Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Death
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"I'm back. Stepmother."
"Welcome home, Elwin."
Only after Brilda finished speaking did the tightly shut mouths of the retainers open.
"Welcome back, Heir Elwin."
"Welcome back, Heir Elwin."
Frontier Viscounty.
South Castle.
The place where I'd spent two years since possessing this body in another world.
"To think I once believed this was paradise."
They say human memory distorts things.
I was a prime example.
When life had been harsh in the Vampire Duke Family,
I'd longed for the Frontier Viscounty.
But once I arrived here, reality set in.
Complete isolation.
My father, the Frontier Viscount, had married twice.
His first wife bore him one son and one daughter.
That son was me, Elwin,
and the daughter was Elena.
She'd passed away not long after giving birth to the second child, or so I'd heard.
Then came the second wife,
the current Lady of Frontier Viscounty, Brilda.
She'd also borne two sons,
the third and fourth in line.
"It's a prison if I've ever seen one."
The room exuded the elegance of nobility.
The furniture was crafted by skilled artisans.
It was spacious.
And spotlessly clean.
Yet to me, it was a jail cell.
"Not a single soul comes to visit."
At least four years ago, things hadn't been like this.
Before I'd gone to the Vampire Duke Family, I had allies.
After all, I was the eldest son of the Frontier family and the heir.
"But now... what am I?"
A heir in name only.
With no talent for magic, I couldn't defend the territory.
Monster Island.
It was a land overrun by monsters, true to its name.
A portion of it was inhabited by humans,
but that just meant the monsters were numerous and ferocious.
In such circumstances, the lord had to protect his lands and people.
And power was essential for that.
"Getting stripped of my heir status is a done deal, isn't it?"
So what should I do from here? How should I live?
What was I even good at?
I stepped out of my room.
Staying inside made me feel like I'd go mad from the stuffiness.
The corridor bustled with several maids going about their duties.
They offered formal greetings.
'This is new.'
The maids in the Vampire Duke Family gossiped behind my back.
Saying I wasn't manly enough,
or that I seemed more like Alensia's attendant than her fiancé.
They'd spewed every kind of nonsense imaginable.
But here...
Ignoring. Keeping distance.
Those words fit perfectly.
They greeted me because I was nobility,
but that was it.
No minimal emotional expression.
No smiles, no personal chatter.
They didn't try to get close, nor did they badmouth me.
"If the Vampire maids were hate comments, then this is no comments?"
Something celebrities sometimes say.
That no comments scare them more than hate.
And having experienced it, they were right.
I felt like a ghost haunting this place.
As I walked the corridor, feeling the solitude amid the crowd,
someone called out to me.
"Heir Elwin!"
My name rang out,
followed by urgent footsteps.
"Heir Elwin!"
I, who had been a non-entity,
existed once more.
Because someone had called my name.
"What is it, Sir Wilson?"
Friendliness crept into my voice unbidden.
I was that grateful just to hear my name.
"The Madam is summoning you."
"The Madam? Stepmother?"
I followed the knight Wilson out of the manor.
Knight and soldiers had gathered there.
"Elwin, take position up front."
"Yes, Stepmother."
As I stood before the knights,
Brilda resumed her speech.
"According to the messenger, Black Orcs are heading this way. To minimize harm to the territory's people, we've decided to intercept them."
Brilda paused her speech and met my eyes.
"For this operation, Heir Elwin will take command."
"Me, you say?"
Why me?
I wasn't a knight.
Not even a sword user, for that matter.
I bore the Frontier bloodline but couldn't wield magic.
And I had zero experience commanding an army.
So why me?
"With the Lord away, it's only natural for the heir to step up, isn't it?"
"Quite right, Madam."
"Well said."
The knights chimed in agreement before I could respond.
The mood left me no choice but to go along.
Logically, it made sense too.
The lord had a duty to protect his lands and people.
"...Understood. I'll stop the Black Orcs."
Let's think positively.
If I showed my capabilities here, my situation would improve.
I turned to survey my surroundings.
Two knights and 150 soldiers.
With knights present, subjugating the Black Orcs should be no issue.
'To minimize casualties... should we form a tight formation?'
I lacked direct combat experience,
but I had countless indirect ones.
From playing all sorts of games,
and fighting endless wars in them.
