Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Operation Begins
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A day passed like that, and upon Arsen's return to Timac's settlement, he was greeted by the weary faces of its people.
The faces of those wandering through the residential areas were etched with tension and fear, and it wasn't uncommon to see people bandaged up from injuries.
Strangely enough, though, every time they spotted Arsen, they cheered and praised him as if he were their savior.
This hadn't been the case just a few days ago, before he had left.
Because of that, Arsen immediately turned to Anun, who had come rushing after hearing of his arrival, and asked:
“What happened while I was gone?”
“A lot. This and that.”
Anun grumbled in a fatigued voice before explaining the events of the past few days.
“Lately, it seems the Olmus caught on that humans were gathering here, so they started concentrating their forces nearby. Naturally, we couldn't just let support troops from other settlements get attacked, so we banded together to wipe out the Olmus, and then they sent in reinforcements...”
And just like that, war had broken out in a haphazard fashion.
At first, things had gone quite smoothly.
The firepower from mages like Lattis and the other Byulburmi mages was a nightmare for the Olmus. As long as the knights and soldiers held the line up front to buy time, the mages could unleash their spells and secure easy victories.
The problem was that the Olmus were fully aware of this weakness. Unlike mindless magic beasts throwing themselves at foes in droves, they called in their elites—the so-called hero-class specimens.
“Those things had impressive magic resistance. Not quite on a knight's level, but they struck from the darkness, burrowing deep into our lines, so we couldn't just spam spells recklessly... They were a real pain to deal with, all things considered.”
The suddenly appearing Olmu heroes mercilessly slaughtered the humans who had let their guard down.
Seizing that opening, the regular Olmus that had pulled back tried to encircle and annihilate them.
Nearby knights charged in to stop it, barely managing to kill or drive them off, but not without suffering heavy casualties in the fierce fighting.
“That battle left Knight Lino and Knight Bazkal injured too. They're fully healed now with healing spells, though.”
“Knight Anun still looks hurt.”
“This is nothing. Barely a scratch.”
Anun brushed off the concern, claiming it would be a waste of mana to heal something this minor. He touched the bandage on his forehead with a smile before continuing his explanation.
“We'd heard how strong they were beforehand, but facing them head-on, they exceeded expectations. Most knights can't take them one-on-one. To kill them without losses, you need three or four teaming up.”
Arsen nodded seriously in response.
“That much... Understood, Knight Anun. Rest up for now. I'll handle the rest.”
“Music to my ears. I was in a meeting with the leaders when we heard you were coming, so I stepped out.”
“I'll head there. Oh, and one more thing that's been bothering me.”
When Arsen asked why everyone here was praising him so much, Anun chuckled in disbelief before explaining the reason.
During the few days Arsen had been absent, the lowborns who had fought alongside him praised his feats effusively. To them, a knight overwhelming dozens of Olmus single-handedly was something worthy of awe.
And with Arsen's own subordinates gleefully embellishing the tales since it glorified their leader, the rumors snowballed.
By the time Arsen returned, he had become a mythical knight capable of single-handedly butchering hundreds of Olmus.
The rumors spread so far because the weary, terrified lowborns, battered by the Olmu assaults, desperately longed for a savior.
Humans always seek something to believe in when desperation strikes.
Of course, a few cynics scoffed at such nonsense, but it was amusing how that faith wasn't entirely unfounded.
After hearing the explanation, Arsen shook his head.
“What the...”
In truth, it wasn't such a bad thing if he thought about it.
It would greatly boost his influence and lift everyone's morale.
Of course, if his skills fell short of expectations, that adoration would turn to disappointment and resentment—but considering the power of Isht's Spear he had just acquired, meeting those expectations shouldn't be too hard.
Though sweeping away dozens of Olmus with a single swing was out of the question.
Arsen encouraged Anun once more for his hard work, then headed to Timac's house, the leader of this settlement.
As Anun had said, Timac was gathered with the other leaders, heatedly debating something.
Their voices rose in disagreement, but as Arsen drew near, Timac finally noticed him and spread his arms wide in welcome.
“Truly, we've waited so long for you, Knight Arsen!”
His voice brimmed with earnest desperation.
The other leaders were glad to see Arsen too, but as leaders of their groups, they tried not to show it too openly.
Arsen returned the greeting and took a seat before first apologizing for his absence during this critical time.
Of course, he had gone to fetch supplies essential for battle, and it had been agreed upon beforehand—but the fact remained that he had been gone during a crucial fight.
Timac shook his head.
“Blame you for that? Only a fool would. You were away for the sake of the fight itself. So, if you don't mind, could we see what they gave you?”
“Of course. This weapon.”
Arsen presented Isht's Spear to him.
The leaders all gasped in unison at the sight of the bizarre spear, still adorned with its forward-facing tassel, at least in Arsen's eyes.
It was a reaction he still couldn't quite comprehend.
“That thing?”
“They say the Jewel-Eyes hoard it like treasure, so it must pack a punch.”
