The Fourteenth Experiment – The Final Lord (5)
The Great Mountain Range was a place steeped in countless mysteries. Long ago, in the depths beneath these peaks, the Creator Titans had forged the Stoneborn, and atop the summits, ancient dragons had roared. Yet the forges of the Creators had long since gone cold, and the dragons’ roars had faded into echoes of the past.
“Fuck… this is… this is so goddamn exhausting…”
“Gweeeeeeaaaaaaaak!”
The expeditionary force that had entered the Great Mountain Range now faced far more immediate, existential problems. The human soldiers, unaccustomed to high-altitude terrain, were collapsing from exhaustion.
“Manticore!”
“Griffons on this side!”
“Aaaaaaaaagh! Save meeeeeee—!”
“Mooooooom—!”
The monsters, for their part, were happily devouring the lunchboxes that had willingly walked into their lair. Occasionally some of the lunchboxes turned the tables and became the diners instead.
“Goddammit! This isn’t land fit for humans at all!”
As the sun set, a bone-chilling cold descended upon them. Soldiers huddled around campfires each night, cursing the harshness of the Great Mountain Range and their terror of its monsters. Even in the dark, they were never truly safe.
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”
“Aaaaaaaaagh! Enemy attack! It’s an enemy attack!”
Mountain orc raiders hunted in secret every night. They struck at sentries on watch or at weakened defensive points, dragging soldiers away. All their comrades could do was pray that those taken would meet a swift death.
“Your Majesty. We must retreat.”
“Count Alançon is correct, Your Majesty.”
With the Iron Duke Rodrick remaining in the capital, the highest commander of the expeditionary force was Belladia. However, as the campaign grew increasingly unfavorable, the officers and men began to believe that the young queen was not fit to lead them.
“As one who has known Your Majesty for many years, I dare to offer this counsel: retreat does not mean defeat. Rather, we should regroup, learn from this failure, and—”
Despite Count Alançon’s earnest admonition, Belladia issued a firm order to continue the advance. Alançon, foreseeing the expedition’s doom, nevertheless advanced with valor. After all, he was the knight tasked with guarding the queen at her side.
“What exactly are we doing right now?”
“Risking our lives for Her Majesty’s little game of soldiers.”
“So the rumor that she seduced Senator Quintus was true after all.”
The shaken soldiers began voicing various suspicions, and some even attempted desertion. Yet the deserters met far quicker and more gruesome deaths at the hands of monsters and orc raiders than their comrades who remained.
“…Is this really the right choice?”
“No matter how you look at it, we’re marching straight to our deaths…”
Even so, the Imperial soldiers kept their mouths shut as much as possible. In contrast, the Kingdom soldiers openly expressed their discontent, reaching dangerous levels with lewd rumors and mockery aimed at the queen.
“Therefore, I beg you to order a retreat even now.”
“Did you not swear to die for me?”
“As a knight, it is my duty to answer my lord’s call. As a man, it is only natural to lay down my life for a woman. However, I would prefer to offer it in a battle of greater worth than this one.”
When Count Alançon repeatedly urged the withdrawal of the expedition, Belladia revealed a fierce rage. Ignorant commoners might not understand, but Alançon should have supported her.
“In other words, you believe I am leading you all to your graves?”
“No! That is not what I meant—!”
“The only reason your head is still attached to your shoulders is that pretty face of yours! Get out of my sight this instant! Before I cut off your head and turn it into a drinking cup!”
In her fury, the queen withdrew all favor from Alançon. With this, Belladia removed all domestic lords from consideration as potential spouses and resolved to choose her consort from among the foreign kings and princes.
[Belladia Harrington]
The specimen has felt ‘disappointment.’
Research Clues: 6/10
Experience +10
Legacy Points +1
30/100 until Level 38
Legacy Points: 15
It had been a while since the last research progress.
He would have to interrogate her separately.
“I thought Alançon would be different.”
“In what way did you believe he would be different?”
“Alançon and I have known each other since childhood. Moreover, we have stood back-to-back as comrades on countless battlefields. Therefore, if I rendered judgment as a monarch, he should have trusted me and followed without question.”
Yet the attitude Alançon had shown her was not that of a subject obeying his sovereign, but of a knight protecting his lady. Even though she had already proven her valor and military insight time and again…
“You’ve grown quite a bit.”
“Me?”
“You’ve begun to place expectations on others.”
“…”
“Today’s growth is something worth commemorating.”
With that, Belladia retrieved an emotion-infused flask from her subspace. The flask, which had once been completely empty, was now more than half full.
“…Will this truly benefit me?”
“That is a rather complicated question.”
Sometimes he found himself confused.
Whether it was better to live as a human.
Or better to live as a beast.
“Let’s set the complicated questions aside and focus on the coming battle. There will be a large-scale night raid by the mountain orcs at dawn.”
Belladia nodded and began sharpening and polishing her magic longsword. The enemy was approaching. Both her intuition and detection magic told her so.
And so.
In the dead of night.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Rumble rumble rumble rumble rumble—!
“““Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa——!”””
The hair-raising sound of war drums pounded against their ears as black orcs charged forward. The Kingdom mages, who had been preparing for an ambush, immediately began chanting their spells.
4th Circle, Roar of Light
Shining Sphere
Drive out the darkness!
As the spell took effect, a shrunken sun bloomed in the night sky. Though its brightness and radiance were incomparably weaker than the true sun, it was more than enough to reveal the scale of the enemy forces.
