I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 163

Krokas.

The ruler and tyrant of the monster army wore a displeased expression as he watched his advancing troops.

'Too slow.'

The army Krokas was currently leading had been formed by taking the elites from the force that had been attacking the southern fortress of the Monster Mountains.

In other words, most of them were medium-to-large-sized monsters.

As a result, while their combat power was enormous, their movement speed was bound to be slow. Medium-to-large-sized monsters were inherently slow walkers, and their large bodies were hindered by the trees.

'I had planned to advance to the center of the Ness Plains within today, and then advance to the front of the royal capital tomorrow. After that, I would regroup and then immediately attack the royal capital...... at this rate, we won't even reach the royal capital after a week.'

Grind—.

Krokas ground his teeth. If he had his way, he would have whipped the army forward.

However, even Krokas couldn't do that to the current army. Because the monsters that made up the army now were 'elites'.

Even if they were weaker than the Black Orc race, each and every one was a formidable monster.

Krokas sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was almost directly overhead.

'We'll have to rest a bit and then set off again. And eat.'

"Halt, rest!"

Krokas spoke in a rather irritable voice and dismounted from his black wolf.

The monsters around him loudly repeated Krokas's command, and the monster army, which had been moving like a single mass, came to a stop.

—Hey! Give me that meat!! It's mine!!

—Fuck off!!

—What, you bastard?!

—Which bastard stole and ate the human meat from my cart!!

—......A few birds aren't enough to even tickle my stomach. We should have brought more goblin rations from the southern fortress army.

—Let's just eat what we have.

—H-help me......! We're on the same side...... Kiaaaaaak!!

Dissatisfied voices were heard from all around. It was due to the 'food problem', the most important issue in any army.

Of course, the monster army had stockpiled food in preparation for the war. And quite generously at that.

However, a problem arose because Krokas had rapidly and absurdly forced an increase in the number of troops.

By forcing the females to give birth, their appetites exploded, and on top of that, the food consumed by the newly born young was also enormous.

'So I planned to fill the food shortage by hunting humans while we march...... but why can't I see a single human?'

After the war began, every human village the monster army attacked was empty.

It was as if they had all been relocated in preparation for their attack.

'The food problem....... To solve this, we ultimately have to fight. We have to catch and kill humans and eat their flesh and bones. Otherwise, we'll lose before we even get to fight properly.'

In the end, there was only one answer Krokas could think of.

He had to attack the royal capital as soon as possible. And obtain human meat in the process.

However, a hungry army's marching speed grew slower and slower, so it was uncertain whether that would be possible.

'For now, we have enough food to last for a few more days—.'

Just as Krokas was thinking.

Papatatatak—!

The sharp sound of arrows piercing the air was heard.

—I-it's an ambush!

—Emergency! Emergeeency!!

—Shit! I was in the middle of eating!!

—Sh-shield...... kgh!

'Ambush'.

At that word, Krokas immediately gripped his weapon and looked around.

"Do not panic! Gather and form ranks!! The arrows are few, so the enemy is not numerous!! Be calm!!"

At Krokas's command, the Black Orcs quickly gathered around him and formed ranks.

However, most of the monsters were almost helplessly struck by the arrows. Since they had just started their meal, everyone's guard was down.

"Son of a......!"

Krokas's eyes became bloodshot with anger. His pupils, which were already close to a dark color, now looked completely like a dirty red.

It was then.

—Attack! O proud heroes of the kingdom!

—The King is with you!

—Do not be afraid! They are a disorderly mob!!

—Trust in the harsh training you have endured!

—Waaaaaaaaah!

The humans revealed themselves.

At a glance, they were not ordinary knights or soldiers. Their movements were all agile and bold.

It meant that all of them were elite soldiers.

Those elite soldiers, as they were trained, gathered in groups of three and four and began to quickly dispatch the monsters.

—Uh, uh-uh?!

—R-run away!

—What are you running from! Stand and fight!

—Kuaaaaaaaar!!

The army, once again thrown into confusion by the appearance of the enemy.

But to Krokas, it was actually a good thing.

'Their numbers are small. With their forces divided between the southern and northern fortresses of the mountain range, there aren't many humans guarding the center! It'll be easier than I thought to bring down the royal capital!'