“Hard to imagine. For stabbing?”
“Now we can finally hit them where it hurts.”
Arsen ignored their scattered chatter and asked Timac:
“So, what's the situation on the battlefield? I got a rough rundown from our people here.”
“Stalemate. Recent scouts say they've reinforced with quite a few hero specimens, so we can't move rashly.”
“And us?”
“We're almost fully assembled. Twenty-nine guardians and seven mages from thirty-odd nearby settlements, plus four hundred and thirty warriors.”
“And adding the surface forces...”
“Twenty-two more guardians and forty-eight mages.”
This force far surpassed the raiding party that had joined Arsen in the mountains to take down Exekia's plunder lord. It could probably overrun several estates in a flash.
Of course, even this army couldn't guarantee victory against the Olmus.
No one knew exactly how many there were.
At that moment, someone broached the subject.
“Well, now that Knight Arsen is here...”
Timac chimed in.
“Exactly. It's time to fight for real. Against those bastards, properly!”
After the cheers, the leaders dove into fervent discussion—where to move, how to attack.
One of the settlement leaders proposed a short decisive battle.
Specifically, probe and harass the auxiliary zones to scatter their forces, then form an elite unit to push through the central passage, destroy their capital.
The Olmus usually stationed arrow launchers in the central passage, so humans rarely dared approach it. There were exceptions, like Timac's attempts to raid them.
But because the arrow launchers were so devastating, the Olmus grew lax in guarding the central passage itself. Break through, and a large force could infiltrate straight to their capital.
As he outlined the plan, he added:
“Keep this in mind. Dragging out the fight benefits no one. A prolonged war favors them.”
His argument was that the Olmus excelled at detecting enemies in the dark, making formed fronts and scattered skirmishes disadvantageous for humans.
The other leaders had to nod at his point about humans being more vulnerable to the physical and mental toll of a long war—they felt it in their bones.
Finally, Timac nodded and declared:
“Very well. Everyone rest up today, and we launch the full operation tomorrow.”
All agreed, thumping the table.
It was the local gesture for assent.
* * *
After the meeting, Arsen sought out Shatia, a veteran knight of this subterranean world.
He wanted to learn about the Olmus—how they thought, lived, and died. Knowing that would greatly aid him in battle.
“I wonder if you know that Olmus can detect my kin's positions.”
“I've heard.”
Hadn't it caused a commotion when he first met Timac? They'd been ambushed by dozens of Olmus.
Fortunately, their group's strength allowed them to repel them unscathed, but it had driven home how ignorant they were of this underground realm.
“There's a way to turn that against them. Capture a few as prisoners, tie them up, and dig a trap. It's not used much these days, but that makes it effective. With their lifespans, few alive would remember it.”
“Do you know their lifespan?”
“If nothing's changed, around sixty years. Way back at the war's start, prisoners we took lived that long. Of course, no one knows their age when captured.”
“Sixty years...”
“And they signal each other with sounds humans can't hear. Their keen hearing keeps it from carrying far.”
“A dangerous ability. Annoying too.”
“It won't matter before your spear. Their signals won't carry under that noise.”
Shatia pointed at Arsen's spear with a small smile.
“But charging in blindly seems like asking for trouble, especially considering their intelligence.”
“Of course. I'm not saying be reckless. Just don't cower too much.”
The Olmus had their own intelligence—enough to converse with humans, if a bit haltingly.
That was plenty for digging traps.
A sudden question occurred to Arsen, and he lightly shook the spear as he asked:
“Do they know about this spear's existence?”
“No clue. Speculation at best, but probably not. Father's—the family head—said only guides and knights can wield it, and it's been masterless for over a century.”
“Given their lifespans...”
“Yeah. Likely forgotten.”
If they didn't even know it existed, the shock would surpass their wildest imaginings.
* * *
The next morning, calling it "sunrise" was inappropriate. This underworld received no sun's grace.
People roughly gauged day and night by magic beast activity and calibrated with clocks for precision.
Perhaps that's why mechanical arts flourished underground—their drive to measure time somehow.
At the assembly point, Elder Lattis led the Byulburmi mages fit for battle.
He bowed his head slightly to Arsen.
“You're up.”
“Yes. I hope you slept well last night.”
“Not... particularly well. Regrettably.”
Lattis's face showed resolve mingled with fear. The other two elders and mages trailing him wore similar expressions.
Likely from the recent battle where Olmu heroes had nearly breached their lines.
When fighting alongside Arsen, they could just cast spells from afar, massacring foes one-sidedly. But that incident reminded them they could be targeted and killed too.
Arsen didn't ask if they were afraid. Acknowledging emotions sometimes amplifies them, be they negative or positive.
“Let's all do our best. Victory here brings our ultimate goal within reach.”
His deliberately light tone, free of any dread or pressure, eased the mages' strained faces.
The other leaders, too, encouraged the gathering warriors in their own ways.
At last, the time for war had arrived.