novelraw Chapter 241
Chapter 241
- Commander-in-Chief, the vanguard has returned.
The 10-man vanguard was dispatched to the Orc Mountains.
Naturally, U-jin was not among them.
This was because U-jin had made his own request and was allowed to act independently, without an accompanying party.
The 10-man vanguard was part of a pre-existing plan Kanna Cartier had in mind, separate from U-jin's mission.
That is to say, they were Hero-class personnel dispatched separately to grasp the situation in the Orc Mountains and create a minor conflict to see how the Orc Mountains would react.
“Hangma!”
Although a 10-man vanguard had been dispatched, only one person entered the barracks and saluted.
While not as much as Kanna Cartier, he was a figure of masculine build, wearing rather dazzling armor with a cross on his pauldron, and the armor itself was even larger than hers.
Ssk-
As soon as Kanna Cartier lightly touched her fingertips to her brow, completing the formal military salute, Ludwig raised his hand.
“Hey. Long time no see.”
“…You two are here as well. I heard you were acting as advisors.”
Nod-
Louis, too, nodded his head, indicating they were old acquaintances.
“…It's been a while, Sir Heart.”
Heart de Garçon.
Like Kanna Cartier, he was a Paladin whose duties involved fighting on the battlefield. Among the high-ranking priests of the Crusaders belonging to the current Northern Subjugation Force, he was a legendary figure whose rank was second only to Kanna Cartier.
Needless to say, the fact that he was the captain of the 1st Hero Squad, directly commanding the 4-star and higher-ranked Heroes who had joined on commission, was enough to show his importance.
His arrival in the barracks with news of the vanguard was in the same vein.
As the mission was critical, the 10 members of the vanguard were handpicked by Kanna Cartier.
She had selected several individuals from her high-ranking forces of 4-star or higher who were in peak condition, considering factors like Mana and stamina.
In doing so, ‘Heart de Garçon,’ who had experience working with them, naturally came to lead the vanguard.
“Wow. You've grown up, you little snot-nose. It feels like just yesterday you came back crying after going to the battlefield with your spear, saying you'd killed ten of them.”
“…Haha. A lot of time has passed.”
“…Indeed. To think Sir Heart is already on the verge of becoming a Hero.”
…Well, of course, in the eyes of Ludwig and Louis, who had watched him since he was a snot-nosed brat, he still seemed young.
He wasn't someone they had spent their days with as capital priests like Kanna Cartier or Ludwig Allegro, but back when they had just received their Priest titles, Heart de Garçon was the one being talked about as the next rising star.
“Haha… A Hero? That's too much praise. I still have much more training to do before I can reach the same level as you, my seniors.”
Among the Paladins, the title of ‘Valkyrie’ was bestowed upon the strongest female warrior, while the title of ‘Hero’ was given to the male warrior.
And while there wasn't a clear ranking system among the ‘high-ranking priests’ within The Order, if one were to go by a standard of ‘honor,’ the positions known as the three pillars were the ‘Inquisitor,’ the ‘Valkyrie,’ and the ‘Hero.’
Of course, those who knew about UMC added the head of UMC, whom they nicknamed the ‘Dark Knight,’ treating them as four pillars.
That was why Heart de Garçon had an embarrassed expression and waved his hands in denial.
No matter how much he was a 5-star equivalent combatant and a seasoned veteran of the battlefield, three of those four pillars were standing right before him.
Having known them for a long time, Heart de Garçon himself knew best that he was still lacking compared to them.
“…Enough with the pleasantries.”
Kanna Cartier, who had been silently letting them reminisce, seemed to think the timing was right and cut in, asking Heart de Garçon.
“What's the situation?”
Kanna Cartier had given the vanguard, led by Heart de Garçon, roughly two tasks.
One was to survey the terrain of the Orc Mountains, and the other was to engage in a direct military conflict.
“We attempted both as you commanded, but… it seems we will need to scout a few more times to draw a topographical map of the Orc Mountains.”
“…I see.”
Although Heart de Garçon's report could be taken negatively, Kanna Cartier's reaction was surprisingly indifferent.
The reason was simple.
It was a result she had anticipated to some extent from the moment she dispatched the vanguard.
“…It'd be ridiculous if you could figure it out just by looking once. We couldn't do a damn thing in that fucking land either.”
It was a place where even the UMC had failed to gather any meaningful information.
Within The Order, the UMC possessed an overwhelming level of experience in ‘information warfare’ that was second to none.
Moreover, as an organization based on information, besides the ‘Cardinals,’ it was the UMC that had the highest level of access to The Order's database among all existing organizations.
When even they had failed to gather information, it would have been strange for a hastily dispatched vanguard of Heroes to figure something out immediately upon arrival.