"My army! Those are not enemies! They are 'food'!! Catch and eat them!! It's fresh meat! Meat!!"

At Krokas's words to 'catch and eat', the monsters' eyes changed slightly.

Those humans began to look not like enemies attacking them, but like 'fresh meat'.

—Y-yeah! That's meat!

—Meat! The most delicious human meat in the world!!

—Are there any women?! Human female meat is the most delicious!!

Just as the momentum of the monster army was about to change.

—Kuaaaaaar.......

—Koong! Crack!

A heavy sound of something falling was heard, distinct even on this chaotic battlefield.

It was the sound of a warrior, over 4 meters tall and quite large even among the Cyclops, falling. Along with him, an innocent tree next to him couldn't withstand the Cyclops's weight as it fell and broke.

All the monsters, even Krokas, were slightly surprised and looked in that direction. It had only been a short time since the battle started, yet a Cyclops had fallen, so they couldn't help but be surprised.

Where the Cyclops fell, there was a single human knight.

'No, that's not a knight. That is...... a king? Could it be the human king?'

Krokas's eyes widened as he examined the human who had felled the Cyclops.

His height was about a hand shorter than his own, roughly in the mid-180cm range.

A crown was needlessly placed over his helmet. There were traces that seemed to indicate that various jewels originally on the crown had been removed.

It was a rather shabby crown due to the removal of its decorations, but the crown itself shone as if it could be seen from anywhere.

On top of that, he was wearing a red cape.

'......Come to think of it, the humans were chattering earlier. That the king was with them.'

Putting all this information together—

"Capture that bastard! That man is the king of the humans!!"

He didn't know why on earth the king was personally leading the army and launching an ambush. It was basic for a king not to step forward personally in such a dangerous environment.

But for Krokas, that didn't matter at all. The human king was right in front of him, so if he captured the bastard, the war would be over.

Unlike monsters, humans would collapse in an instant if their leader died or fell.

—Go! Go!!

—It's the bastard wearing the crown over there!!

—It's fine to kill him! It's fine to crush his whole body! Just leave the crown!!

From the Kobolds and Goblins brought along as provisions to the powerful Trolls and Ogres.

Everyone rushed toward the 'human king' that Krokas pointed at.

—R-retreat! Retreat! There are too many enemies!!

Was he flustered that the monsters had come to their senses sooner than expected?

A knight near the king shouted, swinging his sword in the air.

As soon as that command was heard, the knights and soldiers immediately began to fall back. They moved as one body. As if it were planned.

Only the humans would know if this hit-and-run was their strategy from the start of the ambush.

Chwaak—!

While all the knights and soldiers were disengaging from the battlefield.

Even so, the human king did not step back. In fact, he even took a few steps forward.

—Your Highness! We must go!

—There are still soldiers who haven't escaped!

—......Your Highness!!

At the small dispute between the king and the knight, Krokas sneered at them.

'Seems the king has a needlessly showy personality. To think he'd be so stubborn.'

It was a good thing for the monster army.

If the king was that stubborn, it would be easy to capture him.

Yes, that was definitely a good thing.

But...... there was something strange.

Chwaak—! Chwak!

"......?"

The human king's skill was a bit strange. The monsters who tried to fight him fell as powerlessly as autumn leaves from a tree, and each time, the human king performed an even more beautiful 'sword dance'.

—Die!!! ......Keok!

Even when an Ogre swung a hammer the size of its torso.

The human king showed no fear at all and instead closed the distance, cutting the Ogre in two.

—Kieeeeeek!

—Peok!

As if there was no need to use his sword on a mere goblin, he crushed its skull with the fist that held the sword.

The king, wearing a shining crown and displaying overwhelming martial prowess in the dark and chaotic battlefield of the forest.

At the sight of such a king, the monsters' movements became sluggish.

In the meantime, all the knights and soldiers had already almost completely disengaged from the battlefield.

They were all watching their king's dazzling movements from behind, from quite a distance away.

Just then.

"Everyone, get out of the way! I will face him!!"

A Cyclops Elder stepped forward.

With his club slung over his shoulder.

The Cyclops Elder, ranked second or third in the monster army's hierarchy.

