Chapter 220: The Eastern Continent Conquest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 220: The Eastern Continent Conquest
“Quite a commotion,” Goff muttered, and I nodded in agreement. Black Spear did the same.
It seemed the meeting of the female clan members was still ongoing. It was lasting much longer than expected, to the point where I wondered if something had happened. Just as we were discussing this and that, another cheer erupted.
“Waaaaaah!”
Hearing the loud cheer again, Goff mumbled, “Looks like something good happened.”
“Hmm… I wonder if there’s a new heir on the way.”
Gark and Hakajin, who had been participating in the meeting, looked startled. Seeing them get their hopes up for no reason, I simply shook my head.
This meeting, attended only by the chieftains and strategists of each clan, was to plan the conquest of the Eveluse Kingdom, east of the forest.
It was a massive war, and normally, we would have held a Great Tribal Council to publicize it. But there was a reason we didn't.
It’s anticlimactic.
I believed the difference in our combat strength was just too severe. Contrary to what Alisha had described with such a grave expression, the enemy’s level was so pathetic it was almost heartbreaking.
To put it bluntly, I was certain that if Goff, Black Spear, and I went in, the place would be utterly devastated in an instant. To be even more blunt, I could probably do it alone.
Considering I could take down high-ranking Summoned without much effort, it was painfully obvious how weak these guys would be, even with my eyes closed.
It felt embarrassing to even call it a war. If we hyped up our advance onto the continent and raised everyone’s spirits, only for it to end in a hollow victory, we’d lose a lot of face. So, I decided it was best to hold the meeting quietly.
The only thing to be wary of was their mental magic. But based on our tests with Alisha, even that didn't work on our elite Orc warriors. And if our shamans cast protective spells, it would be completely ineffective. The swords and spears of low-level Summoned wouldn't even pierce our skin.
“Hmmmm…”
“So, how do you plan on conquering this kingdom?” Goff asked me.
“Unfortunately, we won’t be participating. I’d rather use it as a place for the other Green Skins to gain combat experience.”
To put it another way, it would be a theme park, an amusement park for Green Skins.
“Is that so.”
“Yes. I can’t say for certain, but a great war will break out soon. A war so massive it can’t be compared to this other continent in the East. This will be the perfect place for our underage Green Skins and trainees to gain real-world experience.”
“Battle Sorcerer Crugar, Giant Scream Apachi, and Little Finger will be pleased.”
They probably would. We’ve been forcibly suppressing their lust for battle.
I continued.
“We will send half of the entire settlement’s forces to the Eastern Continent via teleportation. The destination is the castle where the enemy is staying. We will make the entire castle our base of operations and then deploy our troops.”
“A simple plan. Very simple. If we occupy the humans’ castle, they will surely try to take it back.”
They would undoubtedly try to reclaim their castle. While the possibility of them fleeing wasn't zero, there were plenty of ways to block their escape routes with Jung Hayeon’s magic or other spells. The main challenge was that we had to capture only the humans while avoiding the elves, but if necessary, we were considering incapacitating the elves as well.
“I’m worried the young Green Skins might get hurt… Do you have a plan for that?”
Black Spear answered Goff’s question.
“It would be best to form a separate unit for the young Green Skins and assign shamans to them. You said the only thing to watch out for is mental magic, so assigning a shaman capable of purification spells to each Green Skin group should work well.”
“Exactly. Only Green Skins aged three and older will stand on the battlefield; those younger will not be brought along for any reason. We will assign one clan shaman to each group of young warriors from the Blood Dagger Clan, the Black Spear Clan, and the Goff Clan. The shamans won’t intervene unless a major incident occurs, but their top priority will be to move and do their utmost to ensure the safety of the young warriors.”
At my words, Goff scratched the back of his head.
His eyes lit up slightly at that.
“Each clan, you say… This should be interesting.”
It seemed a strange sense of rivalry had been ignited. I already knew that Goff’s son had just turned three and was eligible to participate in this battle. The same went for Black Spear’s son and daughter; his firstborn was already an adult, but the children he’d had after were still minors.
Black Spear’s expression was also a bit peculiar.
I spoke to them with an amused look. It wasn’t that I was trying to brag, but since I couldn’t participate in the fight myself, a little entertainment like this didn’t seem so bad.
“I imagine the Blood Dagger Clan will achieve the greatest results.”
A healthy dose of competition is fine. I smiled and fell into thought for a moment. If we were to really have a competition, it was obvious that no matter how much they rampaged, they couldn't beat Kim Yoora.
Of course, I wasn't denying that their sons, daughters, and other promising youths were strong, but Kim Yoora, fighting alongside her Giant Wolf, was stronger than one might think. Not to mention her unique ability and weapon skills, her strategic mind was on a level that other Green Skins would find hard to follow.
And if Nicole’s buffs were added to the mix, there was no one among the promising youths who could beat the Blood Dagger Clan. Even the other young Green Skins would get nervous whenever they faced Kim Yoora in the mock battlegrounds. You could say they were still too green to be considered true warriors, but the young warriors of our Blood Dagger Clan were strong.
And it wasn’t just the young warriors; the trainee Green Skins were the same.
