An Unavoidable Fate

Though the wave had been cleared, it hadn’t come without cost.

“Most of the minions are down……”

Checking the Minion of the Underworld list, I nodded at the drastically reduced numbers.

It had been that kind of fight. The enemy forces here were probably no different from those at the other gates.

Even with the buffs my abilities granted them, the goblins were still only tenth-floor monsters, and the sewer monsters from the twentieth floor were on the weaker side for boss-tier creatures.

In contrast, the thirtieth-floor orc punitive force had already been formidable, and the boss-tier buffs had made them far stronger. Their numbers had been overwhelming as well.

The fact that any of us had survived at all was more surprising than the fact that some had fallen.

I couldn’t see what had happened elsewhere, but their battles must have been just as fierce. More than anything……

Goblius and Slim were the right choice.

I hadn’t worried about the southern gate. Arachne’s individual combat strength already far surpassed mine. Even when she had been human, she’d been a difficult opponent without Slim’s help. Now, resurrected as a minion with absurdly amplified stats, she was on another level entirely. It was hard to imagine her failing to hold a wave I had managed to stop.

“In any case, I’ll have to replace what we lost.”

The goblin forces had been almost completely wiped out, aside from the three goblin knights, Goblius himself, and the handful of assassin and poison-needle goblins I’d sent out on reconnaissance. The sewer monsters, though more numerous than the goblins, had lower stats overall; every one of them except Slim had fallen.

I silently thanked the fallen minions for their service and looked around. Lower-ranked soldiers had been reduced to ash by Radiance of Scorching Flames, leaving nothing behind, but the corpses of orc warriors—those who had earned the title of warrior—remained in considerable numbers. They were the ones who had challenged me before the skill could burn them away and had died by my blade instead. If they hadn’t been killed by the radiance, they wouldn’t have been reduced to ash even if they suffered burn damage.

Which meant—

“Minion of the Underworld.”

At my call, the warriors rose, their thick muscles rippling beneath armor as they scanned their surroundings with fierce eyes. The moment they spotted me, their killing intent vanished as if it had never existed, replaced by unwavering loyalty. They struck their chests with heavy thuds before bowing their heads—the salute shown only to the great warrior to whom orc warriors swore immortal fealty.

Finally, I used two of my remaining summon slots on the named monster Mauchi, resurrecting every orc warrior I could from the northern gate.

“You up, ugly?”

I am not ugly! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Several female orcs have courted me, saying I am strong! I demand a correction from the great warrior!

“They courted you because you’re strong, not because you’re handsome. Right?”

Th-that’s……!

“Whatever. So what if you’re ugly? Strength is all that matters.”

Grk……

Having resurrected Mauchi—who remained satisfying to tease whether he was an enemy or a minion—I led the revived orc warriors back into the city.

“G-Good heavens……”

“It’s orcs! The orcs are invading!!”

Of course, the citizens panicked at the sight of the orcs, but the soldiers who had watched me from the walls rushed about to calm everyone down.

“Don’t be alarmed! These orcs are Sir Ahn Humin’s minions! They are not our enemies!!”

When we reached the central plaza, Hans came running up, his face bright with relief.

“You’ve done well, Sir Ahn Humin! Truly, you’ve worked harder than anyone! I couldn’t offer direct assistance, but I saw your valor with my own eyes from the wall. It was nothing short of divine might!”

Even without his nonstop flattery, the flushed faces of the militia officers behind him made it clear how excited they all were.

“Calm down. The battle isn’t over yet. You all did well too.”

Receiving our lord’s orders is joy enough. Any further praise is more than we deserve. Hahaha!

Goblius-senior is correct, sir. Isn’t that right, junior?

Nod.

When Slim agreed with Goblius and even Arachne nodded, the corner of my mouth curled upward.

“Right. Then let’s make the most of our hard work and push a little harder. Where’s Sowon?”

If you mean Lady Sowon, she said she had her own duties and headed for the southern gate.

I gave the others their orders and made my way to the southern gate as well. I still had summon slots remaining.

I filled the rest of my forces with the powerful orc warriors, then used the last slots on the named orc warriors who had led the assaults at each gate, resurrecting them as minions.

“From now on, you’re North, East, West, and South.”

Great warrior, I am a warrior and deserve the name Mauchi……

Smack!

“So, what’s your name?”

……North.

“Anyone got a problem with that, speak now.”

The other three shook their heads ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠furiously after seeing the lump rising on what had once been Mauchi’s head.

With that, my total number of minions reached……

Combined with the effect of the Baptism of Thanatos trait, I now commanded nearly 270 minions—an enormous force.

But……

“The second wave will be far more difficult than the first. There will be many more troops, and the number of powerful named monsters will increase as well.”

“Even so, with Sir Ahn Humin’s orc minions, shouldn’t we be able to hold?”