…It wasn't just based on the simple reasoning of, ‘If the UMC couldn't do it, how could you?’
There was a specific reason why Kanna Cartier hadn't placed high expectations on the vanguard regarding the ‘survey of the Orc Mountains,’ even as she gave the order.
“There's no information in the database, and the mountain terrain changes whenever it pleases within a year. Besides, the very concept of a path doesn't exist in those udon-brained bastards' heads.”
The Orc Mountains covered a vast area comparable to the Black Sea.
First of all, it was impossible to survey such a vast area at once, and for the Orc Mountains at least, they couldn't rely on the ‘The Order's database.’
It was ironic.
As one of the oldest existing Anti-Demon Fronts, one would expect a wealth of data to have been accumulated on the Orc Mountains, so the fact that there wasn't was, from a common-sense perspective, difficult to accept.
The reason was simple.
From the moment the Orcs began to inhabit the mountain range, its terrain and nature had been in a state of constant flux.
It wasn't just a slight change in appearance, like the saying that mountains and rivers change in ten years.
On a small scale, the dominant species of trees in the mountains changed; on a large scale, the weather changed; and on an even larger scale, everything from fault lines to the shape of the mountains and the location of lakes changed every time.
The absurd phenomenon of a place that was a mountain peak last year becoming a lake this year occurred as if it were a matter of course in the Orc Mountains.
Naturally, The Order had investigated and kept records of the Orc Mountains, but they couldn't recklessly reference that information because ‘it was bound to have changed anyway.’
It was better to approach cautiously under the assumption of knowing nothing than to be complacent with incomplete knowledge.
It wasn't just a problem of terrain.
It was a sort of ‘trait’ that Orcs possessed.
They were a bizarre race that preferred to smash through the trees in front of them rather than wander around looking for a path.
Just as the terrain changed, so too did their culture and lifestyle change every time.
…And yet, the terrifying thing about the ‘Orc race’ was that they visibly grew stronger each time.
“……”
Under such circumstances, if he had come back after a brief look and reported, ‘I’ve grasped the situation completely,’ it was obvious that Kanna Cartier would have been the one unable to accept it, questioning him on every detail.
“And the second task?”
Heart de Garçon nodded and replied to Kanna's follow-up question.
“As you commanded, we clashed with the first Orc unit we encountered, which consisted of a dozen or so individuals.”
“…And the result.”
“We suffered no casualties, and the Orcs were annihilated. We deliberately waited at the location to check for reinforcements… but no retaliation or movement from the Orc race as a whole was detected.”
“……”
“Going deeper was risky as we could be isolated without satellite magic, and since we had completed all of your orders, we decided to return for now.”
…In truth, it wasn't strange.
No, it was so obvious that it was common sense even a child could understand.
After all, the force consisted of a top-tier Paladin, touted as the next ‘Hero,’ leading a group of 4-star or higher Hero-class warriors.
Even if an Orc's grandfather showed up, they could have beaten him with their eyes closed as if it were child's play.
With a little exaggeration, a force of that caliber was a top-tier elite unit that could even attempt to assassinate a Duke-rank Titled Demon.
…However.
The reason Kanna Cartier wore a displeased expression despite such a report was, ironically, because it was too ‘predictable.’
“…Were there any anomalies?”
“No, there were none. Just in case, we brought back the head of one Orc and had a Priest from the relevant branch examine it, but they said there was no difference from the Orcs in the south.”
Kanna had dispatched the vanguard to initiate a conflict not only to see how the Orc race would react, but also to confirm what they were hiding in the northern part of the Orc Mountains.
In fact, the Anti-Demon Front,
Considering their growth rate and various other factors, it was obvious they could win if they put their minds to it, yet the Orcs in the mountains showed no significant movement, only committing enough forces to maintain the stalemate.
That was also the reason why the Order's Allied Subjugation Force had chosen the troublesome supply route over the Black Sea, deliberately avoiding the Orc Mountains.
Therefore, Kanna had thought.
Perhaps they were trying to hide their true strength from The Order by forcibly stationing powerful Orcs in the north, which bordered the Demon King's Territory.
But if Heart de Garçon's words were true, that wasn't the case.
The fact that even the northern Orcs were just the common type frequently seen on the southern Anti-Demon Front.
In that case.
‘…Perhaps.’
If there was no difference in the quality of the Orcs.
Unlike what Louis and Ludwig had feared, forcing an attack might not be a bad idea……
“Then, should we just attack as planned……”
It was then.
Fwip-
“…I have returned.”
U-jin, drenched in blood from head to toe, pushed aside the tent flap without any prior notice and entered the barracks.