The Forgotten War of the Romance Novel
It was afternoon on that day.
In the command tent of the Northern Front, an emergency meeting had been called once more.
Commander Volkrik Ironside.
The major commanders and staff officers.
And Kyle Hartvalt and Karon Hartvalt.
Everyone was gathered together.
On the table at the center of the tent lay a map of the entire Northern Front.
Marked on the map were the hilly areas where the orcs had been discovered and the location of the fortress.
Volkrik opened his mouth after a short silence.
"I'll say it straight from the start."
His expression was cold and hardened.
"Today at dawn, Crown Prince Kyle captured two orc prisoners. The prisoners had no opportunity to exchange a word with each other, and even when questioned separately, their testimonies had a major thread that matched."
The gazes in the tent turned toward Kyle.
Volkrik looked Kyle straight in the eyes.
"While Crown Prince Kyle kept the prisoners' mouths shut, he made sure we didn't waste any unnecessary time."
Some of the staff officers' eyes subtly changed at those words.
They had already heard.
That the orcs Kyle brought had screamed before questioning even started that they would speak first.
They didn't know what tricks he used.
But the effect was clear.
Volkrik continued.
"Crown Prince Kyle scouted the decoy forces, destroyed the horns they would use to signal their main body, took out around a hundred orcs, and captured prisoners to gather information."
His fingers lightly tapped the table.
"For our first mission since joining the front line, this is beyond expectations. A fine achievement."
It wasn't empty words.
Low murmurs of admiration flowed among the veteran knights and staff officers in the tent.
"Taking prisoners on the first mission too."
"And destroying the horns so the main body wouldn't get a warning."
"Even the scouts said the Crown Prince's performance was amazing."
Merit in the war field weighed heavier than words.
Kyle lowered his head.
"I only did what had to be done."
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Volkrik's mouth at that reply.
In contrast, Karon quietly watched Kyle.
'He gained Volkrik's favor.'
An outwardly gentle smile.
Like an older brother truly pleased to see his younger brother's achievement.
"Brother, as soon as you arrived at the front line, you immediately achieved a great feat. As your younger brother, I'm happy."
However, cold murderous intent lay beneath his blue eyes.
'A more annoying guy than I thought.'
Karon judged inwardly.
Kyle had arrived at the front line only yesterday.
In just one day, he achieved merit and highlighted his own existence.
'I should have crushed him yesterday.'
At that time, I should have pushed him to leave it to my knights.
Or at the very least, created a pretext so that Kyle couldn't go out himself.
But it was already too late.
Kyle had brought back achievements.
And achievements became an authority that no one in the war field could easily deny.
Volkrik turned his attention back to the center of the meeting.
"The problem starts now."
The air in the tent grew heavy once more.
Volkrik pointed at the northern side of the map.
"The orcs dealt with by Crown Prince Kyle were closer to decoys and disposable pawns than scouts. The exact location of the main body hasn't been confirmed yet. The prisoners were also from weak tribes, so detailed information is lacking."
His fingers slowly moved across the map.
"But there's one thing that's certain."
Volkrik's eyes grew sharp.
"The number of the orc main body is definitely not small. Estimated at a minimum of 20,000 or more."
The tent instantly froze.
20,000.
Just the number alone was no light matter.
And the enemy was orcs.
Each orc was strong enough to fight three ordinary soldiers.
Thick muscles and bones.
Physique that didn't fall easily even in the harsh cold.
Stubbornness that keeps fighting even with wounds when enraged.
One staff officer said with a grim face.
"If it's 20,000 orcs, it's practically multiple times the pressure of human soldiers. Facing them head-on, ordinary soldiers would have a hard time holding on."
"And moreover."
Volkrik's voice grew even lower.
"The one leading the main body is said to be the Orc Great Warrior."
"...!"
At those words, the commanders' faces hardened.
The Orc Great Warrior.
A title obtained by only an extremely few orcs.
It wasn't just a large and strong orc.
It was a monster that reached the peak of power and combat instinct within the orc race.
A being that wore the blood and madness of the battlefield, and who forced countless tribes to obey him by force.
A monster that even ten Sword Masters couldn't guarantee defeating even if they attacked together.