At his roar, the monsters that had been rushing at the human king stopped. It was a natural thing in the monster world where the law of the jungle was absolute.

The Cyclops pointed his club at the human king and asked.

It was called a 'club', but it was a murderous weapon, soaked in blood for decades, heavier and harder than any steel.

"Are you the human king? Great warrior, state your name! I am the Cyclops Elder—!"

Just as the Cyclops Elder was about to request a one-on-one duel.

"Retreat! Retreat!! The ambush was successful enough!!"

Suddenly, that great warrior—the human king whom even the monsters had come to think of as such—turned and started running.

He who had been fighting as if he would take on all the monsters by himself.

The human king disappeared between the trees in an instant. He was clearly wearing armor.

His movements were like that of an elf. Fast and agile.

—......?

—......?

—......?

The monsters were dumbfounded as the human king suddenly fled. The expression of the Cyclops Elder, who had requested the duel, was particularly worth seeing.

As the monsters just stood there stupidly, watching the human king flee.

Krokas burst with rage and roared.

"What are you doing!! Chase him, you idiots!! Chase him!! Gargoyles, you go down the mountain and block his escape route!!"

—Ch-chase him!

—Cowardly bastard!!

—I thought he was a warrior, but in the end, was he just a cowardly human?!

The monsters, who came to their senses at Krokas's roar.

They began to chase after the human king, who had almost disappeared from sight.

—Keong! Keoheong!

—Keongkeong!

The Black Orcs' black wolves chased the human king.

Since the black wolves could smell their prey from several kilometers away, they could chase him even if he was out of sight.

In the first place, a human's speed couldn't possibly be faster than a black wolf's.

—Keong, keong!!

—Faster! Run faster!

—Get him! There he is!!

As the distance to the human king closed considerably, the monsters' voices grew louder.

It was because it seemed they could not only kill him but also capture him alive.

At the very front of that pursuit party was Krokas. Krokas had started far behind, but he was already riding his black wolf and chasing after the human king's back, leading the pack.

But was even this escape part of the human king's plan?

Heeheeheeheeheeng—!

The bastard started to flee on a large, black warhorse that he had hidden at the edge of the forest.

And around him, the elite knights who had been protecting the king earlier were also on horseback, waiting.

The soldiers were already almost out of sight.

As if their only goal was to escape, they all ran without looking back—some even threw away their spears and shields to flee.

"......Gargoyles!! You must capture the king!! You must!! Go after him!!"

—Kyaaaaaak!

The Gargoyles, hearing Krokas's command, began to chase the human king.

Dududududu—!

The Gargoyles flying in the sky were fast. Naturally.

Therefore, a human fleeing on horseback on the ground could not shake off the Gargoyles' pursuit.

However, the horsemanship of the human king and his escorting knights was also remarkable. They all followed the lead of the king galloping at the front, turning this way and that like fish, making the Gargoyles' pursuit difficult.

The movements of the king and knights on horseback were like a school of fish in the sea avoiding a shark.

-Kuworrrrr!

-Go! Go!!

-Cross the Ness Plains in one go and attack the royal capital!!

In the meantime, the majority of the monster army poured out of the mountain range and reached the entrance of the Ness Plains.

Their movement had been fast as they had all been frantically chasing the human king.

Krokas, as well as all the monsters, chased the human king so hastily that they couldn't properly check their surroundings.

—Kyaaaaaaaak!!

Eventually, one Gargoyle caught up to the very end of the group of knights on horseback.

No matter how well the knights rode their horses, they couldn't shake off the Gargoyle's pursuit.

The Gargoyle's sharp and hard claws glinted. Like the moment an owl is about to catch its prey.

The knight at the tail end, who couldn't escape the Gargoyle's pursuit—

—Kya, kyaaaaaak!

Unable to escape the Gargoyle's claws, she was captured and dragged up into the sky.

Hearing the scream, it was a female knight.

That female knight would probably experience all sorts of terrors in the sky, according to the Gargoyle's vicious nature, before being dropped from a high place to her death.

That was the beginning. Gradually, several Gargoyles got close enough to snatch the knights.

Ssshik—!

'Got them! I got them!'

