The Lycant's Bargain

Jinwoo could see that the left flank of the central army was collapsing. At this rate, they would be overrun by the orcs and defeated. Even if the hundred and twenty or so soldiers joined the fight now, it was unlikely they could turn the tide. Rather than throwing themselves into battle, it seemed far wiser to search for survivors among the cavalry who had fought the orc riders and lost, then treat the wounded.

“Find anyone still alive and rescue them. After that, we retreat.”

The soldiers brought the most urgent patients to him while searching for survivors. Jinwoo could only cast healing magic on those with a chance of recovery.

“Ugh… I’m fine, so hurry and tell the main force… cough, cough… that the cavalry can’t advance.”

A soldier whose right arm was bent at a grotesque angle tried to force himself up, insisting he had to report that things had gone wrong.

“The main force probably already knows. So just lie down.”

“Ah… so it’s already come to that… If only those strange kobold bastards hadn’t shown up, we could have won… ugh, sob.”

Another healer made a gesture indicating the arm would need to be amputated, so Jinwoo spoke up to distract the man.

“What do you mean by strange kobolds?”

“Krrgh… They were kobolds as big as the mountain wolves the orcs ride. They burst out from the side and ambushed us, so the elves couldn’t cast their spells properly.”

According to the survivors, there had been more than three hundred kobolds the size of wolves in addition to the orc riders. If these creatures moved on their own like wolves instead of being mere mounts, they would hold a clear advantage in a cavalry battle.

“They ran on four ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠legs, but when they attacked, they stood on two and struck. It felt like fighting wolf-men.”

“Whenever we tried to form ranks or cast magic, those things would charge in and disrupt us. They were definitely more threatening than wolves used as simple mounts.”

A surviving elf added her own account, and Jinwoo began to suspect that these strange kobolds were actually Lycanthropes.

“Ah! There’s one still alive!”

“The kobold wolf is alive!”

While the soldiers searched for wounded men to save and wounded orcs to finish off, a wolf-like kobold rose up before them.

When the howl rang out, Jinwoo stepped outside and saw a wolf-man standing on two legs. Its entire body was covered in blood. It must have been injured during the fight, lost consciousness, and just now woken up. The soldiers raised their spears and rushed forward to attack, but the creature collapsed on the spot, too weak to even stand.

“Whoa! Looks like it’s on death’s door. Should we capture it?”

“A live one should be worth more than a dead one, right?”

A few soldiers eyed the slumped creature and began thinking about selling it. That was when a good idea struck Jinwoo. He pulled out the Beast Sphere he had received from Lepe, the priest of Lecherot, and clutched it in his hand.

“Hold on, everyone step back. Let me take a look.”

He moved the soldiers back so the creature wouldn’t get agitated, then approached with a water canteen. He opened the lid, took a small sip first, and offered it. The creature, clearly thirsty, accepted the canteen. The moment their hands brushed, the Beast Sphere activated.

The creature pondered for a long time, drank the water, then looked down at its own body. There were stab wounds everywhere and its intestines were spilling out. Even it could tell survival seemed impossible.

『I’m already beyond saving. Even if you heal me…』

『Humans have potions and magic that can mend the body. You can survive. Just give me the information. Don’t you want to live?』

Ilonan, a Lycant born from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the mixing of Lycanthrope and kobold blood, felt his will to survive reignite at the words that he could live.

『Fine. If you heal me and let me live, I’ll tell you everything about the orcs. I swear on my name, Ilonan, before the gods.』

Jinwoo didn’t know how much weight a kobold’s oath on its own name carried, but since it swore before the gods, he sprayed potion on the wounds and had it drink a whole bottle. The injuries began closing rapidly. He pushed the protruding intestines back inside, reconnected the severed sections, and applied more potion.

“Krrgh!”

The severed intestines reconnected through the potion’s power and the abdominal skin began to knit together again. With the most fatal wound treated, it no longer seemed in danger of dying.

“Wait, Mage! Why are you healing that thing?”

“I spoke with it. If we spare its life, it will give us information on the orc army.”

“What? How can you talk to a monster? And what if the information it gives is false? It might be lying just to survive this moment. Don’t trust monsters.”

The soldier had a point.

『They’re strongly against me healing you. They say the information you provide can’t be trusted.』

『Hmph! Humans are terribly suspicious. I will accompany you for one month. Will that suffice?』

“It says that to build trust, the wolf-man will travel with us for a month. What do you think?”

“Huh? Won’t it just follow us to kill us in our sleep? I don’t like the idea of someone dying every night.”

“How about ordering it to attack the orcs to prove it has truly switched sides after being healed?”

“If it carries the mage and attacks the orcs, that would be convincing.”

The soldiers’ words made sense, so Jinwoo relayed them to Ilonan exactly.

『You want me to carry you and attack the orcs?』

Lycants were hybrids of Lycanthropes and kobolds. They could run on four legs like wolves or walk on two. However, they did not accept reins or bits like wolves, nor did they carry riders. Telling Ilonan to carry someone was essentially demanding submission.

