Chapter 125
Chapter 125
Chapter 125
Monster Subjugation War (1)
The Golden Dawn Society had merely confirmed its existence for the first time upon arriving at the Great Forest.
Considering their background, they were sufficiently valuable to use, so Rudian had simply tried his hand at it as well.
"Then, if we form an alliance, does that mean the Morian Empire will help us?"
"That's not it."
You're hoping for too much.
No matter how central the Golden Dawn Society was to the Kingdom of Rohans, equal negotiations with those who had lost their kingdom would be unreasonable.
Unless they conceded something greater than what had already been discussed.
"What we want is the internal information of the Kingdom of Rohans that you possess. In exchange, the Morian Empire will refrain from touching the Kingdom of Rohans after winning the war."
"What about a joint front against the demon race?"
"That's for you to figure out."
"Grrk...!"
Truthfully, while Rudian wasn't particularly desperate, he did need their power.
However many had been dispatched here, the executive-level power of those calling themselves 'apostles' was, by Dormel's standards, sufficient to win against upper-class demons.
Rudian continued while gently scratching Dormel.
"But it could change depending on the conditions."
"Conditions... You say?"
"If you honestly reveal what you were planning to do here, we might be able to coordinate with you within this Great Forest."
To simply conclude that they came to interfere with the demons' activities would be hasty - they were also high-level personnel in the open world.
Surely they had some conviction to follow all the way to this remote place, the Great Forest, teeming with monsters.
"......"
Dormel closed his mouth and pondered for a moment, but his contemplation wasn't long.
"Fine. If your words are truly the truth, I'll persuade His Majesty... No, that person directly."
"Well, you'd better persuade him well. Unless you want to lose all the magic you've accumulated in your lifetime."
"Th-that's not part of the contract, though?"
"There are many ways. Why are we acting like this between fellow players?"
"......"
Dormel's expression became horribly distorted.
From the beginning, this demon before his eyes had been toying with him with this very intention.
***
The Monster Subjugation War.
Due to their sheer numbers, this referred to the battles that occurred regularly as different races, pushed to the outskirts of the Great Forest, joined forces.
"Another day of hard work has come!"
Dwarves active in the mountain ranges came to the Elven Forest with giant hammers and siege weapons for catching large monsters.
"This time, we'll repay the humiliation we suffered from the orcs!"
The sight of as many as five hundred dwarves gathered - something difficult to see in the outside world - was not common.
But there was an even more spectacular sight...
"Hahahaha! The shorties are struggling!"
"Idiots who only know how to use brute force without any technique!"
"This fight will also end in victory for us orcs!"
A group flexing their steel-like green muscles while mounted on giant wolves.
"Brutes like you can't beat technicians like us. Hahahaha!"
"Hmph, acting like you have any technical skills!"
"Those who live off their natural flexibility sure talk a lot!"
Soon, the dwarves and orcs began arguing loudly.
"Did I hear wrong? Orcs calling themselves technicians?"
Gray, who had been checking equipment with his companions, looked dumbfounded upon hearing the orcs' shouts from afar.
Rudian nodded.
"That's right. At least in this Great Forest, it's true."
"Really? Really?"
"If they didn't have systematized combat techniques, they couldn't have survived."
The orcs of the Great Forest were among the strongest armies on the entire continent in terms of military destructive power.
In Chapter 2 of the original work, they had completely destroyed 80,000 troops of the Morian Empire with just close to 2,000 of their own.
"While Gray, being a magician, might not know, you two, especially Senior Elvin, will have much to learn from watching the orcs."
"This is very different from the common knowledge I had."
"I feel the same way."
What was particularly shocking was that the person who had planned the overall military deployment and strategy for this Monster Subjugation War was not an elf, but an orc.
The sight of Luciella, well-versed in military tactics, cheerfully conversing in alien language with that orc was a fresh shock even for Rudian, who knew the original work.
"Fascinating... I thought I was well-versed in the characteristics of other races, but this is a fact I've never encountered in any academic journal."
"Orcs may have strong bodies, but that alone wouldn't be enough to survive here."
