Chapter 33
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Battle with the Orcs
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“Orcs! Battle stations!”
At Alize’s shout, the mercenaries moved with disciplined precision.
Gerard, hefting a massive shield, took position at the front.
Clang!
Behind him, Eric and Eddie drew their twin swords and dropped into low stances.
Alize, who had already unsheathed her greatsword, hopped back to cling to Cloyang’s side.
It was a tight formation at a glance.
Gerard, with his superior physical prowess, handled frontline defense, while the twins focused on offense.
And Alize, the most skilled among them, protected Cloyang while supporting the entire battlefield.
This was surely how they had turned countless battles into victories up to now.
But with Ruyan’s addition, things had shifted a bit.
“Ah...”
Alize, who had instinctively rushed to Cloyang’s side out of habit, belatedly spotted Ruyan and awkwardly lowered her greatsword.
They hadn’t yet settled on Ruyan’s position.
“Ruyan, the rear should suit you fine, right?”
Even in the sudden moment, Alize made a quick call.
She figured someone who used a bow and magic would shine more from the back than the front.
“Doesn’t matter to me.”
Ruyan just shrugged and gave a curt reply.
He’d never fought alongside anyone before, so formations felt downright awkward to him.
Of course, front or back made no difference anyway.
“Got it. You’ve got the rear then. Protect Cloyang and back up the twins.”
“Understood.”
Thanks to Ruyan, Alize could escape the rear. She gripped her greatsword and stepped forward a few paces.
“Snort!”
Right on cue, an orc lumbered into view, blowing a long puff of snot.
‘So those are orcs?’
Even to Ruyan, who’d spent his life bedridden, orcs were a familiar monster from storybooks.
They’d appeared as comical pigs in the fairy tales he’d read as a kid.
But this was his first time seeing one in the flesh.
‘Fairy tales are just that, huh.’
The orc wasn’t some goofy pig from a story.
It stood over two meters tall, a hulking brute packed not with fat, but solid muscle.
Its lower body was especially developed, veins bulging like writhing snakes from thighs that screamed power.
It wielded a crude hand axe, its blunt, unsharpened edge somehow more brutal for it.
And there were nine such overwhelming monsters!
Their green eyes, brimming with murderous intent, bore down fiercely on the Alize Mercenaries.
‘What a weird world. Things like that lumbering around.’
As Ruyan observed the orcs, the fight kicked off without warning.
The first to move was Gerard.
And his approach was downright bizarre.
“Kuhahaha! Come on, you orc bastards! Over here!”
Gerard, who’d never uttered a word until now, suddenly burst into mad laughter.
In an instant, every orc’s gaze locked onto him.
Grinning wickedly like he was thrilled beyond measure, Gerard pounded his shield with his fists. Bang bang!
“Here, right here! Come on in. Entertain me, why don’t you!”
Murderous intent gleamed in Gerard’s eyes, edged with outright madness.
‘Wh-what the hell is he...’
Ruyan flinched, nearly dropping the arrow he was nocking as he backed up a step in shock at Gerard’s frenzy.
The sight of the rampaging man was that grotesque.
—He’s the shy type, doesn’t talk much, but deep down, he’s as manly as they come.
Only then did Ruyan recall Alize’s introduction. This must’ve been what she meant.
‘Manly? That’s a lunatic, not a man!’
He’d thought the quiet, cautious one was the sole sane member. What an illusion.
Gerard was the craziest of the lot.
Undeterred, Gerard stomped the ground, body burning hot.
“Damn it! Not coming? Fine, I’ll come to you! Kuhahaha!”
With a roar of laughter, Gerard charged the orc.
Even the orc’s monstrous muscles looked puny next to him.
Closing in with a single bound, Gerard hoisted his massive iron shield high.
And smashed it straight down on the orc’s crown.
Krunch.
The shield’s sharp edge cleaved into the orc’s skull, shattering it.
‘Using a shield like that, huh. No need for other weapons, I guess.’
The image of pulverizing a monster’s head with a slab of metal left even Ruyan clicking his tongue.
With Gerard’s rampage as the spark, the real battle erupted.
“Gerard, can’t you at least tone down that laugh?”
Eric and Eddie grumbled as they hurriedly followed in Gerard’s wake.
But for all their casual complaints, their movements were lightning-fast.
Swish swish swish.
The two swordsmen wielding twin blades merged into four longswords dancing in a dazzling frenzy.
‘Impressive fighters, as expected.’
Their longswords spun like pinwheels, relentlessly hounding the orc without respite.
Yet their blades never tangled, flowing seamlessly in perfect harmony.
A striking synergy.
Slash.
Eric’s sword struck first, carving deep into the orc’s chest. Dark green blood sprayed as the wound gaped.
The enraged orc swung its hand axe in retaliation, but it was too late.
Eddie’s blade followed, slicing across its forearm.
Shwick.
The clean stroke severed muscle; the orc’s arm dangled limply.