The moment that name was spoken, the air in the conference hall grew heavy in an instant.
"An Orc Great Warrior... "
"If an individual of that level is actually moving, it's no ordinary invasion."
"There must definitely have been a major battle somewhere in the north."
At that moment, Volkrik opened his mouth.
"Yeah. There must have been a big battle."
His eyes grew even deeper.
"But what's important is why they're coming this way."
A short silence fell.
The question of what the orcs had come for swirled between the commanders and staff officers.
Volkrik spoke slowly.
"They aren't just charging forward."
His fingers pointed at the northern end of the map.
"They were driven out."
A silence settled in the tent.
Shock swirled in the eyes of the commanders and staff officers.
The staff officers asked with trembling voices.
"P-pushed out, you say?"
"20,000 orcs led by the Orc Great Warrior?"
"By what... "
Volkrik shook his head.
"The prisoners couldn't know precisely either. They were from weak tribes. They only know one thing."
His voice grew low.
"Even the Orc Great Warrior was overwhelmed by something. They were driven south to escape it."
The commanders and staff officers in the tent were speechless.
Something that drove out the Orc Great Warrior.
Its identity was still unknown.
What was certain was one thing.
"I know it's hard to believe."
Volkrik said.
"But in the war field, even if the information is hard to believe, you must consider the possibility. If you ignore that possibility and the walls collapse, it's too late to regret it later."
He pressed his finger on the fortress on the map.
"If they were driven out from where they lived, they have nowhere to return. If they can't retreat, they have no choice but to advance forward."
His voice continued coldly.
"In other words, the orcs have no choice but to cross this barrier and descend toward the central empire."
Kyle quietly listened to those words.
'This story didn't exist in the original.'
Memories from his previous life flashed through his mind.
The content of the original romance novel.
The Northern Front.
In the original, all that could be known about this place was that the male lead Karon had achieved merit there, and nothing more.
The orcs were just the defeated foreign race from the past.
No such war as this existed now.
'Because the war in the romance novel was just background information.'
An element to give the male lead a hero title.
The reality of the war was omitted.
But this place was not a novel's sentence.
A war field where people died if blood flowed, supplies ran out, and the walls fell.
'Romantic. It's disgustingly so. And it's a battlefield where I'm good at growing stronger too.'
A faint smile appeared at Kyle's lips.
The orcs now weren't elite troops unified under a strong leader.
They were a pack of beasts driven out, starving, and with nowhere to return.
Such a group was more dangerous.
No order made it hard to predict.
Desperate, they wouldn't retreat easily.
In this fight, he would grow even stronger.
"The situation explanation is over."
Volkrik briefly summarized the meeting.
"Now, let's discuss how to block them."
One staff officer immediately stepped forward.
"As of now, we can't figure out the exact location of the main body. Sending more scouts is one option, but if the Orc Great Warrior is actually moving, there's a risk of heavy losses for the scout teams."
He pointed at the fortress on the map.
"The most stable choice is a defensive battle. Harden the defense inside the walls and make them ram directly into it."
Another commander nodded his head.
"The Northern Wall is a fortress that has held off monster and foreign race invasions for decades. Fighting from the walls will make the orcs suffer more."
"Supply routes are also fine. The direction the orcs will come from is the north, and our supply lines connect to the south behind the fortress. As long as they can't break through the walls, they won't be cut off."
There was another opinion.
"After scouring a wide area to find the main body location, a preemptive surprise attack is also a method."
But that immediately lost its strength.
The Orc Great Warrior.
20,000 or more orcs.
And the possibility of warg cavalry.
Launching a preemptive surprise attack in the snowy field without knowing the exact location?
That was a method that only those blinded by merit could choose.
Kyle subtly glanced at Karon.
Karon was silent.
If it were the young knights following him, they might have shouted to go out.
Rather than crouching on the walls.
Charging on the snowy field to surprise the enemy would look far more heroic.
Of course, the charge would have to be done by the veteran knights, not themselves.
But Karon didn't say that.
'He knows.'
Kyle smiled coldly inwardly.
Karon also knew that the knights in dress uniforms following him were useless.
They only shone on the walls.