Elves with powerful psychic abilities and spirit control, dwarves with science about 100 years ahead of human technology, trolls who wielded shamanism different from ordinary magic, werewolves boasting combat abilities blessed by gods from birth.
Compared to other races with such powerful individual weapons, orcs had nothing particularly noteworthy.
Therefore, the survival method orcs chose was 'technique'.
"Not just experience fighting enemies, but watching allies and learning and stealing techniques from other races. That alone would yield many achievements."
"You speak truly."
Elvin nodded with renewed determination.
Rudian felt pleased inwardly watching this.
'He shows no signs of self-blame or impatience.'
Elvin also knew that Luciella had reached Sword Master level.
Yet Elvin showed no emotion of blaming his talent or being impatient.
This meant Elvin had also found his path and gained confidence.
'There might be a bit of frustration that his opponent advanced first, but that's within acceptable limits.'
Psychic energy, magic, and even Death Force, the power of the underworld...
Perhaps Elvin could be reborn as a completely new type of strong person, different from before.
***
"Krarararak!"
The subjugation tactics of the different races were very simple.
Dwarves would build a base in the middle of the Great Forest and gather monsters, then block their advance with sturdy barriers.
Meanwhile, units with powerful mobility like werewolves or orc riders would deal with large monsters or those with dangerous abilities.
It was a typical hammer and anvil tactic.
'But that's not all.'
Monsters basically had tenacious and strong vitality.
Unlike human armies, they didn't fall into confusion when their formation was disrupted.
They simply held onto enemies to the end as thoroughly instructed.
Therefore, the power of elves and trolls was essential for finishing.
"Honji (Earth Mixing)."
"Cut, wind spirits!"
Attacks specialized in area-of-effect swept away the remaining monsters and magical beasts.
KYAAAAK!
GRRK! GRRK!
"They're approaching this way! Shoot arrows!"
KWAJIK! KWAJIK!
Elven arrows containing psychic power and spirits drew almost straight lines rather than curves, piercing through monster heads.
"They're hesitating! Charge again!"
When the monsters' momentum weakened, werewolves and riders rushed out again to wreak havoc.
The coordination was so exquisite that they never made the mistake of allowing invasion of the main base even once.
The number of monsters destroyed in half a day of battle reached several thousand.
"I'm tired..."
Gray had become exhausted and hung his head low.
Using both stamina and magic to their limits yesterday and today left his body unable to continue.
"I'm still growing..."
Conversely, knights Elvin and Luciella were still going strong.
Rudian?
That gentleman wasn't human to begin with.
"They're scattering! Everyone prepare for cleanup!"
"Uwaaaaa!"
"Again?"
Orcs and werewolves cheerfully raised their weapons.
Though they had fought endlessly for half a day, their stamina was still abundantly remaining.
"Gray."
"Ah, Miss Silpea."
Gray unconsciously straightened his back when Silpea approached with her bow.
"We should head back now. We've done what we needed to do."
"Huh? Don't we need to participate in the pursuit?"
"Probably not. The monsters we dealt with today seem to be 'assists' after all."
The demon race didn't want a decisive battle with the different races.
At some point, the different races had also noticed this fact.
"We call monsters that rush out like this without commanders 'assists'."
Among monsters, those classified as magical beasts peculiarly left corpses when they died rather than being reverse-summoned.
While the meat was inedible due to being tainted with magic, the hide and bones were quite tough and sturdy.
Orcs and dwarves weren't enjoying and getting heated over unprofitable hunts for no reason.
"Those who fled to the jungle scatter in small numbers and start hunting. All loot that comes out during this time belongs to individuals, so it's a kind of harvest festival."
"Then Miss Silpea doesn't need to go?"
"Rear guards like us take a bit more of the share from the main battle. So there's no need to be greedy when we're tired."
Well, if she said so, there was no need to argue.
Gray himself wanted to go in and rest.
'I need to review the trolls' magic manipulation methods I saw during the day...'
The power of troll shamans who freely used earth attributes had a uniqueness Gray had never seen before.
Adding Eugene's homework to that, there would be no time to rest.
