novelraw Chapter 140 : Chapter 140
Chapter 140 : Chapter 140
Chapter 140
Mogul, emptying his teacup one after another, directed his gaze toward the forest.
Even though it was a forest he had roamed to the point of boredom in his youth, everything was unfamiliar.
‘Back then, I never thought I would be preparing for a decisive battle with an army in the forest.’
After the death of the first Duke, successive Dukes constantly challenged to conquer the forest of demonic beasts following the first Duke’s achievements, and failed.
Moner’s power, which was said to be capable of swallowing the Kingdom with just one family’s power in the past, rapidly decreased as failures accumulated.
‘I heard they decided to give up on the conquest at the vassal meeting after the last conquest failed.’
In their childhood, Sven and Mogul, who couldn’t enter the forest due to strict rules, used to curse their ancestors.
Saying that all the adults who blocked the forest were clearly cowards.
‘Now I know.’
Why the past Duke tried to stop the conquest even by erasing all records accumulated over generations, I can understand now ahead of the battle.
They didn’t simply try to stop the conquest.
They were just trying to stop death.
‘Coming back alive from a forest where such monsters roam must have felt like a miracle itself.’
As his body tingled and trembled at the massive energy whose location he couldn’t even guess, Mogul picked up his axe and stood up.
“You go back now. I should warm up my body a bit.”
Slowly rising, he turned his head to the north and continued.
“Tell Sven to go back if possible. No, knowing him, he might go back on his own.”
Mogul, unconsciously gripping his axe tightly at the massive energy felt from the north, swallowed his saliva.
‘Strong. Much more than expected.’
He already knew the opponent was stronger than himself.
Since that was what Ian said at every meeting.
‘Did I inwardly not believe it?’
- The Orc Legion possesses potential far stronger than you imagine. The Tyrant is at least 8-star by human standards, perhaps reaching late 8-star.
It was hard to believe that mere Orcs were stronger than 7-star, but Ian was convinced the Tyrant exceeded 8-star.
- All 3 Legion Commanders in the legion should be considered to have exceeded 7-star by human standards. So defending using the fortress is hopeless. Repeating small-scale battles to delay the advance as much as possible is the best strategy we can do.
Knowing Ian isn’t a guy who talks nonsense, he didn’t say anything separately, but it was also true that he doubted inwardly.
That guy who was holed up only in Moner couldn’t have seen a 7-star or 8-star powerhouse, so how did he gauge the enemy’s level?
So, he thought Ian was overestimating the Orc Legion.
Setting the enemy’s level higher than reality couldn’t be seen as wrong for the head of the family anyway.
“What is the matter?”
Mogul, snapping out of his thoughts at Lina’s voice, scratched his head with one hand.
“I am reflecting on ignoring the Young Duke.”
“…Pardon?”
Thinking she missed something at Mogul’s sudden words, Lina hurriedly moved her mana.
“It’s useless. Even if you move mana, you won’t feel anything.”
Lina, retrieving her mana without lingering attachment, looked at him as if asking for an explanation.
“He is a guy whose location even I cannot know. It means his fighting spirit is stronger than my mana.”
Just as he was about to swallow saliva in his mouth dry from tension, he picked up the kettle containing alcohol and poured it into his mouth.
“Kuha! Now! Go back already! I should at least warm up until he comes!”
It was a hearty voice mixed with playfulness as usual, but Lina didn’t scold him like usual.
“Then, I will take my leave now.”
Instead, staring intently at his slightly trembling eyes, she smiled brightly.
“For this evening, I will prepare the alcohol you said you wanted to drink so much.”
Mogul, replacing his answer with hearty laughter, swung his axe to warm up his body until Lina disappeared from his view.
“I tried to buy time for you to run away somehow, but if it’s alcohol, the story is different.”
While organizing the office in Central Hold, he accidentally discovered a high-quality liquor bottle.
A masterpiece among masterpieces known to be brewed by a legendary Dwarf.
“There is no one who knows the taste of alcohol besides me, indeed. Naturally, shouldn’t I drink it?”
As if agreeing with his monologue, the gripped axe trembled its blade.
* * *
Around the time Ian and Mogul were each preparing for the upcoming battle.
At the sudden sense of heterogeneity, the Forest Witch, Mireska’s brow crumpled.
“Hmm……? Over there should be where those pigs are…….”
Maintaining magic of a scale that moves the forest is not an easy task even for her, so she checked every day, but the number of pigs decreased significantly overnight.
If it were about a hundred or two hundred, she wouldn’t have cared, but the reduced number was a whopping ten thousand.
“There’s no way I made a mistake…….”
Since she checks the magic circle every day, it was absolutely not a mistake.
“How on earth did they escape……? Did those crazy bastards cut down all the trees or something?”
Mireska, habitually biting her nails, recalled the contractor in her head.
The human who spoke in a brusque voice saying he was giving a chance to teach a human wizard. No, a dragon clearly in the middle of amusement.
“Wait! Then did I perhaps make a contract with a dragon?!”
As she shouted ‘Kyak-’ in surprise, the human who was training nearby burst open the door and shouted.
“What is it again?!”
“Huing…….”
