Chapter 579: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (66)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 579: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (66)
Our travel speed had slowed noticeably. The reason was the spoils we’d dragged along from the village raid—that is, the men and women.
The camp was filled with moans and screams echoing under the moonlight. From the large tents, the rough panting of my muscular daughters mingled with the feeble cries of men. It was like a breeding ground from hell.
“Um, Father,” Mari whispered quietly as she stood guard.
“The sisters are complaining.”
“Hm? Why all of a sudden?”
“The men pass out after they cum once or twice. What the sisters want is a man who can last the whole night…”
Mari shrugged and continued.
“They're clamoring to know when they'll get to have a proper ‘meeting’ with the knights.”
I let out a small laugh at Mari’s report. It sounded less like a complaint and more like sexual frustration. My daughters were, after all, created with orcs as their base. Their bodies were vessels where the urges for battle and breeding exploded simultaneously. An ordinary human man could never hope to handle such desire.
“Hmm… So they won't be satisfied with anything less than a knight, I see.”
I thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright. Tomorrow morning, we attack the nearby city.”
The other orc daughters who overheard me erupted in excited roars.
“Ooooh! Knights!”
“Are we finally getting real husbands?!”
The entire camp seemed to shake for a moment. The daughters gathered around the fire smashed their massive forearms together, already chattering about tomorrow's slaughter and hunt as if it were a festival.
*
Normally, certain conditions were essential to capture a fortress: at least three times the number of defenders and siege weapons to break down the sturdy walls.
But we had no need for such things.
“Mari. Go break it down just enough.”
“Yes, Father.”
Mari was slightly different from her sisters. While she enjoyed close-quarters combat, she also possessed immense talent in magic. She was a genius who didn't just swing her fists but adapted magic to her unique fighting style.
The black gauntlets on her arms pulsed with a heavy thrum and began to glow. As the surrounding mana swirled and gathered, the air trembled as if it were being compressed.
“Hmph…!”
Mari took a short breath, then sprinted toward the fortress wall at full speed. She raised a fist and brought it crashing down.
-KRA-KOOOM!!
An explosive roar shook the fortress wall. Stone and brick shattered, and a massive crack appeared. The wall of a fortress that had stood for decades crumbled from a single punch.
“W-What the—?!”
“The wall… The wall is collapsing!”
Mari gathered mana into her gauntlets again. Her fists glowed red and pulsed once more.
This time, an entire section of the wall collapsed completely. Dust and debris filled the sky, leaving a gaping hole.
“Charge—!!”
At my roar, the orc daughters swarmed forward with monstrous shrieks, as if they had been waiting for the signal.
The massive, muscular daughters poured through the breach, swinging their weapons. A volley of arrows rained down on them, but their thick skin and armor made of dragon scales left them completely unscathed.
-CRASH!
-CRASH-CRASH!!
A huge iron gate was kicked off its hinges, and a shield wall was shattered to pieces. In an instant, the daughters stormed into the fortress and trampled the soldiers.
“Help me… please!”
“No, stay away— Aaargh!!”
Screams and cries filled the fortress.
I walked leisurely toward the gate. Beyond the ruined wall, I could see a scene of surging blood and flames.
Mari approached from the side, tapping her gauntlets.
“Father, should I break more?”
I shook my head.
“This is enough. Let the others have their fun.”
Just then, the triumphant cheers of the orc daughters echoed from within the fortress.
“Husbands!”
“That knight is mine!”
The clash of swords and spears mixed with the screams of men and the frenzied roars of my daughters.
I slowly stepped over the crumbled wall and into the fortress. My gaze was fixed on the center of the stronghold, the massive citadel where the lord was likely to be.
*
An army of 20,000 regular soldiers marched in formation, led by Ariella.
A nobleman approached Ariella with an anxious expression.
“Your Highness, are you certain about this? Rumor has it… the orcs are far stronger than we anticipated.”
Ariella held her head high and continued forward, replying calmly.
“It is fine. At a time when the kingdom is in peril, should not all who have the strength to fight step forward?”
The very fact that the princess was leading the army herself was a great boost to morale.
Riabel Baran, the daughter of Duke Baran, who was riding beside Ariella as if to guard her, sighed and spoke up.
“Still… please be careful, Your Highness. Survivors testified that the orcs are at least knight-level. And… don't go rushing off on your own again!”
“Riabel, you still nag as much as ever.”
“Because of your reckless behavior, I never thought I'd end up participating in an unplanned orc extermination like this!”
“Hehe, you always did hate fighting.”
“Honestly… Your Highness, do you feel no fear?”
Ariella fell silent for a moment, gazing at the distant sky.
“How could I not be afraid? But someone must stand at the front. When enemies trample our lands and our people cry out… I, the princess, cannot hide in the back.”
Just then, a scout from the vanguard came galloping back, kicking up a cloud of dust. Panting, he quickly dismounted and knelt.