Krokas laughed bizarrely. The various scars drawn on his face stretched terrifyingly.

Just as the Gargoyles were about to snatch the knights all at once.

Phyoooooooo—!

Phyoooooo—!

The kin who, despite being monsters, got along with elves.

The detestable bastards who hadn't joined the monster army.

The monsters who hadn't yielded to Krokas's threats.

'Gryphons......?!'

Their cries were heard—

—Kyaaaaaaak!

—Phyoooooooo!

—Kyak! Kyaaaaak!

—Phyo! Phyoooo!!

The Gryphons, those detestable kin, began to tear the Gargoyles apart in mid-air.

The bastards had saved the human king and knights who had been all but caught.

"Those fucking...... Gryphon bastards!!! Shoot your bows! Help the Gargoyles!!"

Krokas shouted, violently agitated. It was to the point that he could smell blood in his mouth.

But then, he saw something strange again.

The human king and knights, who had been fleeing without looking back, suddenly stopped around the middle of the plain.

And they suddenly dismounted. Not the other knights, only the human king.

'......Why did the king dismount? Is he saying, 'come and get me'? Wait, could it be a trap? Luring us here......?'

—That chilling thought momentarily flashed through Krokas's mind.

Krokas's survival instinct had warned him.

Something felt off. So Krokas tried to stop the army for now.

"H-halt......?"

But maybe it wasn't a trap after all.

Phyooooo—!

The human king who had dismounted, got on a Gryphon. It was surprising that a human could ride a Gryphon, but what was more surprising was—

Flap—!

The human king was steering the Gryphon and flying toward the monster army.

No, to be precise, the place the human king was heading was toward the 'Gargoyles'.

Seeing that, Krokas let out another hollow laugh.

'Is he trying to save that knight? So that's what it was. He stayed behind to fight alone during the ambush earlier too...... is he a needlessly soft-hearted bastard?'

To put it nicely, one could say he was a king who cherished his subordinates more than his own life. That was certainly a great and praiseworthy thing.

But objectively, it was an act a king should never do. To fly alone into a flock of Gargoyles, no matter how much of a natural enemy the Gryphon was to the Gargoyle, it was reckless.

—Follow His Highness's back! ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel⁂fire.net

—Cover His Highness! Hurry!

—Phyooooo!

Were the other knights able to ride Gryphons as well, not just the human king?

As many as twenty-odd Gryphons took flight with knights on their backs.

The appearance of an unexpected force from the human side.

But Krokas thought this was also a good opportunity.

'If I kill those Gryphon knights now, victory is certain! Absolutely!'

With that thought, Krokas spurred his black wolf even faster across the Ness Plains.

He wanted to shoot an arrow at the human king and kill him himself.

But just then.

Kuuuuuuuuuuung.......

Below the Ness Plains.

Deep within the earth.

A strange sound was heard from there.

It was definitely not a natural sound.

It was like...... the sound of a drum being beaten in a cave.

"......?"

Hearing that sound, Krokas broke out in a cold sweat for some reason. A cold sweat that felt particularly chilly.

'Don't tell me......?'

—Before he could even finish that thought of 'don't tell me'.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaang—!!!

An explosion was heard from beneath the ground.

And the Ness Plains was collapsing.

The ground beneath his feet disappeared.

It was a trap.

"......Humaaaaaaaans!! A trap like this again!!!"

As he fell into the deep pit, Krokas glared up at the sky.

At the human king, and the Gryphon he rode.

It seemed the human king had succeeded in rescuing the female human knight who had been abducted by the Gargoyle.

"I-I will not die!! I will definitely capture you alive and tear out your heart......!"

Krokas shouted as he fell into the pitch-black, dark pit.

Whether that monstrous scream would reach the human king or not was unknown.

But Krokas was clearly making a vow.

That this was not yet his end.

—U-uaaaaaaah!

—I'm fallingggggg!

—H-help me!!

—Kiyaaaaaaak!

—Chweeeeeek!!

However, for a significant portion of the monster army, excluding Krokas, this would be the end.

The most important strategy in the war against the monster army, the trap of the Ness Plains.

It was a moment of success, several times more effective than what the <Future Diary> had promised Leonardo.