Chapter 321: Cannon Fodder
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 321: Cannon Fodder
“Are you that happy? Your face is practically blooming.”
“It’d be a lie to say I’m not.”
“I didn’t think having a child was that urgent, but…”
“Hm?”
“Seeing you react like this, I guess I’ll have to reconsider.”
Choi Seulgi grumbled in feigned annoyance.
“It’s difficult between a human and a Green Skin. The probability is extremely low…”
“If you wish for something desperately enough, the universe conspires to help you.”
It was a line I’d heard somewhere before, but for some reason, it felt dangerous. I just nodded vaguely at Choi Seulgi’s words. In truth, it was impossible for me not to be in a good mood. The situation on the continent was a bit chaotic, but personally, this was an incredibly happy time for me.
Laveua was always working hard, and Lapura was still learning how to control herself from her mother, Jung Hayeon. In Ratga’s case, he had just been born, so he wasn’t doing anything in particular, but watching my children grow steadily was a great joy. Of course, now that some time had passed, I was mostly just hearing about it through stories.
“I’m glad you’re happy. Though I am a little jealous.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“No? Actually, I’m dying of jealousy.”
“Ahem…”
I didn’t really have anything to say to that. As I kept my mouth shut, Choi Seulgi finally looked at me and spoke.
“Shall we head out, then?”
“Yeah, let’s. Ugh… fuck, it’s cold.”
“Puhahahat! This is nothing. It’ll get colder soon. Probably a bit more when that barrier comes down.”
Stepping outside the room, buildings completely covered in snow came into view. I never imagined I’d be standing here after becoming a Green Skin. Spending a day in a major city of the North… it would have been impossible before.
People were energetic, even in the morning. Smoke rose from each house, likely from fires lit inside, melting the snow just a little. Despite the cold weather, merchants were moving about quite actively. I could even see children building snowmen or running around. The atmosphere didn’t fit a situation where people were waiting for an enemy invasion.
“Are you sure they announced that a war is coming soon?”
“I’m sure.”
“There are more people than I expected. Merchants, too…”
“This is where they live. They might feel they have to protect it themselves. The North has always been a tight-knit place. I don’t know if it’s because of the environment, but…”
“Well, it’s good that it doesn’t feel like we’re on the verge of war… Anyway, how are the other fronts?”
“You know more about the South than I do, right? We’ve deployed troops to the West just in case, but the highest probability of an attack is from the North. It seems they’re concentrating most of their strength here for now.”
I nodded at Choi Seulgi’s words. I wasn’t certain that other races wouldn’t invade at all, but the greatest threat was in the North. According to the Sword Saint, Ha Yuri, the dwarves at the western edge weren’t that belligerent. We had stationed troops in the Land of Glory in the South in case something happened, but I didn’t think anything would come charging through the sea the moment the barrier fell.
Ultimately, the most important place was the front line here in the North. As a result, a great number of Green Skins and humans were stationed in the large and small cities of the North. No one could say for sure when the barrier would break, but everyone felt that something would happen soon. The barrier enveloping the continent was sending a warning signal.
Because of this, the Adventurer’s Guild had temporarily suspended its operations, and the entire continent went on a war footing. The first thing they implemented was training—joint training between Green Skins and humans, of course.
As we went outside, voices could be heard from all over.
“Long time no see, human!”
“Oh, Kazakh! It’s been a while.”
“Is this the first time since that dungeon? I figured you’d come, and it looks like you were stationed here after all.”
“Being stationed in the North is an honor. I heard they select the strong first, so I’m very grateful to my clan’s chieftains.”
They were the voices of people conversing. They seemed to be guys who had become friends at the Adventurer’s Guild. Besides them, I continued to hear other conversations. An anxious voice drifted down from the top of a building we were passing.
“Isn’t it almost time? We have to go. I heard they don’t tolerate tardiness.”
“Wait a minute, oppa. Geez. Don’t Green Skin women wear makeup?”
It sounded like the two of them had spent the night together. Hearing that, Choi Seulgi turned to me.
“The world has gotten a lot better, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it has. What’s even more amazing is that this will no longer be a strange sight.”
Green Skins walking hand-in-hand with human women or men, Orcs with their arms around the shoulders of those they considered comrades-in-arms, Goblins playing with little children, a woman snuggling up to a Werewolf against the cold—seeing it all felt truly strange.
“I thought we could live together to some extent, but…”
“The Free Dungeon Agreement had a big impact. So did the Brother’s Land becoming a Pretex zone, and the free trade agreement worked out well, didn’t it? No, maybe it’s because of the Great Tribe Leader.”
“Hmm… could be.”
Choi Seulgi was right. The opening of the East and the free trade agreement certainly had an effect, but no matter what anyone said, the hottest topic recently was romance. The continent’s political climate had changed drastically when the Great Tribe Leader, Storm Shadow, recently took Park A-jung as the mistress of the tribe. This was something even I hadn’t anticipated. Originally, Storm Shadow had no children. The position of Great Tribe Leader wasn’t hereditary, so he didn’t have to worry much about a successor, but the desire to have many children was something every Green Skin shared.