“Your Highness! Daden Fortress, occupied by the orcs, is in sight!”
A stir went through the army at the scout’s cry. The soldiers’ gazes all turned forward. Far across the plains, the massive fortress walls cast a dark shadow. But atop them, instead of the kingdom's flag, horribly hung corpses swayed in the wind.
Ariella’s expression hardened as she pulled on her reins, halting the army.
“We will make camp here. And… Baron Bertain, take the cavalry and scout the area around the fortress.”
“As you command, Your Highness!”
Baron Bertain immediately bowed his head and led the cavalry forward.
A short while later, Riabel approached and whispered lowly.
“Your Highness, we cannot charge in recklessly just because there are only a few hundred orcs.”
Ariella shook her head firmly.
“While we hesitate, our people are suffering inside that fortress. We will attack as soon as the scouting is complete.”
Riabel raised her voice.
“I said no! The soldiers have marched a long distance. We need to assess the enemy's condition and let our troops rest sufficiently before we move.”
“…Hmph, Riabel. If you insist so strongly, I suppose I have no choice. But one day, no more than that.”
Riabel let out a breath of relief at Ariella’s firm declaration.
“Understood. I will reorganize the troops' formation over the next day.”
She soon spurred her horse forward and issued a command to the entire army in a powerful voice.
“All troops, make camp here! First, send out scouts to confirm there are no monsters or anything suspicious in the vicinity!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As the officers relayed the cry, the soldiers moved swiftly. A large banner was raised, and the ground was leveled. Tents were erected in rows, horses were tethered, and rations were distributed. With an army of 20,000, the camp quickly grew to the size of a small city.
Ariella watched the scene silently from her horse. A cold wind blew, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the shadows of the corpses hanging on the fortress wall.
Just then, a portion of the cavalry that had gone out to scout returned. The dust-covered captain leaped from his horse and reported urgently.
“Reporting! There are no particular ambushes or traps around the fortress. However…”
He paused, his face hardening.
“However, the orcs… upon spotting us, they provoked us by mockingly raping men and indiscriminately executing the fortress's citizens right before our eyes.”
Riabel’s eyes instantly turned cold.
“…It's a ploy to completely break our soldiers' morale. The orcs showed us that on purpose.”
Ariella nodded grimly.
“At dawn tomorrow, we will shatter those gates. We will show those orcs what human fury looks like.”
*
When night fell, the camp glowed with a vast array of lights. Tens of thousands of torches stood like stars, and inside the tents, soldiers either checked their weapons or tried to get some sleep. But the tension remained.
It was then that a scream erupted from the edge of the camp.
“Aaargh—!”
In an instant, all eyes turned to the source. Blood splattered in the darkness, and a soldier’s body flew through the air before crashing to the ground.
“What was that?! An enemy—?!”
“To arms!”
The sound of a whistle cut through the camp. Soldiers grabbed their weapons in unison, and the sound of tense breathing filled the air. An ominous energy crept between the tents and torches, blanketing the camp.
When Ariella and Riabel, startled by the commotion, rushed over with their gear, they found wounded knights and corpses already strewn about. Blood pooled on the ground, and a few were gasping their last breaths, their faces pale.
“What happened here?!” Ariella demanded sharply.
A fallen knight answered, his blood-stained lips trembling.
“Kugh… Your Highness… The, the muscle monsters… attacked… Gak…”
He lost consciousness before he could finish.
A nobleman quickly approached and said, “Your Highness, some of the knights are missing. It seems… they were abducted by the enemy.”
Ariella’s eyes flashed.
“Kgh… How dare mere orcs.”
“Your Highness, calm yourself!”
Riabel reached out a hand to stop her.
“Vigilance takes priority over anger right now. Everyone, strengthen the perimeter!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
*
The next morning.
“Aaaargh—!”
Someone’s scream once again shook the camp. Ariella immediately ran toward it, but a nobleman blocked her path.
“Your Highness… you mustn't…”
“What is it that you're stopping me from seeing!”
The nobleman’s lips moved, but he couldn’t speak. Just then, Riabel appeared, and the nobleman urgently whispered his report to her. Her expression instantly hardened and grew dark.
“Riabel! What in the world is going on that you're keeping from me!”
“There is… nothing good for you to see, Your Highness. I will report to you privately later.”
“Ngh… I must see for myself!”
Ariella forced her way past them.
“Ugh…”
She gasped at the sight before her.
The knights who had disappeared last night were lying there, completely naked. There were no wounds, but their bodies were unnaturally withered. As if they had been completely drained of something overnight, their flesh was shriveled and their skin had turned pale. A pungent, fishy smell stung her nostrils, and the tent was filled with a horrific atmosphere.
Riabel gritted her teeth. Then she shouted at the soldiers.
“What are you all standing around for! Get these knights to the priests at once!”
“Yes, ma’am!”
Soldiers hurriedly ran over with stretchers.