Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The First Victory
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Shiiik!
As I shattered the shield wall and dropped to the ground, countless spears came rushing in like thorns.
But I twisted my body at blinding speed and nullified the assault with a single sword stroke.
Clang!
Unlike the village palisade, which was made of multiple layers of sturdy logs, the main gate had to open and close frequently, making it somewhat lighter.
That left it highly vulnerable to physical attacks like siege rams. If we hadn't blocked it in advance, it would've collapsed in no time.
"Cover the knight!"
"Waaaaah—!!"
Arrows and javelins rained down like a storm toward the broken shield wall.
Thanks to the perfectly timed counterattack, morale on the palisade soared.
But it was still far from enough.
We had to completely destroy that steel-plated, bull-horned siege ram the enemy had brought.
I leaned hard into the covering fire pouring from behind and charged forward again.
Clang! Slash—!
Kaaang! Kiiigigigik!
Axes and spears came flying at me.
But in the heat of close-quarters melee, there was no room to deflect attacks.
I bellowed as I threw myself into a brutal clash of raw power against raw power, something I hadn't done in ages.
The orcs who had rushed to defend the ram began to falter and fall back.
Were they feeling fear?
No, that couldn't be it.
"—!!!"
One orc let out a roar.
Then, archers who had been hiding behind the retreating orc warriors stepped into view.
As expected from seasoned foes—they knew exactly how to deal with a single knight.
Kiiigigigik!
Bowstrings drawn taut.
Dozens of arrowheads aimed straight at me.
I furrowed my brow and assumed a defensive stance to bat away the incoming volley.
Shiiik! Ping!
Boom—!!!
But in that instant, something massive dropped from behind the palisade, swallowing the arrows whole.
No—it reduced them to particles, literally.
It was the overwhelming power of the pure aura blade enveloping his greatsword.
Paasss.
The scattered particles dispersed like mist.
There stood the gray wolf who had leaped to my position, yanking his greatsword from the earth.
My skin prickled with static.
A presence that made saliva dry up involuntarily.
The greatest huskarl in history, Gray Wolf, had broken eight years of silence and returned to the battlefield.
"Feels nostalgic, doesn't it, Broken Sword?"
"...Yeah."
A short reply, but my heart wasn't calm at all.
Even that stoic gray wolf bringing up old tales—I couldn't hide my boiling excitement and surging battle lust.
Can you hear this cheering?
Even as we aged, the battlefield remained eternal.
Gray Wolf and I charged forward through the sticky mud without a word, as if on cue.
Boom!
Kwajijijik!
The ground quaked with thunderous footsteps.
Gray Wolf swung his greatsword as he advanced, slicing clean through not just shields but entire orc shield walls.
I didn't miss the gap. Using his back as a ladder, I vaulted up and landed right in the middle of the breached formation.
"Kruk?"
The orc archers, scrambling to widen the distance, froze at the sight of the sword blocking their path.
Without a moment's hesitation, I spun the hilt and unleashed a flurry of strikes blending dozens of forms.
Slash, slash, slash, slash!
Like a predator diving into a beehive.
Each swing sent bones crunching through my grip, and soon my face and armor were drenched in fresh blood.
"Hoo, haa...!"
A trance. Sword as one with hand.
After chasing down and killing the last orc archer, I turned back, panting heavily.
Behind me, the battlefield was a mire of flesh and guts, with a ladder blazing fiercely.
One, two, three—heave—!
Paassss, boom!
The joint strike from Gray Wolf and me had routed the unit heading for the village gate.
The ripple effect spread like dominoes across the field, bringing down the final ladder too.
In war, the side that breaks the enemy's morale wins.
The orc sergeants, who knew this better than anyone, kicked at their disorganized troops and barked retreat orders.
Dudung! Dudung! Dudung! Dudung!
The war drums changed rhythm.
The badly mauled orc warriors staggered to their feet and fell back.
Waaaaaaaah—!!
The enemy was retreating.
Soldiers who had steeled themselves for death embraced each other and roared in triumph.
Though a major crisis had hit midway, they had repelled the invaders assaulting their village.
But instead of ordering a pursuit, Gray Wolf focused on calming the exhilarated troops.
"Use wet hides to douse the fires on the palisade! Get the wounded to the barracks now!"
We had won the vanguard clash, where momentum is everything.
But the enemy's main force was still intact, and their retreat was orderly.
Rash decisions would be poison.
The soldiers, quickly regaining composure, began extinguishing the palisade fires and carrying off the injured.
I spat out the blood and flesh pooled in my mouth and greeted the fully risen orange dawn.
The acrid stench of blood drifting from the hills and woods pricked quietly at my nose.
