Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 75: Ragia

"I will follow your will."

To be honest, I was a little taken aback by her words, which were slightly different from what I'd expected. Her eyes, still tinged with fear, kept drawing my gaze.

I didn't say much and started heading outside. Words and actions could differ, after all. She might even flee once the battle actually began. As soon as I stepped out, many Green Skins were looking our way. I walked past them, still fully armed, and they watched me with uneasy eyes.

Soon, Ragia emerged from the tent and began to speak. "We will fight together. We will fight alongside Blood Dagger, seize victory, and reclaim our honor." Her voice was small, but it was enough to convey her intent to the other tribe members present. She meant to fight with me. I hadn't expected Ragia to make such a choice, but it didn't matter. However, some of her group seemed to disagree with her, slowly backing away.

I had heard her faction was disintegrating, but I hadn't imagined it was this bad. Still, I never thought they would outright ignore the words of a leader who had guided them until now. In the end, some simply turned their backs and started to flee. Ragia, for her part, made no effort to stop those who ran.

All that remained were myself and those who followed Ragia. Some were already climbing onto the palisades above the settlement to prepare for battle, and I, too, raised my sword to face the approaching humans.

"Victory." She looked at me, an assassin, gripping two daggers tightly in both hands. Her eyes lacked conviction, and she seemed uneasy, but it appeared she had already decided to follow me. Only about a dozen people remained. The humans weren't rushing in haphazardly like last time, but they were still a threat, slowly advancing towards the settlement.

Magic power began to rise, as if spells were being cast. I figured they would start by breaking through the flimsy palisades with fire magic.

"CRASH!!!!" Just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠as I expected, a loud sound echoed. One side of the palisade completely collapsed, and the humans were ready to breach the settlement. I looked into Ragia's eyes one last time. She was still watching me.

At that sight, I raised my voice and began to shout. "Victory! Only for victory!"

It was the Blood Dagger Clan's unique battle cry. Ragia, with an uneasy expression, began to shout. "For Blood Dagger!"

It was her own way of expressing loyalty. But my shout just now wasn't meant to test her loyalty, of course. It was a signal to the Blood Dagger Clan, who were preparing for battle. As if they had heard my voice, shouts incomparably louder than Ragia's began to erupt from all directions.

"For Blood Dagger!"
"For Blood Dagger!!"
"Victory! Only for victory!"
"For Blood Dagger!"

Voices like thunder, shouts so loud they hurt the ears, as if they had poured all their magic into their very guts.

And then, Ragia's uneasy eyes instantly filled with conviction. There was no longer any trace of fear or anxiety on her face. She kept looking around, trembling, at the voices that had begun to erupt from all sides. What was interesting was that amidst such tremendous shouts, she smiled faintly.

It could have been a simple sign of joy. It could have been the relief of survival. But seeing that smile, I began to consider a certain possibility.

'Did she know?' I was thinking about the possibility that she had noticed the existence of a test. The probability was slim, but for some reason, I began to feel certain.

If she had truly noticed this test, then, absurd as it was, I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been completely played, dancing in the palm of her hand. She had cut off everyone who wouldn't follow her, saving only her own faction to join me. From Ragia's perspective, it was the most beautiful scenario. Of course, it would have been a gamble with her life.

Yet, as a result, it was the most certain way to gain my trust and eliminate the unnecessary individuals within her faction. Confirmation would have to wait until after the battle, but she truly was a snake-like woman.

"Interesting... truly interesting." I laughed, just as I had with Hakajin. And as if my guess was correct, Ragia began to look uneasy again, watching my expression. She was probably racking her brain, trying to figure out what my words had just meant.

Rather than continuing to worry about Ragia, I slowly raised my sword and began to charge towards the humans. Ragia, still looking uneasy, and her followers, also trailed behind me. From all directions, Blood Dagger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Clan members poured down upon the enemies. I raised my sword.

And then...
"............"
With Jung Hayeon's voice echoing from afar, massive plants engulfed the humans. Those who managed to escape were pierced by Mev's arrows, but these were by no means low-level humans; their response to the surprise attack was instantaneous. Someone, having prepared wind magic, cut through Jung Hayeon's roots and began to look back our way. They didn't charge immediately but formed a solid defensive circle, preparing for the next assault. Rather than scattering in all directions, they were clearly trying to withdraw while maintaining their formation.

However, the tide had turned. Clan members began to rush in from all directions. Warriors, spearheaded by Hark, Gark, and the loyal Goblin Three Sisters, had already completed all their preparations and were crashing into the enemies.

My role, or rather, my non-role, was to assist their entry. I poured magic into the Ancient Flame with all my might, gifting the bastards heat and fire.

