How to Use the Lord’s Future Diary

Chapter 93

Chapter 93

To the east of Levelium, the road from Hawrun Territory into Johnson Territory split into two paths.

The northern main road and the southern gorge.

Since wagons could not pass through the southern gorge, most people used the northern main road.

The road we used to travel to Levelium was also the northern main road.

But no one could know which path the Boar Tribe would take on foot.

That was another reason why it was hard to choose interception over defense.

‘We had to face an enemy with greater numbers than us, but both directions had to be defended. And the fork itself wasn’t exactly favorable terrain for defense.’

But Leon said he could confirm their route of advance would be through the gorge.

‘What was it that guy said again?’

-“Ah, that’s easy. Just prepare accordingly. Why the gorge, you ask? Obviously because of what comes after. The main road has too many escape holes. But the gorge—block the entrance, and there’s no way out. Those pig bastards are strange creatures who only remember the beatings they’ve taken, so it’s better for everyone’s peace of mind to clean things up properly. Otherwise, they’ll hide like cowards and attack the residents later. That much is certain.”

He said narrowing their advance route was extremely simple, and that they had to trap them in the gorge and wipe them all out.

If any escaped, they would surely seek revenge in some form, so it was best to finish things neatly.

I agreed with that.

Even just from what I had heard, those bastards weren’t worth associating with in the slightest.

‘I’ll have to check that place, too.’

As I led the troops out of the castle and advanced slowly, the hill that split into the gorge came into view.

That was where the mine lay—the one where the Hidden Mastermind had supposedly excavated the Boar Tribe’s Divine Relic.

I had been so busy preparing for war that I hadn’t yet been able to check it.

If we stopped the Boar Tribe without issue, that was the first place I had to investigate.

If my prediction was correct, there was definitely something there.

‘Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had any reason to collapse the place after taking the Divine Relic.’

“Stop. We’ll wait here.”

The road leading into the northern main road.

That was where we would hold.

Sixty from the Johnson Knights, thirty from the Crimson Comet.

And roughly three hundred Soldiers.

Excluding the Beastman forces, all the human troops had gathered here.

If things went according to plan, we wouldn’t have much to do.

Just cutting off the retreat and dealing with the remnants.

Of course, with their numbers being what they were, even the remnants would be quite a massive force.

If we wanted to defeat the enemy with minimal losses, we had to hold firmly from the rear.

“Wouldn’t it be cleaner to just clash head-on with them on the main road?”

“I’d like that too, but our enemies aren’t just them. We need to conserve our strength. If the plan works, we’ll handle them with minimal losses.”

“Mm. That only holds true if everything goes smoothly like Leon said, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

“The kid is clever, but entrusting military command to him seems a bit……”

“Let’s see how it goes. Worst case, if Leon’s wrong, it just means the fight will be a little tougher. Why? Are you scared the pigs might come charging this way?”

“Ha, scared? Who said anything about scared? If they come this way, that’s all the better. Lately, I’ve been feeling something itching inside me, but nothing decisive comes out, so it’s frustrating. Swinging my axe to my heart’s content should clear it up nicely, don’t you think?”

“Oh, is that so? Seems your training with Leisha pounding on you is paying off.”

Rudick was getting restless.

It didn’t suit his personality to hesitate and weigh options when forming strategy.

Honestly, I wasn’t much better at this sort of thing either, and it was frustrating.

I wasn’t exactly cut out for desk work myself.

But since we had already decided, we had to move according to plan.

-In games it’s the same, isn’t it? Once an order drops, everyone moves together, whether it’s life or death—that’s how things get done.

‘Right. All the more so here, since this is real combat. If I don’t know enough, then I should at least listen to others.’

It wasn’t like I had no calculations of my own.

Even if Leon’s prediction was wrong, as long as we blocked both the gorge and the main road, the territory wouldn’t suffer damage.

If the Boar Tribe rushed at us here, we’d face them first, and while we fought, the other forces waiting inside the gorge would strike their rear. Encirclement and annihilation would still be the outcome.

‘The real issue is how many losses we’ll take.’

Whatever happened, this was a battle involving a large number of troops. Casualties were inevitable.

