Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Pursuit on the Plains
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Thud thud thud thud thud thud thud.
Twenty-two riders were charging across the barren wasteland.
The plain was so parched that even blades of grass were few and far between.
Not a single stream in sight anywhere the eye could reach—the land was utterly desolate.
After galloping across the dry earth for what felt like ages, they finally arrived at Lichtz City.
Lichtz City was far grander in scale than it appeared from afar.
But its walls, disproportionate to that size, were shabby.
Wooden supports holding it up, a crude earthen rampart mixed with dirt and stone.
"Hmm."
He wondered if such flimsy walls could hold back an orc assault.
Yet Capone and the Red Wolf Mercenaries, familiar with the place from frequent visits, showed little reaction to the sight.
"The city's grown a bit since last time, huh?"
"Must've gotten more people."
Chatting casually, they headed for the gates.
Unlike the ramparts, the gate itself was reasonably well-constructed.
The moat dug around the earthen walls brimmed with filth and stagnant water, reeking foully.
"Lower the drawbridge!"
At Capone's shout, someone atop the gate scanned the Red Wolf Mercenaries.
"You think we'll open just because you say so?"
"Red Wolf Mercenaries. We're here to help defend Lichtz City."
The soldiers atop the gate conferred among themselves before shouting back.
"Can't do that. How do we know you're not spies from the Rasco Kingdom or Lamie Kingdom?"
"Hah, seriously! We offer help, and this is the thanks we get!"
Capone bellowed in frustration, but the gate guards stood firm.
"Turn back. We'll defend Lichtz with our own hands. No deals with the kingdoms, ever."
Frustrated by their stubbornness, Capone beat his chest. Jake stepped forward to persuade them.
"Trust us. One of our member's brother is a mage at the Magic Tower. Call him out, and he'll vouch for us."
The soldiers scoffed.
"Hah! Knew it. Here to rescue family, are you?"
"What're you talking about?"
"A mage from Lamie nobility swore to stick with the Lichtz Tower to the end. Got kidnapped by his family's knights not long ago. Pulled the same mercenary trick you are."
Jake was at a loss for words.
The soldier barked.
"Go home! We know the kingdoms have blocked the passes and are controlling mercenary traffic."
"Call the mage Maros at the Tower. Tell him his brother Maxim and comrades are here—he'll know."
"You'll just spread panic among the citizens. Leave!"
At the soldier's cold words, Jake turned to So Gun-ak.
"What now?"
So Gun-ak pondered. Force their way in? Or keep persuading?
With orcs liable to strike any moment, the soldiers' nerves were frayed, their suspicion beyond imagination.
Persuasion seemed futile, and even breaking in wouldn't guarantee the Tower mages' cooperation.
As he mulled it over, So Gun-ak suddenly whipped his head back.
His eyes, narrowed like a hawk's, fixed on the distance.
"We're pulling back."
"Boss, we came all this way just to leave empty-handed?"
Capone protested, but So Gun-ak wordlessly drew the rod from his back, slotted in the spearhead, and formed his mounted lance.
"Follow me!"
With a booming command, he wheeled his horse around and charged ahead.
The mercenaries followed suit.
But the direction wasn't west toward the Rosco Kingdom they'd come from—it was east, the opposite way.
"Someone's being chased by orcs. Steel yourselves!"
At So Gun-ak's words, the mercenaries swallowed hard.
Some had been coming to Lichtz for years to hunt orcs; others were greenhorns seeing their first.
"How many?"
Capone asked, his experience against orcs giving him confidence.
He couldn't spot them yet, but he figured So Gun-ak could gauge their numbers.
Even through the dust cloud obscuring them, So Gun-ak estimated roughly.
"Around fifty."
"Orc raiders. They send advance scout parties like this ahead of the main force."
Jake asked worriedly.
"Doesn't that mean the main army's almost here?"
"At least four days out."
"How many usually come?"
"Varies year to year, but big when a strong chieftain rises. Worst was two years back—six thousand orcs swarmed like a black tide, threatening the city. Last year, three thousand."
"Ugh. Terrifying."
Jake shook his head at the mere thought.
So Gun-ak surged forward at full speed.
The black steed Mu-yeong's pace outstripped the others wildly.
Even at top gallop, the mercenaries couldn't keep up.
"I'll go ahead. Capone, take command."
"Got it, Boss!"
At Capone's hearty reply, Mu-yeong accelerated further.
Once he pushed, the gap yawned instantly.
"Whoa, he's fast."
"Deputy, look ahead. Someone really is being chased."
Capone nodded at his subordinate's words, peering forward.
Sure enough, two horses fleeing, pursued by orcs mounted on rhino-like monsters.
Knights' caliber—Luk Riders.
Luk Riders were elite orc warriors astride lukes, beasts resembling rhinos: slower than horses but elephant-strong, their charges devastating. Thick hides shrugged off ordinary blades.
A squad of ten such Luk Riders led the pack, foot soldiers hustling behind.
The two fleeing horses, wounded sadly, were slowing. They'd be caught soon.
Fleeing west, while So Gun-ak struck from north to south, he'd hit the orcs' flank.
"Hyah!"