Crugar under Goff and the curse shaman Little Finger under Black Spear were decent enough, but Giant Scream Apachi’s growth was particularly outstanding among them.
Goff, his pride seemingly a little wounded, bared his fangs.
“I look forward to seeing if that comes to pass.”
Black Spear said nothing but nodded. Despite their words, they knew that the safety of the young Green Skin warriors was the top priority in this operation. I figured I should probably assign not just shamans but also safety personnel.
I wanted to create an environment where they could run wild even more freely.
They had observed monster hunts under the protection of adult Green Skins and had time to catch small monsters, but this was their first large-scale war. We had to prepare for variables, so the strategists of each clan were racking their brains even harder.
I looked at Hakajin and spoke.
“You are in charge of this operation, Hakajin.”
Goff and Black Spear also delegated full authority to their own strategists.
“May there be victory. May there be honor. May there be glory.”
They all nodded and bowed their heads for being entrusted with such a glorious position, but Hakajin’s expression looked a little anxious.
I smiled as I watched him. Hakajin was definitely not built for combat. While you couldn't call him an outlier, he was still strong in his own right. What he needed was confidence. And the Eastern Continent was the perfect stage for him to regain it.
“We depart in one week.”
At my words, Goff bared his fangs and spoke.
“For the next week, I will train Crugar myself.”
Black Spear also spoke up.
“I, too, will personally oversee Little Finger.”
That was what I had hoped for. They smiled and left the tent, and I turned to Gark.
“Summon Kim Yoora and Giant Scream Apachi.”
“For Blood Dagger.”
It seemed things were about to get a little interesting. I probably don’t need to mention that for the following week, loud screams echoed throughout the settlement for all to hear.
*
“Yoora, is it true?”
“Yes. It is.”
Nicole asked the question, and Kim Yoora nodded.
‘The young warriors are also to prepare for the coming battle.’
It was shocking news, delivered directly from Blood Dagger. Normally, they would only be granted the right to participate in battle after more time had passed and they had become adults. Considering that until now, they had acted under the strict control of the adult Green Skins, and even their monster hunting was conducted under close supervision as practice for real combat experience, this was a highly unusual event.
“No… no way!”
It was understandable why Nicole was so excited. The other young warriors were the same. All of them were stomping the ground with faces flushed with excitement. Since they were all Green Skins by race, they were naturally thrilled by such things.
“W-We’ve been acknowledged!”
“A battle!”
Amidst the excitement, Kim Yoora spoke again.
“Of course, it’s not like we won’t be supervised. Shamans will be assigned to the members of each clan. It’s nothing to get worked up about, and we’re not the only ones going to fight. Our friends from the Goff Clan and the Black Spear Clan will be with us.”
“S-Still, we get to fight.”
“Yeah!”
Young Orcs chimed in at Kim Yoora’s words.
“Those eligible to participate are Green Skins aged three and older. And the moment a shaman has to intervene because too many of us are incapacitated, we have to pull back. If it looks like there might be a fatality, you’re out immediately. Of course, the Orc uncles will step in, but… you must never act recklessly. Just because they’re watching our backs doesn’t mean you can be reckless. This is different from before. You have to think of it as a life-or-death battle and act like the adults do.”
“……………………………….”
“The Chieftain created this opportunity for us. If we fall apart before we even begin, it will be a disgrace to the clan. This wasn't created for us to have fun; it was created because he trusts us and wants to give us experience.”
Kim Yoora slowly looked around.
She could see their excitement gradually subsiding. If they got too worked up, they wouldn’t accomplish anything. Kim Yoora nodded and spoke again.
“If we are the first to be eliminated, while the Black Spear Clan and the Goff Clan are still fighting…”
“D-Disgraceful,” Nicole muttered, and Kim Yoora nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. Celebrating because we’ve been acknowledged can come later. First, we need to think things through. Understood?”
“Understood!”
“Understood!!”
“Then let’s talk.”
Kim Yoora nodded and raised a flag. It wasn’t the official flag of the Blood Dagger Clan, but one made for the young Green Skins to carry. Still, everyone’s eyes were fixed on it.
“For Blood Dagger.”
“For Blood Dagger!!”
Though she was already accustomed to battle, Kim Yoora also held onto her trembling heart. It wasn’t just the young Green Skins before her who felt like they had finally been acknowledged as a member of the clan, even if they still had a long way to go.
‘Chieftain.’
Blood Dagger’s women all possessed extraordinary abilities. From Jung Hayeon, who could envelop an entire city in giant plants, to Baek Ahyeon with her immense holy power, Mev who could shoot arrows with spirits from incredible distances, and Jang Ye Ri with her overwhelming strength. And of course, the newly joined Choi Eunju with her teleportation ability.
‘I have to get stronger, too.’
It wasn't that she particularly wanted to become the Chieftain's woman, but she naturally understood that working hard and becoming stronger was the way to repay his grace.
Looking to her side, she felt Nicole staring at her with a very sly smile. As she looked back at Nicole with a somewhat uneasy expression, she saw Nicole immediately open her mouth.
“Yoora, are you perhaps…”
“N-No. It’s not like that.”
“What isn’t?”
Looking at that sly grin, Kim Yoora couldn’t help but realize she’d been had.