekindled forgotten memories, reasons why they fought.
Thus, their lord's words etched deeper into their souls.
Impossibly so...
"......"
As if their berserker frenzy had never been, the soldiers' eyes cooled.
But it didn't mean their will had waned.
On the contrary—reminded of what they must protect, it only hardened.
"...Yes, much better."
Yes, this was preferable.
Berserkers might be fearless, but it numbed reason.
Fine for short scraps, but they were outnumbered, facing a horde.
Without fighting smart, they'd be annihilated in no time.
'At least the immediate fire's out.'
Cain, honestly, burned to lose himself in rage like his men—but he heeded the advice.
-Remember, focus on survival, not victory. That's how we win.
'...Endure. That's all I need to remember.' A border lord taking counsel from a mere knight? Others might call him mad. But he trusted. That man never spoke empty words. Thus. 'I must focus solely on surviving, no matter what.' Cain steeled himself with cold, cruel resolve. To outlast—even if subordinates and family fell.
...However.
KABOOM!
"?"
Contrary to his grim determination, Cain blinked in surprise.
"What the...?"
WHOOSH!
How the hell was that flying?
Cain and the soldiers watched.
A massive one-ton boulder soaring overhead like a cannonball.
And that boulder...
KABOOM!!
Smashed into the monster horde like so much ground meat—an utterly surreal sight.
Yet proving it no dream or illusion...
"Get your stance right. You're not even throwing properly."
"I-I'm trying!!"
"All bark, no bite—why can't you put some power into it!"
"Grraaah!!"
His fuming nephew hoisted another rock and passed it over, and once more, he...
"Heads down."
CRASH—!!!
Kicked it away. The boulder traced a perfect arc, mowing down more monsters.
Watching this, Cain and the soldiers thought:
'...Do we even need to be here?'
The entire group blinked at him—the "[Human Catapult]" who seemed capable of shredding the 200,000 monsters single-handedly.