Hans tried to stay optimistic, but I shook my head.

“The second wave will likely send two thousand orcs per gate. It’ll include special units like wolf riders and orc shamans, making them much harder to deal with. On our side, Sowon and I won’t be able to hold a gate alone like before. Well, Arachne might manage, but I certainly can’t. We’ll have to split our forces, and splitting them when we’re already short is……”

“Then what do we do? Is there really no hope?”

Hans and the other officers, along with the gathered militiamen, looked at me with desperate eyes.

“Is there truly no other way?”

Even Sowon, moved by their plight, turned to me. After a moment of thought, I gave my answer.

“……There is one. Though it would be harder than a camel passing through the eye of a needle.”

“There really is a way?”

Sowon’s eyes widened in surprise, and Hans looked as though he might burst into tears.

Was he always this emotional?

“The goblin scouts reported an orc main camp about ten kilometers away in the wasteland.”

“An orc main camp? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Of course not. No one thinks to scout the enemy’s main base when they can just defend the walls with reinforcements. I didn’t expect there to be a separate main camp either.”

Choosing the Royal Guard Captain difficulty would have granted ten thousand royal reinforcements plus five thousand soldiers under the Lord of Valdes—fifteen thousand in total. Even then, the boss-tier defense had required dozens of attempts, but focusing purely on defense had never been outright impossible.

“But why the main camp…… W-Wait, don’t tell me?!”

When Sowon stared at me with wide, startled eyes, I nodded.

“They say the only way to stop a great waterfall is to dam the river upstream. If there’s any solution at all, it’s to strike the final boss of the orc punitive force before the second wave begins.”

“That’s insane! A main camp means the boss monster and all their forces are concentrated there! That’s even more reckless than throwing eggs at a rock!”

I understood why Sowon was so agitated.

“That’s why I said it would be harder than a camel through a needle’s eye. But it’s the only option left. The odds are slim, yet there’s still a chance. Statistically, the first wave’s start time is random, but the second wave begins exactly twelve hours after the first ends. That gives us enough time.”

“……Humin, can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?”

When I refused to back down, Sowon grabbed my arm and pulled me aside to a quieter spot.

“Why not just give up and try again? With your abilities, clearing the Royal Guard Captain difficulty shouldn’t be too hard. There’s no need to take such a ridiculous risk.”

Logically, she was right a hundred times over. Any sane person would abandon the attempt and retry until the Royal Guard Captain difficulty appeared again. I had planned to do exactly that—retreat without hesitation if things went south.

Until I saw the orc army.

The moment their forces filled my vision, I couldn’t help but recall the sight from the Oren siege. The Anarchy forces stretching to the horizon, marching relentlessly. The holy knights who had fought them to the bitter end without giving up.

Unconsciously, I turned my head. Soldiers stood atop the walls. Some had cheered themselves hoarse for me. Others had clasped their hands in prayer.

If I gave up, they would die.

Of course, if I returned later, they would be alive again, as if nothing had happened. They weren’t truly living humans.

The moment I realized I was looking for an excuse to give up and feeling relieved about it, it felt as though a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hammer had struck the back of my skull.

The war the Goddess had warned me about would be far more dangerous and far more unjust than this. Yet here I was, searching for reasons to abandon even this trial and feeling relieved about it. I felt pathetic.

This was no longer just a quest for me.

As a holy knight of the Goddess, as a successor to the seniors who had died gloriously in Oren, whether this world was real or fake didn’t matter.

If there were people I had to protect, I would protect them to the very end. I would never give up until the last enemy was slain.

That was what it meant to be a holy knight of the Nyx Church.

So this was no longer a simple mission. It had become my inescapable fate.

But I couldn’t explain that rationally to Sowon. To her, it might just seem like pointless stubbornness.

So I could only ask for her trust.

“I can’t explain everything right now, but I have a reason I can’t abandon this mission. Can you trust me one more time? I’ll go alone, of course. You should leave while you still can……”

“If I’m only going to be a burden, I’ll do that. But if not, would you let me come with you?”

“Sowon……”

“You haven’t forgotten, have you? I’m your porter. If a porter runs away just because the hunting ground is dangerous or difficult, where could they possibly follow? Besides, you gave me that shadow slime. I can protect myself well enough. I’ve been working hard too.”

I had hoped she would make that choice.

No matter how important the mission was, the loot was still valuable. If she left, I would have had no choice but to abandon the mana stones and items. Hearing that she would stay filled me with both guilt and gratitude.

“I’m sorry. For dragging you into my pointless stubbornness.”

“Then let’s make sure this operation succeeds. That way our raid leader won’t have to feel so guilty toward me.”

“Yeah!”

With that, Sowon and I headed swiftly toward the orc stronghold the goblin scouts had located.