novelraw Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117 : Chapter 117
Chapter 117
“A group of Orcs ahead.”
“Number?”
At the fatigue-laden voice of Trimia, the knight who narrowed his brow opened his mouth.
“Prince, it has already been two weeks since we entered the forest. We can go back now…….”
Trimia massaged his eyes to chase away the oncoming sleep.
‘I’m really tired.’
It had already been two weeks since they entered this dreadful forest.
They had engaged in over twenty battles during that time, meaning they fought about twice a day.
It was natural to be exhausted.
The soldiers, the knights, and himself.
It was the same for all the units that would be in the forest.
[For the next month and a half, the Special Mission Unit intends to live in the forest under the pretext of training.]
Even when Ian said that, everyone thought he was crazy.
The monster forest was a place where it was difficult to endure even a single week.
[The opportunity to have small-scale battles safely is only now. We have to teach the soldiers during this time.]
Trimia turned his gaze to look at his army.
Not a shred of fear could be seen on the faces of the soldiers maintaining their respective weapons.
What they learned from dozens of battles was not just combat in this forest.
Certainty of victory.
Killing over a thousand Orcs, they learned how to hunt.
Also the fact that Orcs are merely prey.
“Number?”
“Not over two hundred.”
“Good. Let’s finish quickly and rest.”
Trimia, raising his body that felt like a thousand pounds, picked up the grayish-white bow placed next to him.
A Utique-grade bow made from the ligaments and bones of the Serpent King, [Orc Slayer].
It was a magnificent bow incomparable to the [Orc Hunter] made using regular Serpents.
Except for the fact that the blacksmiths who made this masterpiece foamed at the mouth and collapsed at Ian's terrible naming sense.
‘It’s a fitting name.’
Trimia really liked this name.
“Let’s go! It’s hunting time!”
“Woo! Woo!”
Right at this moment.
Because there would be no name more fitting than that.
* * *
- Krrk?
Great Warrior Haipun rubbed his eyes.
- Krk?
The legion was gone.
Neither the Great King's flag nor the Great Warriors' flags could be seen.
Only his squad remained.
- Everyone wake up!
As he shouted, Orcs crawled out from tents everywhere.
- Krk?
- The main force is gone!
- The path is gone!
His subordinates, who were at least somewhat smart, were equally flustered.
- It’s the forest’s curse!
Haipun immediately swung his axe, cutting off the head of the guy who spoke of the curse and throwing the body.
- Eat.
- Krrrrk!
The soldiers who were flustered at the word curse instantly swarmed in and began to butcher the dead Orc's body.
- Mine!
- Get lost! I’m eating it!
- I’m hungry too!
Seeing the squad becoming noisy, Haipun approached familiar soldiers.
- You, you, you. Scout the surroundings.
- Krk?
The soldiers he pointed at looked alternately at the dead Orc and Haipun, drooling.
- If you don't want to become dinner tonight.
- U-understood!
After hitting the back of the heads of the soldiers trying to run even leaving their weapons, he looked around with a serious face.
‘Strange.’
Even when he heard rumors that the forest was angry, he thought a stupid shaman made some mistake.
When he heard soldiers disappeared, he laughed it off saying he would eat his fill tonight.
‘Is the forest really angry?’
The path clearly in front disappeared, and the legion vanished.
‘Then why am I left alone?’
Suddenly, the Orc’s eyes turned red.
‘Because I am special.’
He was different from other stupid things.
Because he was a great warrior enough for the Great King to place him at the forefront.
He was the Great Warrior who first realized that Orc meat was included in the evening ration, and he was the one who obtained the authority to prepare the ‘meal’.
Suddenly, the words the shaman said to the King long ago came to mind.
- To enter the depths, one must be acknowledged by the forest.
He moved his head again.
Still, the legion was not visible.
Neither the countless Orcs, the hundreds of flags, nor the torches as many as the stars in the night sky.
‘The forest punished them and spared me.’
Thump.
