Chapter 57 : Chapter 57
Chapter 57
Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!
The air raid siren did not stop.
‘What is it?’
I had experienced countless monster attacks over the past three weeks.
Front Hold was a fortress prepared for monster invasions, so the bell didn’t even ring for an ordinary attack.
“I should probably see the count before training.”
Looking out the window, I saw dozens of soldiers running in a hurry.
If even the soldiers on rest were being summoned, there was clearly a problem.
* * *
At the command post where I went to find the count, dozens of commanders were already gathered and in the middle of a meeting.
“It is absolutely impossible to fight outside the fortress!
You know that fighting outside the fortress is a suicide mission!”
At the words of the young man sitting to the count’s left, a dignified old man on the right interjected.
“Who doesn’t know that!
There are already dozens of Ogres heading this way, and you want to defend the castle?
What will you do if the castle gate is broken down!”
“There’s no way Front Hold will be broken down by mere Ogres!”
“I’m talking about a ‘what if,’ a ‘what if’!
We need to at least deal with the Ogres so that we won’t be shaken by the Orc invasion!”
“They say the only thing that grows with age is fear!
If you’re so scared of Ogres, go out and fight them yourself!
I cannot send a single knight to their death!”
At the man’s words, the old man’s face turned red.
“What’s with this little brat?
I practically raised you, you brat!”
“Why are you bringing that up here?
If you’re that old, you should set an example!
Isn’t anyone who goes out a dead man?
Since when did Moner abandon its comrades?!”
The count, who had frowned slightly at the increasingly loud voices, opened his mouth.
“Enough.”
Both sides had valid points.
Arrows could not penetrate the thick skin of an Ogre.
It was common sense that only knights could deal with Ogres, but the Ogres in the Demonic Beast forest, which defied common sense, could handle three or four knights and still have room to spare.
The problem was that those Ogres and Orcs were heading south at the same time.
Even if the knights were to sally forth right now, the Orcs would surely block their retreat route while they were fighting the Ogres.
Even if they successfully hunted the Ogres and returned, once the Orcs began to swarm, the castle gates could not be opened until the defense was over.
“Hmm……”
The count tapped the table with his fingers and fell into thought.
To stop the Ogres and Orcs at the same time without any losses, he would have to move himself, but…….
“And ‘him’?”
“Teheki has already left his territory.”
Of course.
There was no way he would give up such an opportunity.
“Son of a bitch.”
A curse unknowingly slipped from the count’s mouth.
The Goblin King, Teheki, hated him and this fortress.
He didn’t even care if he had goblins following him or not.
If there was even the slightest chance to kill the count of Front Hold, he would always appear and swing his spear.
It was he who had blocked the count in the Troll War, and it was he who had ambushed the count by hiding in the Naga reconnaissance team and had put the knightly order in a desperate crisis.
“He will surely appear with the Ogres.”
The cunning bastard would know that the knightly order alone could not hunt the Ogres and return in time.
He would be sharpening his spear, waiting for the moment the count would step out.
But there was no other way.
“…I and the entire knightly order will sally forth to hunt the Ogres and return.
If we fail to return, we will abandon the defense and switch to an all-out war.”
“Father!”
“Commander!”
“Absolutely not!”
The moment everyone was shocked by the count’s decision.
“I’ll go.”
Ian, who had been listening quietly, approached the table and opened his mouth.
* * *
Frustrating humans.
I was going to let it slide, but what?
Abandoning the defense?
Are the things on your shoulders just for decoration?
“Count, since the situation is what it is, let’s change the bet.
I will take a few soldiers and hunt the Ogres.”
Dozens of pairs of eyes fell on Ian like a thunderbolt.
“If I succeed, give me the position of Knight Commander.”
The first to react to the absurd proposal was the old man with a long white beard.
“How dare you, in a place like this!
Don’t act rashly and get yourself killed, just stay quiet!”