“Wh-what the…?”
“H-huuuuh…?!”
But the moment the Kingdom army caught sight of the orcs, their faces turned deathly pale. A black tide of orcs was surging toward them from the front.
And they were.
Completely naked.
“U-uuuuuuuuuuuuh?!”
“You crazy monster bastards—!”
Two-meter-tall muscle pigs wielding nothing but double-headed axes were charging straight at them in the nude. There were few warriors with the mental fortitude to witness such a sight and remain sane. At least, not among the Kingdom troops.
“Artillery! Open fire!”
Boooom——!
The heavy roar of cannons from the Imperial forces startled the Kingdom soldiers once again. The sound drowned out the orcs’ war cries with an even greater noise.
“Fire at will!”
Ratatatatang!
Ratatatatang!
Ratatatatang!
The Imperial troops, armed with muskets, unleashed a hail of bullets. It was a bizarre sight—scrawny men pulling triggers and felling the mighty orcs.
“Rally to me! Knights!”
At that moment, Count Alançon, burning with rage, mounted his warhorse and charged. The Kingdom knights, shamed by their infantry’s poor showing, followed suit. Unlike the Kingdom foot soldiers, they fought with a ferocious spirit that even surpassed the Imperials.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaa——!”
“Cowardly commoner scum!”
“They only brought those weaklings to pad their numbers!”
The knights fought even more fiercely to restore the tarnished honor of the Kingdom army. These noble lords had willingly taken up the burden of the lazy commoners.
“““Long live Her Majesty the Queen———!”””
Crunch!
The Kingdom knights’ lances skewered mountain orcs one after another. These were men who had crossed blades with knights risen from Hell and witnessed the God of Destruction. They had grown far too bold to fear any creature that walked the surface.
“Die! Die! Dieeeeeee——!”
Especially Alançon, who had lost the queen’s favor, vented his boiling fury and frustration upon the orcs. He fought like the berserkers of the north, cutting down enemy leaders.
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa——!”
Count Alançon has awakened!
Lv20 Knight → Lv30 Berserker
Witnessed the moment a man awakens through rage!
Experience +10
Legacy Points +1
40/100 until Level 38
Legacy Points: 16
He would need to lend a hand.
Just a little would suffice.
3rd Circle, Roar of Wind
Haste
Hasten swiftly!
“Kuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa——!”
Alançon and the Kingdom knights, now accelerated by the spell, swept through the orcs with ease. No matter how tough an orc’s body might be, it was still weaker than a devil’s. No matter how fierce their wild fighting spirit, it was nothing compared to the malice of Hell.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
“These humans are stronger than expected!”
“Dammit! I was craving human stew!”
The mountain orcs accepted their defeat and quickly withdrew. They acknowledged that the humans who had come this time were formidable opponents and vowed to fight another day.
“Victory———!”
“Imperium Invicta!”
“Thanks be to the Sun God!”
The expeditionary force celebrated their victory in their own ways. Although the orcs had retreated quickly and the scale of the victory was small, it held great meaning after weeks of nothing but harassment. With their morale restored, the army advanced with unmatched valor.
“…”
“…H-huuuh.”
Yet when the expeditionary force finally reached the mountain orcs’ stronghold, they witnessed a horrifying sight. From an enormous cauldron large enough for a dragon to fit inside came the most ghastly screams. Beside the cauldron stood a giant orc holding a massive ladle.
“Welcome, welcome.”
The giant orc, corrupted by the power of the Abyss, had skin stained crimson. He also possessed horns and a tail.
“It has been a long time since guests have come all the way to our homeland! That is why I personally prepared a meal with great care for all of you.”
The black mage Varjun was the great elder of the mountain orcs and the cult leader of the Demon Cult. He was a character who had appeared as a powerful mid-boss in the main scenario.
“A sumptuous banquet accompanied by a delicious soup will be ready soon, so please look forward to it! However, while the banquet is being prepared, we will need servants to keep our guests entertained! Everyone, come out and greet our guests!”
At his command, black orcs that had been lying in ambush throughout the valley revealed themselves. There were so many of them that they filled every ravine. They licked their lips as they stared at the invading humans.
“You’re family too, so you must come out!”
Next, a legion of monsters emerged from the ravine. Lava spiders that lived beneath the Great Mountain Range, dull but incredibly powerful rock trolls, and countless other man-eating monsters. All of them were beings dominated by Varjun’s dark sorcery.
“Now then, let the feast—!”
“Everyone’s gathered so beautifully.”
The First Disciple, the Slaughter Queen, activated the magic circle created through Gehenna’s ritual. The Second Disciple, the Money Bug, and the Third Disciple, the Corpse Maniac, assisted with the casting, while the Fourth Disciple, the Gold Dragon, poured out every last drop of his mana. Thus, a terrifying magic circle born from the collaboration of Hell’s knowledge and a dragon’s power was completed.
“This is going to taste excellent.”
Above all else.
Tellorian used the magic circle.
Metamagic: Ultra Enhancement
Metamagic: Area Expansion
Consuming 4 Legacy Points
Remaining Legacy Points: 12
By recalling ancient legacies, the power and range of subsequently cast spells were doubled. An amount of mana that common sense said could never be contained within a single spell gathered together.
9th Circle, Roar of Hell
Rain of Inferno
Witness the end.
And so.
The mountain orcs were annihilated.