Ilonan agonized over whether he had to endure such humiliation just to survive. But when he thought about dying and having nothing left but his hide stripped away, he decided he could tolerate the insult just once.

『Just once! If you promise it will only be this one time, I will carry you.』

『Good. We have an agreement. My name is Jinwoo. I’ll cast healing magic on you now.』

Ilonan saw sacred light descend upon him. Strength surged through his body and all his wounds closed in an instant.

『Is the orc force here everything? Have all the orcs descended from the Akran Mountains?』

『Yes. Every orc, goblin, kobold—every monster in the mountains has come down. However, fearing an attack from behind, Orc Lord Orchan kept five thousand in the rear.』

『Then who is commanding that army?』

『Goblin Maksha. A goblin favored by the Orc Lord.』

Jinwoo was surprised to hear that a goblin was commanding an orc army. Then he understood. The current army’s movements were completely different from typical orc behavior. Once he realized a goblin commander was the reason, everything clicked into place.

Ilonan answered every other question as well. He revealed that even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the mixed-blood tribes like his own followed the Orc Lord’s orders but harbored deep resentment.

『Everyone is furious that we must keep offering the females of each tribe to the orcs. They can’t speak out because Orc Lord Orchan is so powerful, but the discontent is widespread.』

Whether this was to create more mixed-blood offspring or simply because the orcs lacked females, Jinwoo couldn’t tell. Still, learning that the other monster races held grievances against the Orc Lord was valuable enough.

“The priests and paladins of God Tablon have arrived!”

About thirty ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠priests and paladins who had been in the rear approached. The moment he heard they served God Tablon, the God of Balance, Jinwoo grew wary. Back when he still thought this world was a game, Secretary Kim had warned him that Tablon’s priests were people he must never approach. He had been told to stay far away, not even make acquaintances.

If it had only been a game, he could have accepted that there must be some reason. But if the warning was this emphatic in the real world, there could only be one explanation. The priests of God Tablon likely possessed some ability to detect people who had transferred from another world.

He needed to extract himself. As he considered how, he remembered that he had agreed to attack the orcs as a show of trust. He informed the other healer and the senior soldier of the information he had received from Ilonan, then gathered the leather reins and saddle the orc riders had used.

Ilonan bared his teeth at the leather reins and bit being forced toward him, but as a proud being, he eventually accepted the bit and shifted into a four-legged running form. Once the saddle was placed and Jinwoo mounted, Ilonan shook his body to adjust to the unfamiliar weight. After finding his balance, he began moving forward.

“That’s… a Lycant monster. You actually tamed it? And you’re riding it so easily.”

“Priest. That mage can speak with monsters. He healed the dying creature on the condition that it provide information on the orc army and, as a show of trust, attack them.”

“He can speak with monsters? Even though he isn’t a priest of God Lecherot?”

“I’m not sure how, but after the mage talked with the monster, they agreed he would ride it once and attack.”

“I see. Still, I wonder what kind of attack they have in mind…”

The priestly order and paladins had been dispatched to the Akran Mountains. They had barely escaped the orcs and encountered the soldiers. Even to their eyes, the outcome of the battle between the orcs and soldiers was obvious.

Having avoided the priests thanks to Ilonan, Jinwoo was deep in thought. He needed to buy time for the priests to withdraw while making it look like he had attacked the orcs. A good idea soon came to him.

『Ilonan, stop for a moment.』

He dismounted and stripped armor from the corpses of dead orcs, putting it on himself. He placed an orc helmet on his head and smeared dirt and blood across his face. At a glance, it was hard to tell whether he was human or orc. Moreover, riding a Lycant that looked like a mountain wolf, anyone who didn’t look closely would mistake him for an orc.

『Are you trying to infiltrate the orc army?』

『No, I’m not that reckless. The wind is blowing from that ridge right now, so head toward the side facing the wind.』

The wind was blowing across the flank of the two battling armies—perfect conditions. Ilonan moved close to the orc army and passed right beside the orc riders, yet none of them noticed.

『This should be about far enough. Just run straight from here to where the human army is. That’s all.』

Ilonan was curious how simply running could count as attacking the orcs, but he decided to do as told. Jinwoo released the reins and supported himself only with his legs and the saddle. Thanks to Ilonan’s stable movement, he stayed balanced and didn’t fall.

He gathered mana at the tip of his left index finger and created a small flame. With his right hand, he reached into his inventory and pulled out a Molotov cocktail made from a beer bottle. The opening was stuffed with cloth soaked in gasoline, so the tiny flame from his finger easily ignited it.

He began hurling the burning bottles wildly to the right.

Matching Ilonan’s stride, Jinwoo pulled a new Molotov from his inventory every second and threw it. Before long, a long trail of flames rose, sending up thick black smoke.

“Krrraaack— cough, cough— What is this smoke! Chk! Cough, cough… can’t breathe…”