However, the most important thing was...
"I-I'll escort you."
Silpea was slightly surprised by Gray suddenly extending his hand.
But the sight of the little boy turning his head slightly while mustering courage ignited a fire in Silpea's quiet heart.
"With pleasure."
As an elf, she didn't know human world etiquette, but she at least knew that refusing this gesture would be rude.
***
While Gray and Silpea were unexpectedly creating a pink mood.
Elvin and Luciella, who had participated in the cleanup operation following the orcs, were taking a brief rest after a bout of combat.
"Real battlefields are indeed different."
Covered in dirt and sweat, she muttered with a tired face.
"Let's head back soon, Sir Elvin."
Though the sun hadn't completely set, they needed to return before nightfall.
"Magic and stamina still have some room, but strangely, consumption is faster than usual. Pace control is definitely essential in such rough field battles."
Not simply plains, but jungle filled with terrain features on all sides.
The air was also heavy, and they couldn't let their guard down not knowing when or where enemies might appear.
Indeed, while resting and being careless, they had been injured by an aerial monster that ambushed from above.
"Ugh, if Rudian finds out about this, he won't let me off easy."
Elvin groaned looking at the long scar carved on his forearm.
"...By that logic, I'm the same. I could block it with Aura Guard, but otherwise I would have gotten a similar wound to Sir Elvin."
Both man and woman sighed deeply.
Especially for Luciella, who had gained confidence after reaching Sword Master level, this battle had been a series of shocks.
"The orcs' combat was shocking in many ways. I can see why they confidently called themselves technicians."
They didn't seem to use any standardized magic manipulation method, but their practical sense was tremendous.
Despite riding giant wolves, their movements were smoothly flawless, and when opportunities to strike enemies came, they never missed.
Elvin strongly agreed with Luciella's words.
"Yes, it would feel like a special-grade mercenary group that had rolled around battlefields for decades."
"It was a day I learned a lot. How about you, Sir Elvin?"
"I feel the same."
Elvin held his sword and infused energy into it.
Then the aura that had been rippling on the sword settled calmly, creating a clean aura sword.
But that aura sword was somehow different from existing aura.
WOONG! WOONG!
A considerably serious and heavy feeling, as if a third energy had been fused.
"The fusion of psychic power and magic that Rudian mentioned - I've grasped the clue to it."
That clue was learned from the movements of elf warriors who had participated in the subjugation war.
Excellent swordsmen and archers, and also psychic users and spirit summoners - elves had no resistance to mixing various powers, and no power rejection either.
"I realized that's not simply a natural law, but that they had developed their power over long periods to become that way."
Of course, he had no intention of taking as long as elves to develop power.
"The reason knights and magicians generally look down on magic swordsmen is simply that the harmony between magic and aura wasn't particularly good. But I realized through this real combat that combinations of other powers follow different laws."
No matter how much Rudian emphasized it, it couldn't compare to actually seeing and confirming it with his own eyes.
"If I develop this ability well, I'm confident I can defeat a Sword Master without necessarily becoming one myself."
"Then if you actually become a Master, you'll become even stronger."
"Haha, walking two paths makes it quite an arduous task."
Elvin chuckled and slowly rose from his seat, looking around.
"It's time to head back."
"Yes, this place will turn into hell once the sun sets."
Return before sunset without fail.
This was one of the iron rules of the Great Forest established by the different races.
"Come to think of it, where did that bastard Rudian go after throwing us onto the battlefield..."
Elvin grumbled and badmouthed the absent Rudian.
Rudian, who had thrown them onto the battlefield, had suddenly disappeared somewhere, saying he had something to do.
"No matter what, he wouldn't just be playing around."
"What if he is playing around?"
At Elvin's playful joke, Luciella smiled with a slightly chilling expression.
"Hehehe, should I half-kill him?"
"......"
A slight chill ran down Elvin's spine at her subtle killing intent.
Just as Luciella and Elvin were preparing to retreat to the main base.
"Oh my, leaving already?"
A woman's cold voice blocked their path.
To be continued in the next volume.