If the soldiers and veteran knights shed blood in front and broke the enemy's momentum.
Only then could he reveal his flashy aura and appear like a hero.
'That's how it was in the original too.'
Karon would have achieved merit while fighting on the walls.
Beheading orc necks, encouraging soldiers, and shining blue aura to become the hero of the north.
But now it would be different.
It was Kyle who removed the decoys.
It was Kyle who captured prisoners and revealed the main body's existence.
In every meeting and command that would open in the future, Kyle's name could not be omitted.
Karon surely knew that fact.
Karon's blue eyes grew cold.
Volkrik concluded.
"Defensive battle it is."
His voice pressed down on the tent.
"Raise the defensive facilities of the walls to the highest level. Maintain minimal scouting. Don't waste manpower by letting it flow outside unnecessarily."
He gave commands to the staff officers.
"Check the state of wall repairs again. Verify all trebuchets, ballistae, arrows, oil, firebombs, and emergency medical supplies. Magicians, prioritize preparing defensive barriers, oil-throwing magic, and fire magic."
"Yes, Commander!"
"Consider the possibility of warg cavalry too. Install additional obstacles in front of the gates, and station spearmen and shield soldiers behind the gates."
Volkrik's commands were fast and clear.
No long debate.
The war field meeting ended the moment a decision was made.
"The meeting is over. Everyone, back to your positions!"
The commanders and staff officers moved at once.
"Yes, Commander!"
* * *
The moment the defensive battle was decided, the Northern Fortress immediately began bustling.
Soldiers poured onto the walls.
Archers holding bows.
Soldiers handling large crossbows.
Soldiers responsible for trebuchets.
Supply soldiers moving firebombs and oil barrels.
Behind the gates, spearmen and shield soldiers gathered.
Infantrymen with thick shields lined up, and behind them soldiers with long spears waited.
"Cover the arrow quivers so they don't freeze!"
"Check the ballista strings!"
"Don't stack oil barrels inside the walls! If they catch fire, we burn first!"
"Leave the casualty evacuation route clear!"
Commands flew non-stop.
Magicians also came up on the walls.
Those preparing fire magic.
Those maintaining barriers.
Those launching oil from a distance.
Healers for the injured.
Those in charge of relay magic.
Everyone was busy.
But they weren't in chaos.
As a fortress that had protected the north for decades, the defensive battle had order.
Kyle walked slowly across the walls and took it all in.
'Not bad.'
The preparation was meticulous.
That was why Volkrik had protected this front line for ten years instead of Valgrim.
'If there are wargs, the gateside and the walls are all dangerous.'
Wargs.
Magical beasts with giant wolf-like forms.
The orcs riding them had destructive power and mobility exceeding ordinary cavalry.
The warg cavalry galloping across the snowy field could even climb the walls.
They could ram to break the gates.
And with the Orc Great Warrior.
After Valgrim left the Northern Front ten years ago, the chance of the most intense fight was high.
Kyle raised the corner of his mouth.
'This really is a battlefield good for growing stronger, as expected.'
Of course, he had no intention of going wild with eyes on merit.
But he would gladly utilize the current situation and grow his own power even further.
As Kyle walked across the walls, his gaze stopped at one place.
One side of the walls where magicians gathered.
There, a particularly eye-catching girl stood out.
Silver hair.
Long silver hair shining faintly even in the blizzard flowed out beyond the white robes.
She looked about eighteen years old.
She wore a white magician's robe, but the robe seemed a bit thin to block the northern cold.
The girl clutched her staff with both hands and hunched her shoulders.
Her appearance of watching the surroundings was utterly timid.
Kyle narrowed his eyes.
'That face.'
Memories from his previous life surfaced.
The original romance novel.
The supporting character who would later protect Elena Verdin.
The silver-haired genius magician, Lumia Aster.
But despite her genius talent.
Right now, because of some flaw, she was treated as a failed magician in reality.
In the original, it was a growth saga of overcoming it over a long time under Elena's support and trust.
'It's time to recruit talent.'
But for Kyle, there was a solution different from the romance novel's, one of the Blood Cult way.
'You'll become an excellent Blood Cultist. Lumia Aster.'