Even if this was still a battle to protect the territory, it was frustrating to think Soldiers of the territory—meant to defend against monsters and protect the people—would lose their lives in such a pointless fight.

If there was a way to reduce casualties, even a little, then there was no reason not to carry out the plan, even if it didn’t suit my nature.

“Sir Irene, you’ll follow me and strike their rear.”

“Yes, Lord Iron. I remember.”

There wasn’t much else to say to Irene’s group, who would be charging with me.

Since they would move alongside me, we could adjust according to the situation as it unfolded.

“Sir Dominic. Lead the Soldiers well and follow us. Stay as defensive as possible. You understand?”

“Yes, my lord. I’ll hold out as best as I can.”

It was Sir Dominic’s group, leading the Soldiers behind us, that posed more of a concern.

Blocking the gorge from behind and forming a defensive line to prevent escape was a task for the Soldiers, and Sir Dominic was in charge of that.

It might even be the fiercest front in this battle.

‘I’ll have to trust Sir Dominic. He’s better at commanding troops than me or Rudick, after all.’

I believed that the veteran knight Sir Dominic, who had always fulfilled his duties without fail, could minimize losses and accomplish his mission.

‘Rudick and Irene. When will the two of them become Masters? If that happened, things would be so much easier.’

I hoped that Irene—who had taken one step toward Master after facing the Variant Crocodile—and Rudick—who had been feeling something recently—would gain something from this battle.

Like a sort of sub-quest?

Of course, the most important part was the main quest: completely stopping the Boar Tribe’s invasion.

Eight hundred Boar Tribe warriors, and roughly 2,200 trainee warriors.

Having gathered all the tribe’s fighters, the Boar Tribe Chieftain, Cocard, tilted his head as he stood before the fork.

“Both paths lead to Berat, right?”

“Yes, my Chieftain. The left is the flatlands road, and the right goes up along the gorge.”

“Which is closer?”

“The flatlands, without question.”

The old homeland of the Boar Tribe, ‘Berat’—what the humans now called Johnson Territory—was a place somewhat familiar even to them.

Of course, it had been over a century since the Boar Tribe had left, so none of the current warriors had seen it with their own eyes, but they had studied maps thoroughly.

According to the old records of the Boar Tribe, whichever path they took, they would reach Berat.

“The flatlands, huh. Oh, right. Don’t humans have a lot of cavalry?”

“Not horses. They say they ride some kind of monsters. About a few hundred strong.”

“That’s a hell of a lot. Meeting cavalry on the plains doesn’t sound too appealing.”

-“If the Lord showed the Three-Horned Mountain Goat to the Empire bastards, then of course they know. The Empire bastards, sharp as knives when it comes to screwing others over, must have reported it. Running into a knight order on the plains would be a pain. Beastmen find fighting cavalry the most frustrating thing of all when clashing with humans.”

“But still, taking the gorge feels risky, doesn’t it? If there’s an ambush, that’d be a headache. And it’s further, too……”

-But of course, they wouldn’t be able to choose the gorge so easily. What if they climbed up that way and ran into an ambush? Besides, the gorge was the longer path. Once they reached the territory, they’d face battle immediately, so they had to think about conserving stamina too. From their perspective, it would be quite a dilemma.

“Chieftain. We’re the ones ambushing. There’s no way an ambush would be waiting for us, is there?”

“How can you guarantee that? Use your head, will you? Hm? And what’s this smell?”

“Isn’t this… oil?”

“It is oil, right? Don’t tell me it’s coming from the gorge?”

“There hasn’t been any spring rain yet, so the whole area is dried out. If they set fire to the gorge…”

“That’s right. That’s just the sort of thing weak humans might try.”

-If you smell oil at the entrance to a gorge, of course you’d be wary. That means there’s an ambush. But those pig bastards are cunning, so they’ll twist their thinking.

“But look at this—it’s spread way too obviously. Almost like they’re shouting that an ambush is waiting here. Hey, you.”

“Yes?”

“Run inside the gorge and back. Just up to that inner point.”

“…Yes.”

Cocard shoved one of his subordinates into the gorge, then called another to scout the main road.

“You, go check from a distance if you hear the sound of beasts. Don’t get caught, and be careful.”

“Yes, Chieftain.”

A short while later.