“Snort!”
The berserk orc thrashed wildly, snorting furiously.
But its frenzy didn’t last. Eric’s sword flashed again, severing its throat.
Splatter.
The orc collapsed without further struggle.
‘Swift swordplay with four blades... An intriguing combo.’
Watching the twins felt like observing a four-armed warrior on a rampage.
Only Ruyan’s eyes could track every sword; an amateur would’ve died clueless.
By the time Gerard and the twins each felled one, another orc nearby split clean in half.
Alize’s doing.
She’d cleaved from crown to groin in one straight line with her absurdly huge greatsword.
Thud!
The blade, undeterred, plunged deep into the earth.
‘That woman... speechless.’
Where did that brute force even come from?
The twins’ flashy dual-wield looked like child’s play next to her overwhelming heavy swordsmanship.
Yet it didn’t feel off at all.
If anything, it suited her perfectly.
Her bold, straightforward personality matched this display to a tee.
Alize yanked the deeply embedded greatsword free with ease and swung down again.
Krunch.
Another orc cleaved in two.
‘Hell, she should just carry a guillotine around.’
Ruyan felt cold sweat trickling down his spine and thanked his stars he wasn’t her enemy.
Getting flattened by that monstrosity would be a nightmare, even in dreams.
‘No need for me to step in, looks like.’
The Alize Mercenaries handled it fine without him.
At this level, they could top the northern region, not just Trvente Village.
Ruyan finally released the arrow and relaxed his stance.
But Cloyang was the proactive one, unlike him.
“Gerard! Watch your right!”
Having shed her gear, Cloyang hurled a dagger with all her might.
Grazing Gerard’s arm, it sank precisely into the orc’s gut.
Pfwick.
To compensate for weak force, the honed edge pierced the orc’s tough muscle.
‘Effort over skill, I suppose?’
Not powerful, but the accuracy deserved praise.
Cloyang, who’d just called herself a “frail priestess,” now glared at the orc with sharp eyes in combat.
She drew another dagger, eyes locked.
Whish.
The struck orc flinched back, and Gerard seized the gap, smashing its brow with his shield.
“Sis, nice one! Next time, nail it in the eye!”
Gerard called out in a voice that somehow felt sinister, then sought new prey.
Ruyan chuckled dryly at the sight and fully eased his tension.
The battle seemed headed for a smooth end.
But suddenly, Ruyan’s expression hardened.
‘Damn! Too careless?’
Standing with hands behind his back, Ruyan abruptly kicked off the ground and dashed to Cloyang.
Cloyang, mid-throw, lost balance as Ruyan yanked her arm, tumbling down.
“Ruyan! What the hell!”
Startled, Cloyang looked up at him from the ground.
But Ruyan wasn’t watching her. His piercing gaze fixed beyond the brush.
When had he even drawn his bow?
The string hummed taut in his grip.
“Ruyan, what’s going on? Why are you doing this all of a sudden?”
Cloyang raised her voice slightly, eyeing Ruyan who just held the bow without loosing.
But Ruyan didn’t answer, lost in deep thought.
Right then, Alize approached, having mopped up the orcs.
“What happened?”
“No idea. Ruyan just suddenly...”
“Ruyan, you’ve got some explaining to do?”
Alize closed in with an irritated look and grabbed the bow firmly.
Only then did Ruyan tear his gaze from the brush and turn to her.
“It’s nothing. I misjudged for a second.”
Back to his blank face, Ruyan approached Cloyang and offered a hand.
“What kind of misjudgment makes you do that? Do it twice, and you’ll give someone a heart attack.”
“Sorry. I apologize.”
Cloyang pouted at the apology but took his hand and stood.
“You’re such a weirdo. Why draw the bow if you weren’t gonna shoot?”
She glared at Ruyan, dusted her clothes, and resecured her pack.
As the mood grew awkward, Alize clapped to take charge.
“Ruyan, be more careful next time. It was a mistake, so Cloyang, let it go.”
Cloyang nodded reluctantly, and Alize glanced at Ruyan before taking point again.
“No more chit-chat from here on. Treat it like wartime and advance cautiously.”
She played it off, but Alize had seen it clearly.
‘There were definitely twenty arrows when we set out.’
One was missing from Ruyan’s quiver.
“As an apology, I’ll carry some of your gear.”
“It’s fine. I’ve already forgotten, so don’t worry. These things happen.”
“No need to refuse. As you see, I’ve got nothing to do.”
Ruyan unstrapped both packs from Cloyang’s back and slung them onto his own.
She resisted to the end, but her expression visibly lightened once unburdened.
Gazing at Ruyan’s back as he strode ahead, Cloyang shook her head.
‘A mage, my foot. His stamina’s insane.’
Burdens piled high, Ruyan marched steadily without a hint of falter.
His calm expression unchanged.
But beneath that unflinching exterior, Ruyan’s mind churned in turmoil.
‘Did I... miss it?’