Perhaps he was very displeased that an investigator of unknown identity from the central command had stepped forward in an important meeting.
Everyone in the meeting room did not hide their anger and contempt towards the suddenly intervening investigator.
'I feel like I'm back home.'
With a willing heart, I ignored all the piercing gazes and looked at the count.
No matter what anyone babbled, the decision would be made by the count.
“It will be too late if the battle breaks out here.
We must hunt the Ogres now, before they can join forces with the Orcs.”
Fortunately, there was not a hint of contempt in the count’s eyes.
* * *
The count, lost in thought, closed his eyes and tapped the table with his index finger, drawing a battle in his mind.
Even if he were to go out himself to deal with the Ogres, the moment Teheki stepped in, the tide of the battle would turn against him.
In the worst-case scenario, he and dozens of knights might die.
'If I send troops that can defeat the Ogres now…….'
It would take at least three knights to take down one Ogre.
Since they said there were dozens of Ogres, at least one knightly order would have to be deployed.
'Then there would be a shortage of troops to fight the Orcs.'
So he could not send the knightly order.
It was a foolish thing to divide his forces without even accurately grasping the number of enemies.
“Have you ever seen a monster?”
“I have not.
But I can assure you, there is no human in this world who knows monsters better than I do.”
At that absurd claim, he looked at the young lord.
It was ridiculous.
The fledgling in front of him, who had spent his entire life in Central Hold, would surely wet his pants at the mere sight of a goblin's face, yet he had an absurd expectation that he might be able to do it.
Was it because of the man's noticeably different aura in just three weeks, or was it because of his foolish friend's letter asking him to take good care of the duke?
He shook his head, cleared his mind of stray thoughts, and said firmly in a cold voice.
“Denied .”
As if he had expected it, the young lord did not flinch at the cold refusal.
He just frowned slightly, as if it were a pity.
“It is a foolish thing to plan an annihilation operation without even knowing the number of enemy troops.”
The changes happening in the forest were unusual.
The Orcs, which had not moved for decades, had left their territory.
The Ogres, which had lived solitary lives for hundreds of years, had formed a group.
Just as the previous count had said to lie low and watch the situation when the wind blew in the forest, now was the time to lie low.
“Instead, go out for reconnaissance and see them for yourself.”
“Reconnaissance?”
“We’ve lost contact with almost all the scouting parties.
It would be a miracle if we received a report of an invasion.”
In that instant, Ian’s indifferent expression hardened.
“Scouts?”
“Yes.
Out of a hundred scouts, only three have returned.”
“Damn it……”
Only then did the young lord’s brazen face turn to worry.
The moment he thought he had finally grasped the situation, a ominous word slipped from his mouth.
“Orc War Legion……?”
To think he knew about the War Legion.
Even if he had been a scarecrow, was he still the bloodline of the ducal family?
He said to the frowning young lord.
“Go and confirm that.”
In the meantime, the fortress would prepare for war.
* * *
My heart pounded as if it would burst as I walked down the hallway.
'Damn it, damn it, damn it!'
Until now, I hadn't been particularly worried.
There was still a long way to go until the fall of the Moner family.
The next 10 years.
I was confident that it would be safe until the moment the game started.
'Front Hold blocked the Orc War Legion by itself?'
That couldn't be.
If Count Mogul were here, maybe, but there was no way a single master could stop the power of a legion representing an entire race.
'At least a few hundred, if we're unlucky, thousands will die.'
In the worst-case scenario, he might have to abandon the fortress.
A battle where he might have to abandon the fortress, where the entire military power of Moner was concentrated, and where there could be hundreds, even thousands, of casualties.
"These damn pigs……!"
My precious soldiers and knights were off-limits.
The fortress, which was the future itself, was even more so.
"I'll chew you up and spit you out."
The only thing I could trust was my sturdy body.
* * *
"You crazy bastards."
I looked at the ten soldiers standing in front of me.
In the eyes of the soldiers, including Hoodwock, I could see a glimpse of blazing anger and madness.