Kurururung...
Shake, shake.
In the shelter, everyone held their breath.
Outside, a fierce battle raged—the flickering lantern swayed with faint vibrations reaching even here.
What kind of fight could shake the ground this far?
The villagers, who had lived peacefully until now, huddled together in terror.
Yet no one dared speak of defeat or try to flee.
Because those fighting out there were their own families and neighbors.
Please come back safe.
They clasped hands toward Mother Northern, praying for their safe return.
Ngah! Ngah! Ngah!
"Shh, shh... Baby, please."
But amid the suffocating silence, a baby's cry pierced the shelter.
The child, sensing the heavy tension instinctively, had begun to wail.
The panicked mother couldn't soothe the fussing crowd or her crying infant.
The pent-up chaos burst forth like a broken dam.
At this rate, twitchy rear-guard soldiers would barge in.
The villagers watched the helpless mother with pity.
Flutter!
"Must be stuffy in here, huh?"
"Ah...!"
But contrary to fears, the one entering wasn't a grim soldier—it was Snow-Covered, smiling gently with her black hair.
Hearing the disturbance in her sector, she had come inside with her troops.
"Aww, scared because Mommy's scared? Here~ sweet candy~"
Spotting the crying baby, Snow-Covered took it from the sweating, flustered mother.
With a honey-dripping smile, she cooed at the child and dangled a fruit drop candy that melted softly in the mouth.
Perhaps sensing it instinctively amid the dark moods—the incessant wails began to quiet.
Snow-Covered's pure aura shone like a light piercing the chaotic gloom.
"What a beautiful baby."
"Th-thank you."
With her newlywed husband conscripted, all eyes turning her way made her head go white.
But as Snow-Covered, now in charge, approached kindly and said it was fine, her frozen body thawed.
Yes, I need to stay strong.
The mother cradled her newborn tightly, waiting for her husband who had promised to return safely.
Kakarak!
They say a baby's laugh is sweeter than any heavenly song or instrument.
The shelter's grim mood brightened, colored by the infant's innocent giggles.
"—."
But Snow-Covered, who had sparked the change, had stepped back from the crowd.
Outwardly calm in her duties, inside she was burning black.
Are they all fighting well?
Is Master safe?
Before this crisis—leagues beyond the barbarian wars—her body and heart trembled uncontrollably.
But now, she had to believe.
In her master who vowed victory, and Mother Northern who gave them the chance to fight.
Snow-Covered gripped her sword—extension of her soul—and gazed at the distant palisade and dawning sky.
Someday...
Someday, I'll stand there.
On the battlefield protecting every soldier, and the throne embracing all—
I will become the proud Knight King.
As Snow-Covered squeezed her eyes shut, a world-shaking cheer erupted from the palisade.
On the first day of war, the spark of hope—the first victory report—rang out across the North.
"Damn it, damn it!"
Bang! Crash!
Alone in his drafty home office, the administrator gnawed his nails.
Unable to contain his rising fury, he slammed the desk.
'After the war, you'll be dealt with publicly. Your authority stripped permanently.'
Gray Wolf had returned to the territory.
Upon arrival, he heard testimonies on the incident's cause and culprits, boldly naming the guilty before excuses could fly.
Of course, with the village in full war footing, no formal trial yet.
But confinement in the dungeon or house arrest showed his iron resolve.
Considering his service, this was mercy—post-war, execution loomed likely.
Was there no way to survive?
He wished Gray Wolf would just die fighting the invading orcs...
Waaaaaaaah—!!
But the all-day victory cheers outside dashed that hope.
In the end, the administrator tore at his thinning hair in a silent scream.
"Ah."
But as strands fell, a spark of thought hit. He stopped, sighing softly.
He hurriedly pulled a fine bottle of liquor and a large robe to cover face and body from his desk drawer.
The administrator recalled a lifeline he hadn't considered.
Barley Ear—and the heaps of termite roots and riches siphoned to him weekly.
Daring to take bribes, then playing innocent before Gray Wolf.
Cornered, the administrator grabbed the bribe ledger with a mad laugh.
He'd force his defense somehow.
Or expose this ugly greed piled over a year.
Clutching his last hope, he quietly laced the fine liquor with poison.
Then called to the guard outside the door.
"Hey, Big Rock. How's your mother? Saw her at market last time."
"...Keep talking, and I'll tell the lord and have you thrown in the dungeon."
"Ah, why so cold? Is that all our friendship is worth? No real intent—just lonely here, thought we'd share a drink..."
Just you wait, you bastard Barley Ear.
If I can't live, I'll drag at least one down to hell with me.