"WHOOSH!"
"Sh-shit... what is this!"
"Retreat! Retreat! Retreat!"
The humans, who had been shouting for retreat even before the cry of "For Blood Dagger!" echoed, were in utter pandemonium. The flames spread to the roots, further tearing apart their already disorganized formation. Jung Hayeon, aware of this, kept moving the burning roots. Thanks to this, their formation began to collapse from the center.

The Blood Dagger Clan then crashed into those humans. As they collided with a deafening roar, the situation immediately devolved into a chaotic melee. I, too, leaped into one corner of the battlefield.

Ragia, naturally, followed close behind me. These humans weren't simply weak. There were certainly some who showed decent skill here and there, but they were instantly decapitated by Gark, who appeared from out of nowhere. The same went for the mages. Though they managed to endure the torrent of arrows with shield magic, they seemed not to notice the roots erupting from the ground, and were instantly ensnared, their bodies bursting apart.

I was a little worried that clan members might die in such a fight, so I began to dart around, wielding the Ancient Flame and the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword, and soon my body and face were splattered with blood and brains.

Perhaps because of the heat radiating from me, the humans who tried to subtly avoid me had their heads torn off by Ibar, the wolf who had come with me.

"Grrrrrrr." I gave Ibar a slight smile, then opened my mouth to the other clan members. "Don't die."

Immediately, voices responded. "For Blood Dagger!"

Thanks to that, my eyes also began to redden slightly. But I had to calm my excitement. This period was crucial for the clan. Having just laid the foundation for growth, I didn't want to incur any unnecessary casualties.

The most basic combat strategy to minimize casualties: the wounded retreat. Enemies that cannot be handled alone are faced together. Rather than fighting head-on, we chip away at them. It was a fundamental method. However, it was also a style not particularly favored by Green Skins.

Anyone even slightly injured immediately ran to the rear to receive healing from Hakajin and then rejoined the fray, minimizing troop depletion by centering the strongest members of the clan. They thoroughly exploited openings with bows and daggers, minimizing direct clashes of blade against blade.

I began to observe how Ragia fought. There was no wasted motion in her movements. She was certainly making good use of her skills as an assassin. She utilized the Orc warriors within the clan to form a wall, only thrusting or throwing her daggers when a kill was absolutely certain. Her subordinates were the same. To put it positively, it felt like they were using the battlefield broadly.

"Aaaargh!"
"Ughhh!"
"R-run!"
"F-fuck!"
The humans' screams and shouts continued, but that was a good thing for us. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was proof, if not direct evidence, that the Blood Dagger Clan was fighting as effectively as ever. I, too, charged at a human still holding a large shield.

As I swung the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword, the bastard nervously thrust out his shield. Just before impact, I switched weapons and pressed the Ancient Flame against his shield. I overpowered the man, who was desperately trying to break free.

Then, a "Hiss" sound soon followed. Thanks to the radiating heat, the bastard dropped his shield. I plunged my sword directly into the face of the man who screamed and let go of his shield.

A less interesting fight than I'd expected. Indeed, just as I was starting to feel a little bored, the humans' voices began to diminish, little by little. The screams grew fainter, and those who had been resisting had their heads completely smashed by Gark and Hark.

The very last one remaining looked at us, dropped his weapon as if giving up, and then the Goblin Three Sisters smashed his head, bringing the fight to an end.

"Woooooah! Victory! Victory!"
"For Blood Dagger!"
Blood and brains were scattered across the ground. Bodies were heated from the long-awaited battle. Joyful clan members began to appear one after another in my sight. I slowly started to look around. Mev and Jung Hayeon had rather displeased expressions, having seen Ragia fighting alongside us. Hakajin wore a slightly peculiar look. And there was Ragia, looking exhausted, watching me.

"Th-thank you. Th-those who fled..." She bowed her head towards me, speaking incoherently. I laughed, amused, and in an instant, grabbed her by the neck, lifting her into the air.

"Th-these... Aaargh!"
Everyone wore a bewildered expression at the sudden turn of events. Ragia's followers instinctively moved to save her, approaching me, but they were seized by other tribe members, including Gark and Hark. Though surprised, they had moved to subdue them, sensing the atmosphere. I smiled faintly at their perceptiveness, which was better than I expected, and then Ragia's subordinates began to scream.

"Lady Ragia!"
"Ra... Ragia! Bl... Blood Dagger... wh-what is this..."
"Choke... choke..."
She, too, was struggling. Yet, she wasn't resisting. She probably had a rough idea why I was doing this, and what I was about to ask. Her eyes clearly showed that she knew the reason. As if to meet her expectations, I slowly growled and opened my mouth to her. As our eyes met directly, her terrified face became perfectly clear.

"You. You knew."
A single, loaded sentence. Ragia's expression twisted further into unease.