Thud thud thud thud!
Mu-yeong tore ahead madly.
The two horses and Luk Riders had passed; So Gun-ak faced the orc infantry.
Dry ground made dust thicker, inflating their numbers visually—actually around thirty foot soldiers.
They gripped spears and swords, but poorly equipped: crude wooden spears without tips, or looted decorative blades.
"Grurk! Block him!"
Phlegmy growls as orcs moved to intercept.
Basic tactics trained: spearmen up front to halt the charge.
But...
"Hiiiing!"
Splat!
An orc flew back, soaring through the air.
So Gun-ak's lance outlonged their spears already.
Plus Mu-yeong's insane charge—the thrust's power was monstrous.
No mere orc could withstand; it sent them flying.
Slash!
"Gruk."
"Grruk!"
So Gun-ak rampaged freely; the infantry line crumbled fast.
Already ten orcs dead.
As he tore through them, Capone's Red Wolf Mercenaries arrived.
"Capone! Hit and run, repeat!"
"On it, Boss!"
Orcs still outnumbered them.
Minimize casualties and injuries.
Without leveraging horse mobility, mercenaries would die.
So Gun-ak could dismount, draw sword, and slaughter for victory.
But these weren't all the orcs.
"Hyah!"
He spurred Mu-yeong out of the fray.
Arrowing like wind, toward the two horses chased by ten Luk Riders.
The orcs pursued the two horses relentlessly.
One bore a man and woman pair; the other, a lone man.
The woman was a rare beauty, mysteriously shackled at the wrists like handcuffs.
"Hurry and unlock this!"
Irina screamed desperately. Her fellow rider, knight Bison, stayed grimly silent.
"We'll all die like this! Do it!"
"Not now. Lichtz is right ahead. Hold on a bit."
Luk Riders were closing in.
Couldn't slow on a bucking horse to fumble with locks.
Irina bit her lip in absurd frustration.
"Kidnapping me wasn't enough? You drag me into this mess... You all better prepare yourselves."
Bison's face hardened resolutely at her venom.
"I'll gladly pay for my sins. Saving you comes first."
"Then you shouldn't have kidnapped me at all!"
Bison looked awkward at her yell.
"Father can play his politics! I want to protect my master and comrades there—why won't you let me?!"
"Staying in Lichtz endangers your life."
Irina's lips curled in mocking sneer.
"So now we're begging for our lives by heading back?"
Lamie Kingdom knight Bison had come to Lichtz with ten subordinates to retrieve Irina, daughter of a prominent noble.
Despite her status, she'd thrown herself into magic, studying at the Lichtz Tower.
But political tensions between kingdom and Tower put it at risk.
Bison was ordered to extract noble scion Irina—by persuasion or force.
Her stubbornness had everyone stumped; she refused to leave alive, so Bison abducted her.
The shackles sealed her magic.
Bison had no defense.
Escaping Lichtz with her went fine—until orc raiders ambushed their return to Lamie.
Ten knights should've handled fifty orcs easy.
But ten Luk Riders made them terrifying.
They butchered a dozen orcs, losing eight knights in turn.
No choice but flee.
Lichtz nearer geographically—no other option.
Irony: kidnapped her from "dangerous" Lichtz for safety, plunged into worse peril.
Bison had nothing to say.
'Didn't expect orcs this soon.'
Even if they shook them and reached Lichtz safely, they'd have to depart immediately after recovering.
Before the orc horde besieged it, get Irina back to Lamie.
"Even if we reach Lichtz, we leave right away. You must return to the kingdom."
Irina itched to slap him.
"No way. Tell Father to forget about me and handle his own mess. If I die, it's on you."
"Lady Irina! I don't care if I die—you must go back to Lamie."
"Shut up and ride!"
But desperation aside, the horses tired fast.
Bearing two, their stamina drained quicker than expected.
Pursuers closed rapidly.
Bison gritted his teeth, addressing his solo-mounted subordinate.
"Get Lady Irina to Lamie safely, no matter what. Got it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Stoic-faced, Bison shoved the reins into Irina's hands and prepared to leap off.
Then—
Irina cried out urgently.
"Look! Reinforcements from Lichtz!"
Bison reclaimed the reins, steadying.
About twenty riders charging from the right.
'Heaven helps us.'
Bison, resigned to death, reconsidered.
Irina shouted excitedly.
"Unlock this now! I'll fight too."
"No. While they hold the orcs, we escape."
Irina's hands trembled. Contempt filled her lovely face.
"Can you even call yourself a knight?"
"The most loyal one."
Irina wanted no more words with him.
To her father, Bison was trusted; to her, just an obedient dog.
Orders and actions—no mission beyond duty, no hot-blooded loyalty, no human warmth.
Worlds apart from those who spoke from the heart.
One black horse broke ahead first, scattering orc infantry.
Foot soldiers, hampered by cavalry, fell behind in pursuit.
But the raiders' core strength: Luk Riders.
Bison didn't dare engage, just rode on.
Yet the horse hit its limit.
Speed visibly dropped.
Subordinate knight Sisler pulled alongside Bison.
"Captain. Switch horses. I'll hold them."
Bison shook his head.