Thinking back to when I didn’t have children, the stress on the mothers of the Storm Shadow Clan must have been through the roof. It was the same after he became the Great Tribe Leader. I didn’t know if he had decided to live his entire life solely for the Green Skins, but the lack of someone to manage his household was, in a way, a source of instability.
That’s when Park A-jung appeared like a comet. An ordinary human who suddenly showed up ended up causing a huge stir. The news that the two were getting married spread across the entire continent. Many Green Skins, including the Green Skin mothers in the Land of Glory who had half given up, nodded in approval.
In a way, she was their savior.
This event had a considerable impact on the continent. Beauty and the Beast-style love stories suddenly swept the continent, and it became a kind of trend among human women.
To be sure, Green Skins weren’t bad husband material. Their rugged faces might be a flaw, but unlike me, the more steadfast ones did their best for the women who entered their lives and possessed a desire to protect them, even at the cost of their own lives. It even got to the point where you could frequently see couples of human men and Green Skin women. They were drawn to a gentleness that Green Skin men lacked.
Of course, in the midst of this rapidly changing continental landscape, the most popular of all were the demons.
First, because their appearance was similar to humans.
Second, because people held a certain fantasy about them, like something out of a novel.
Races like demons and vampires were quite popular back on Earth. People had been hesitant to approach them before because they were dangerous, but it was a different story now. The Great Tribe Leader of the Green Skins had started dating a human woman.
This was a signal that it was safe, in a way. Naturally, it wasn’t unreasonable for me to benefit from it as well.
“That demon is pretty handsome…”
“Should I try talking to him?”
“Shut up, you bitch. Can’t you see the tail and the person next to him?”
“Is that Choi Seulgi?......................”
“What, what? Then is that really Blood Dagger?”
“Kyaa!”
I found myself walking with my head held a little higher. That was pretty much the situation.
“Kim Taesung, you’ve gotten really famous.”
“Ahem…”
Of course, as the most famous demon on the continent, I had become extremely popular. When I smiled slightly, I heard a chorus of “Kyaa!” which put me in a pretty good mood. It went without saying that Choi Seulgi’s retribution came swiftly. Realizing she had been sidetracked, Choi Seulgi changed the subject again.
“Hoo… Anyway, the Brother’s Land is participating in today’s training too, right?”
“Yeah. They’re coming, leaving only a minimum defense force behind.”
“What about Yeri?”
“She’s on standby in the East for now.”
Storm Shadow was to control the entire South, and Jang Ye Ri was to control the entire East. The clans designated to be on permanent standby in the North were Silver Fang and the northern Werewolves, Broken Bow and the northern Orcs, the southern Orcs, the Big Ogre Clan, many small and medium-sized clans, and finally, the three clans from the Brother’s Land. The other clans, including mine, had all arrived, but the personnel from the Brother’s Land had not yet reached us.
Just as I was thinking they must have arrived by now, the sound of large drums began to echo.
Boom!
Boom!
“The gate! Open the gate!”
“The chieftains and tribe members from the Brother’s Land have arrived!”
“Open the gate!”
They still loved to be flashy. I had originally planned to head straight to the training grounds, but seeing the Brother’s Land set foot on northern soil was a scene I very much wanted to witness. Choi Seulgi and I nodded to each other and moved, and we were able to see our brothers passing through the massive northern gate.
The crowd was quite large.
“Is that Goff? Damn…”
At the head of the procession was Goff of the Goff Clan. An Orc drummer was continuously beating a drum, and the Ogres of the Goff Clan were stomping their feet in time with the beat.
The second to appear was the Blood Dagger Clan. Sub-chieftain Gark was carrying the clan’s banner, and voices rose from the surroundings.
“Sub-chieftain of the Blood Dagger Clan, Half Blade Gark. He’s kind of cool…”
“It’s Black Spear. That’s Black Spear.”
They would have been terrifying as enemies, but as allies, they were incredibly reassuring. The humans probably felt that more keenly than anyone. A march like this was not without meaning.
Since I had told them to leave only a minimum defense force, I could see Mev, Jung Hayeon, Choi Eunju, Orbo the Shield, the Goblin Three Sisters, Baek Ahyeon, and her followers. It seemed Hark was in charge of the clan’s defense.
Appearing after them was, of course, Black Spear of the Black Spear Clan. Unlike Goff, the sight of him quietly surveying his surroundings was cool, even to a man’s eyes.
“My Savior!”
Baek Ahyeon shouted, having somehow spotted me in the massive crowd, and all eyes turned to me. Startled humans and Green Skins saw me and offered their greetings. I raised the corner of my mouth slightly and waved my hand, signaling them not to stop the march, then left their disappointed faces behind and headed for the training grounds.