"We are not going to die."
The bastards who had come after hearing that their comrades had died all had expressions of being prepared for death.
"As you've heard, this mission is a reconnaissance.
No matter whose revenge you came for, if I judge the situation to be unfavorable, we will retreat immediately."
As if they had heard me, the soldiers gripped the newly issued bows even tighter.
Hoodwock, with his head bowed, opened his mouth in a crawling voice.
"I just want to see the faces of the bastards who went ahead of us."
If they died on the castle walls, it would be one thing, but if they died outside the fortress, they couldn't even have a proper funeral.
"Alright, alright."
Of course, I knew that they hadn't gathered to truly commemorate the dead.
We wouldn't be going to the location where the vanguard had died, so there was no way we could see the faces of the missing soldiers.
Nevertheless, I spoke to the fools who were setting out to find their comrades with a glimmer of hope, pretending not to know.
"Let's go and curse at them to our heart's content."
"Yes!"
* * *
As soon as the meal was over, the order to deploy was given.
It seemed that they couldn't even give half a day, as time was of the essence for a scouting party.
As I was hurrying to prepare for departure, I felt Vergil and three knights approaching.
A bad feeling came over me, and without even looking up, I checked my military gear and said.
"I'm busy."
"I'm busy too."
"I'm not taking you."
"I have no desire to be a part of a foolish operation either."
Only then did I look up at the very unlucky face.
He looked handsome, yet stubborn like a knight, which made him look unlucky.
"Then piss off."
Of course, if he had intended to piss off, he wouldn't have come right before deployment.
"It was my father's order to accompany you on this mission."
"Damn it."
With a world-weary expression, I glared at the lump that had attached itself at the last minute.
Four lumps.
"I will protect you, so please just focus on the mission."
It seemed this lump didn't even know how the chain of command should work.
No matter how many debuffs I had, it would be troublesome if distrust spread even on a mission.
Why did I gather the soldiers without even revealing my identity?
'If I don't sort this out now, it will be dangerous in an emergency.'
As soon as I made a decision, my hand moved.
The sword at my waist was drawn, and at the same time, the Ghost King's Killing Hand that I had practiced for the past month was drawn through the sword.
A sword that moved in a straight line towards the vital points, without cutting vertically or horizontally.
Before the shocked Vergil could even put his hand on the hilt of his sword, the sword in my hand touched his neck.
"What in the world is this……!"
He had just now grabbed his sword, but he could neither draw it nor let it go, and his eyes just trembled endlessly.
As expected, a preemptive strike is always victorious.
It was an immutable law of the universe.
"I am the leader of this scouting party.
If you have a complaint, either piss off, or die here."
The tip of the sword dug slightly into Vergil's neck.
It wasn't because he had shouted at the family head meeting.
"Which one do you like?"
Vergil, with a crumpled face, looked at the surprised knight and soldiers in turn, then closed his eyes and nodded slightly.
Did he think I would let him off with just that?
"Say it, say it with words.
Don't put on a show with that well-rolling tongue of yours.
I will be in complete command of this mission.
Do you agree?"
This must be the first time for Vergil, the son of a count and a 5-star knight.
Everyone must have acknowledged and followed him.
A sigh-filled voice escaped from between Vergil's clenched lips.
"I understand, so please remove the sword."
"Alright."
Only then did I lower my sword and pat Vergil on the shoulder.
"We have a promising youngest member in our squad, too good to be just a scout!"
Vergil, who had no idea that my secret mission had just changed, smiled bitterly.
"I'll be in your care."
"Of course, of course!
Let's do our best for the remaining time."
One 5-star knight and three 4-star knights.
Wasn't reconnaissance too trivial a mission for such high-level personnel?
'One Ogre each… just ten?'
I had already thought of many methods, but there was no card as useful as a 5-star knight.
'I will use him well and return him, Count.'
The count must have wanted this too.
Surely.