‘The forest acknowledges a ruler.’
Thump.
‘The forest acknowledged me.’
The corner of his mouth twisted.
- Krk, I should go to the depths when the guys out on patrol return.
He was only moving because the King ordered it.
He didn't want to leave the forest.
Because born in the outskirts, he knew how dirty and unpleasant the air there was.
- Krk, the stupid King is dead.
It was clear that the legion commanders following the King were also dead.
The greatest warrior remaining here is.
- Krk.
Just as Haipun was about to spit out an arrogant laugh at the thought that he could become King.
“Do not miss a single one!”
An arrow flying from somewhere appeared before his eyes.
- Krrrk?!
He succeeded in dodging by moving his body quickly, but.
Other Orcs did not.
- Krrrk!
- Kuaaak!
His squad was dying.
No.
Since I am King now.
My people are dying.
- Krrrrk! These bastards dare!
Clutching a huge axe, he ran toward where the arrow flew from.
* * *
“What is that again?”
“Is it your first or second time seeing one? Look at those red eyes. It’s a crazy bastard.”
The soldier, smirking, pulled the bowstring.
Creaaak.
That wasn't all.
Dozens of [Orc Hunters] were pulled towards the charging Orc.
“Isn’t that guy a legion commander by any chance?”
“If it were a legion commander, he would have run away already. Didn't you see last time? Tally wet himself just meeting eyes with that guy.”
When the soldier murmured anxiously seeing the Orc charging confidently, the team leader answered chuckling.
“Team leader, no matter if it’s an Orc, would he be stupid enough to jump into the line of fire with his bare body?”
Suddenly, the chuckling team leader stopped laughing and looked at the Prince's flag.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
The team leader trusted the Prince more than any general or commander.
When he first joined the ‘Royal Army’ and exterminated monsters in the small and medium territories of the south, the number of retreats was as many as the number of battles.
Just the fact that the Prince didn't run away meant the result of this battle was as good as decided.
“If it were dangerous, he would have run away.”
“Well, true.”
Shrugging their shoulders, the soldiers aimed their bows again at the fiercely charging Orc.
“Fire!”
At the moment the arrow left the string at the commander's shout from behind.
“Krk? Krrrk!”
With fierce momentum, dozens of arrows appeared in Haipun's eyes.
He hurriedly moved his axe to protect his body, but no matter if he was a Great Warrior, blocking all the endlessly flying arrows was impossible.
Thududuk!
Haipun, clutching his pierced neck with two hands, held onto his fading consciousness and thought.
‘King, I have to become King!’
* * *
“Start recovery!”
While looking at the commander moving busily after the dull battle ended, the adjutant approached Trimia's side.
“Good work, Prince.”
“Stop with that Prince talk.”
In the fortress, Ian was called ‘Special Mission Unit Captain’.
The Special Mission Unit also called Ian ‘Captain’, not Young Lord.
“Understood, Lord .”
Trimia glared at the adjutant with narrowed eyes.
The reason he didn't call him Captain was simple.
‘Meaning I’m not the owner.’
Telling him not to forget that they are merely borrowed soldiers, not his own soldiers.
Like an adjutant attached by Marquess Dmitry, he was thorough in these things.
But rejecting him would mean the Marquess's army would desert.
‘Can’t be helped, I guess.’
Clicking his tongue thinking he should have extorted money to hire mercenaries instead of soldiers, he spoke bluntly.
“Got it, call me whatever you want. Any injured?”
“None.”
It was obvious.
Since he became a hedgehog and died before even drawing his sword.
“Tell them to rest until tomorrow morning as soon as byproduct recovery is finished. Pick a few knights to move with me.”
The adjutant’s eyebrow twitched.
“Shall we collect all byproducts this time too?”
That meant ‘Orc byproducts are useless anyway, so let’s just extract magic stones and throw them away’.
Repeating the same question several times already was because the knights moved those byproducts every time after the meeting.