In ancient European games, I'd conquered from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to Egypt in the east as Rome.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms games, I'd led a million-strong army to victory in a northern expedition.
In medieval European games, I'd built empires not just with powerhouses like England, France, and Spain, but even with minor states like Venice.
What about World War games?
I'd commanded Germany's three million troops to seize the Soviet Union,
and conversely, held off Germany with five million Soviet troops before conquering Europe in retaliation.
'Yeah, I can do this.'
Games and reality differed, sure,
but I could handle 150 soldiers somehow.
I called over a knight
and explained my plan.
"We understand your words, Heir Elwin, but the Madam has already issued orders."
"There's already a plan?"
The existing plan was this:
I'd lead the soldiers to hold the center.
Meanwhile, the two knights would take a small contingent each to strike the flanks.
Not bad.
Black Orcs from Monster Island
were stronger than continental orcs.
But not enough to match expert knights.
"Understood. Proceed as planned."
In a forested area far from South Castle,
we encountered the Black Orcs.
We split into three units as per the plan.
One knight led 30 soldiers on the left flank.
The other took 30 on the right.
And I commanded 90 soldiers in the center.
The Black Orcs spotted us and charged.
Height similar to humans.
But their shoulders were 1.5 to 2 times broader.
Their muscles far bulkier too.
The sight of them rushing with axes in hand
stirred primal fear.
"Raise your shields! Just hold a little longer!"
Thud. Thud.
Black Orcs clashed with soldiers.
True to Monster Island soldiers, they bravely stood against the Black Orcs.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Black Orcs hacked wildly at shields with their axes.
Soldiers blocked with shields and counterattacked with spears.
Five minutes passed like an hour.
But...
'Why aren't they moving?'
The Black Orcs' attention was fully on the center.
This was the perfect moment for a pincer attack.
If the knights struck from both sides,
the Black Orcs would collapse.
So why?
Thud. Thud. Crunch.
"Gaaargh!"
An orc's axe shattered a shield.
The now shieldless soldier was cleaved by the blade.
"Sir Wilson!!! Now's the chance!!"
I shouted in desperation.
"Sir Wilson!! Attack immediately!!"
Thud. Crunch.
Splintering shields increased under orc axes.
Casualties mounted alongside them.
"Heir!"
"We can't hold any longer!"
The situation was dire.
'At this rate, morale won't hold.'
In war games, my go-to term was 'morale bomb'.
Morale in English plus 'ppang,' meaning bread or explosion.
In short, morale hitting rock bottom.
Troops suffering a morale bomb lost combat effectiveness severely or broke formation and fled uncontrollably.
That crisis was upon me.
"Just a bit longer. Hold on just a little more!"
"Heir! Gaaah!"
Ninety soldiers dwindled to seventy.
20% fatalities.
A morale bomb was hardly surprising.
And then the feared happened.
One soldier broke from the front line.
This sparked it.
Others began fleeing one by one.
'Damn...'
This was over.
No way to command now.
To survive, I'd have to flee with them.
"Retreat!!! All units, retreat!!"
I bellowed and turned to run.
"Gaaargh!"
A human scream echoed from behind.
"Gaaaaargh!"
"Urgh!!"
The screams drew closer.
And then.
"Guhk..."
A groan escaped my lips.
My legs gave out.
I tried to flee somehow, but they wouldn't move.
The ground rushed up.
Splat.
The searing pain in my back gradually faded.
In contrast, my consciousness sharpened.
It was like the last burst of clarity before death I'd only heard about.
Thwack.
The orc struck my now-empty back again.
A mercy kill, no doubt.
The first blow had been fatal already.
Given Frontier's medical standards, death was certain.
Yet the orc followed up.
And I heard bones snapping.
It had pulverized my spine.
All hope of survival vanished.
99% chance of death, and even if lucky, a lifetime as a cripple.
"All units, attack!!"
"Strike the orcs' flanks!!"
Only after the center collapsed did the two knights' voices ring out.
'Attacking now, of all times.'
As physical sensations dulled,
my mind cleared further.
'No, did they plan this? To kill me?'
Even staying put would pass the heir position to third son Gibson eventually.
But Brilda wanted it certain, it seemed.
Even my sharp awareness began to fade.
This was truly the end.
My reddening vision drifted to the notification.
It was blurry.
But...
the final text had changed.
'I thought I couldn't clear it before dying. But I did in the end.'