The Boar Tribe warrior who had gone into the gorge tilted his head as he returned to Cocard.

“Did you smell oil deeper inside?”

“Uh… no, I didn’t smell anything inside.”

“Really?”

-Beastmen generally had sharper senses of smell than humans. But sometimes, that sensitivity backfired. This was exactly one of those times. If they sniffed too much pungent oil, their noses would actually dull. That’s why if you dumped oil heavily at the entrance, they wouldn’t notice the jars of oil buried in the ground. The overwhelming smell at the entrance would fool them.

“Chieftain!”

“Yeah? And the main road? Dead quiet, right?”

“Yes, I didn’t hear a sound.”

“Just as I thought. There are definitely troops lying in wait on the main road.”

“What? How can you tell…”

“Don’t you hear anything all around us right now?”

“Other than birdsong?”

“Exactly, the birds. Birds don’t approach where humans gather. This region is full of mountain birds. If only the main road is silent, that means human troops are hidden there.”

“Come to think of it, I heard birds singing inside the gorge too.”

“Right. Then they must have poured oil on purpose to lure us onto the main road.”

-Stupid bastards never realize how stupid they are, so there’s no saving them. They might pretend they’re clever because of something they once overheard, but it’s all useless. They’re Rabbit Tribe, after all. Even birds treat the Rabbit Tribe as their friends. And so they’re getting stabbed in the back by the very tribe they once treated like slaves.

“Good. We’ll take the entire force and break through the gorge. While the humans wait for us on the main road, we’ll hit their base.”

“Heh, heh. A house raid, huh?”

“Exactly. That’s the best.”

-Those pig bastards were born sneaky. They felt the happiest not when winning something in battle, but when looting an empty home. They were real trash. So, once they believed the Lord was waiting for them on the main road, they would grow restless and go wild. Formation? Caution? You couldn’t expect such things from a pig horde rushing to loot. So, cut them off right in the middle of the gorge—snap!—and those pigs would squeal. Honestly, there couldn’t be an easier fight.

The Black Lion Warriors ambushing at the gorge entrance heard the distant noise and knew everything was going according to plan.

“It’s really happening just like the youngest said.”

“Leon’s really smart, after all.”

“They must be charging through the gorge now, eyes rolled back like a pack of dogs in heat.”

“Dogs? Don’t compare them to dogs. Dogs don’t deserve that insult.”

Mocking the pigs loosened their tension, but the Black Lion Warriors were brimming with the desire to leap out and slaughter them.

And at the front stood the Great Warrior of the Lion Tribe, Leisha.

“Leisha, do you remember what Leon said?”

-Sis, this battle is really important. More and more Beastmen are coming in, right? Rabbits, foxes—they’re all useful in some way. But us? All we’re good at is fighting. So this time, we have to show them. Show them how valuable our tribe is.

“I remember.”

“It’s funny, since I was the one who wanted to take this place, but… I really like it here.”

“Got your head knocked straight after the Lord beat you down, huh?”

“Heh. Well, there’s that. But here, I can forget the troublesome stuff and just fight to my heart’s content. And now we get to eat all the meat we want, too. Where else in the world could we find a place like this?”

“It really is a good place.”

“So, this time we’ll show them. That there’s a tribe born solely for battle.”

“Don’t act all wise, you bastard. I already know that.”

Leisha truly liked Johnson Territory.

From the start, she had thought it wasn’t bad, but she liked it more and more.

Bear, and the people here.

Every time she returned from the hunt, they cheered for her and threw her meat without limit.

Even the number of human males eyeing the Black Lion females was steadily increasing.

The males of Johnson Territory, tough men that they were, had no qualms about keeping multiple mates.

Some even downed Vitality Grass constantly, just to keep more females.

Human males really did seem to have stronger lust than Beastmen.

‘It really is a great place.’

In the Lion Tribe, she had never felt this kind of fulfillment.

Now, she could never leave this place.

And so, she would show them.

She would show them what the Black Lions truly were.

“How dare those pathetic pig bastards crawl in here?”

The pigs were nothing more than appetizers before the feast.

After cleaning them up, she would return to the territory and tear into heaps of meat.

“I’ll have to ask Bear to grill some.”

The meat Bear grilled always tasted better.