As a petty revenge against the adjutant, carrying the load was exclusively handled by the knights of the House of Marquess Dmitry among the knights.
“Of course, we must recover everything. Since Ian said he has a use for them.”
“…Understood.”
When the adjutant answered narrowing his brow recalling the knights, Trimia smiled brightly.
“Tell me anytime if there’s a guy who doesn’t listen. If it’s a guy who ignored orders in wartime, I will cut off his head no matter what.”
It was a warning that he would kill the knights of the Marquess's house if they rebelled.
Since they had already caused problems with other knight orders several times and ran wild ignoring operations.
If the knight order refused the role of porter, Trimia intended to draw his sword with a smile.
‘Because it’s better to clear away unusable horses early.’
Seeing the crooked smile, the adjutant answered with a stiff face.
“Do not worry. There is no one here who dares to disobey the Prince's order.”
Trimia smirked watching the adjutant turn back after saying that.
* * *
That night.
After ordering the army to rest, following the squirrel, a familiar tent came into view.
“Am I perhaps the latest?”
When I asked looking at the sacks of byproducts piled outside, the squirrel nodded.
“I’m going to get an earful again.”
Trimia glared at the knights standing behind him.
“I have no excuse.”
“Of course you shouldn't. Being a knight means you are slower than soldiers.”
It wouldn't be that they are actually slow.
They just walked slowly to express even a little dissatisfaction.
The three knights who followed him bowed their heads simultaneously.
“We apologize.”
They annoy him with something difficult to punish and then apologize.
Since the knights bowed their heads themselves, he couldn't refuse the apology either.
It's not like they disobeyed an order, just ‘their steps were slow’.
Just as Trimia was about to say something, Ian came out of the tent sauntering and approached, saying.
“It’s fine. It’s not your fault that the Marquess’s knight order is worse than soldiers.”
Then, patting the knight order's shoulders, he said looking at Trimia as if asking what could be done even if it was hard.
“Knights end up resembling their Lord.”
It meant that you guys are idiots because the Marquess is an idiot.
Seeing the two knights beside him clenching their fists, the Captain hurriedly sent a telepathic message.
- Snap out of it! Did the Young Lord insult the Marquess! Even Moner's Young Lord didn't dare speak of him carelessly!
Just as the two knights who heard the message nodded slightly and inhaled to suppress their anger, Ian, putting his hand on Trimia's shoulder, spoke calmly.
“Prince, you must never forget even after the war ends.”
“What……?”
To Trimia, whose eyes widened at the sudden honorifics and title, Ian continued in a sly voice.
“Isn’t the Lord of those three the Prime Minister of the Kingdom? You should prostrate before His Majesty and report. That the Prime Minister’s ability is highly doubtful.”
Even seeing the Captain whose eyes were filled with killing intent putting his hand on the scabbard, Ian didn't stop his mouth.
“Just by disgracing their Lord’s honor, they are not knights. And since he knighted things worse than dogs who know neither shame, honor, nor faith, calling them knights.”
With an unwavering gaze, Ian looked at them and said.
“He is truly incompetent or…….”
Vergil and Tail appeared behind the three knights.
“Or the Marquess hoped for the Orcs to invade the kingdom’s territory from the beginning.”
As people coming out of the tent started gathering around, the Captain's face rotted.
Shiing.
Ian, who drew his sword, approached the Captain smiling.
“What do you think? Treason? Insubordination? Was your master a Werewolf subspecies after all?”
Grind!
When he was looking around with a stiff face, Trimia suddenly burst into laughter.
“Puhahat! Werewolf subspecies? You called the Marquess a son of a bitch?”
Trimia, who laughed cackling for a long time, gestured to the three knights with his chin.
“Forget it, just leave the sacks there and go back first.”
Ignoring Ian who looked at him with a dissatisfied expression, he pushed the backs of the three knights.
“Hurry, hurry. Staying here won’t do you any good, you know? It’s an order, so go back quickly.”
The Captain and the two knights silently watched the two people entering the tent.