Seeing the human wizard who could barely imitate a wizard now, a sense of injustice surged.
Thinking about it, it’s all because of that guy.
Since she agreed to tie up the Orcs in exchange for teaching two human wizards.
Vowing to double the training intensity from now on, she asked, shaking her hat.
Because it was a crisis situation where she had to borrow even a Goblin’s brain right now.
“By any chance, if you make a contract with a dragon in amusement, does it count as a contract with a dragon?”
“…Pardon?”
“Idiot! What do we do if a wizard can’t even understand such an easy question?!”
“That… First, could you explain what happened?”
Mireska, berating Jeremy saying it would have been better if a Goblin were here, explained the situation.
“…So, you mean some of the Orcs being tied up ran away? And you are scared the Young Duke might get angry.”
“Scared my foot! Not scared, just a little worried?!”
Actually, she was scared enough for her hands to be sweaty, but she didn’t want to show weakness at least in front of that human.
To that human at least, she wasn’t a scary witch but a great wizard and a great teacher, so she had to show dignity as a teacher.
“Yes, yes. You must be worried. Dragon……. Correct. Whether dragon or human, promises must be kept.”
Although it seemed ineffective on that annoying human.
“First, no matter how Orc-like they are, I don’t think they cut down trees to run away.”
“What? I’m telling you there is no other way for those pigs to run away unless it’s that?!”
“Mm… If they cut down trees to run away, wouldn’t all of them run away, not just some?”
Her head, wearing the hat deeply pressed down, shook vigorously.
“Absolutely impossible. That means those pigs broke my magic.”
That makes no sense.
If it were a being receiving the forest’s insidious blessing like a High Elf, maybe, but Orcs?
This was a matter of pride before contract.
“Could it be a spell? I’ve read research on monster spells at the Magic Tower…….”
Jeremy, about to say it seemed entirely possible, glanced at Mireska’s hat trembling as if resentful and dragged his words.
“…It’s not important. What’s important is solving the problem before the Young Duke finds out, isn’t it.”
“That’s true……. But how?”
At Mireska’s attitude different from her usual personality, Jeremy narrowed his eyes and looked at her.
Who is she in front of my eyes.
‘Come to think of it, who is she really?’
He suddenly realized he knew nothing about the witch, but what was important wasn’t her identity but the power she possessed.
‘I’ve never seen such a strong wizard in my life. Even Master said he wouldn’t last a moment…….’
Orcs or whatever, she could clean up with a single hand gesture.
His survival instinct tingled at the back of his head as if sensing ominousness, but he lightly ignored it.
Even if it’s a million, not ten thousand, she could clean them up sufficiently, so what’s the problem.
“Just clean up the ones that ran away, well.”
When he said without much thought, she clapped her hands ‘Clap!’ and shouted as if it were an amazing idea.
“That’s a really good idea! I thought you were only lazy and stupid, but to help me!”
Huh?
When Jeremy tried to stop her hurriedly thinking something was wrong, it was already too late.
Swish.
“Tada! Since you guys are weak, you two must move together!”
She hid her appearance with magic in the blink of an eye and returned with Garius.
‘What is happening?’
‘I don’t know either. Since that witch isn’t just slightly crazy…….’
As the two, quietly conversing with their eyes, looked at the witch, she shouted, shaking her hat as if excited.
“Now! Let’s explain the plan!”
“…Eh?”
“You stupid idiot! Just now you said you would sweep away the ones that ran away!”
“Me? When?”
Is this crazy witch talking nonsense like a Goblin going to college?
Damn it, somehow the crumpled tip of the hat seemed ominous.
“Then, no?”
At Mireska’s sharp voice, Jeremy lowered his head.
“No, not that, I will do it, but…….”
Jeremy, a frail wizard, wasn’t confident in killing even one Orc, let alone an Orc Legion.
Although he was confident in being torn into a thousand pieces by the Orc Legion.
But he couldn’t say he couldn’t do it in front of the witch either.
Looking back at the training process so far, it’s obvious she would roll him until the brink of death saying try until you can if he says he can’t.
‘Wait. Maybe this is better?’
Jeremy busily tapped the calculator in his head.
‘Yesterday I saw she brought a Treant…….’
Seeing she brought a Treant, a tree monster, following the Lycanthrope fought the day before yesterday, it was clear the training difficulty would increase every day.
Soon she might bring a Troll telling him to deal with it.
‘Compared to Lycanthropes or Treants, aren’t Orcs better?’
If fighting Orcs, at least I don’t have to worry about rabies.
Since the witch is here, there wouldn’t be any danger either.
Above all, he didn’t think he could avoid it by resisting now.
“…I will do it, but? What? Why stop talking mid-sentence?”
“I mean it would be hard for just me and Master to catch them all! Since we, lazy and frail humans, cannot use high-level magic like the great wizard Mireska-nim!”
At the appearance of Jeremy naturally starting to praise her, Garius couldn’t help but lament.
The guy who used to scream that he was unconditionally right bowing his head low and rubbing his hands…….
‘Mm, mm. That good-for-nothing finally came to his senses.’
Somehow, it was quite satisfying.
Like any true teacher, holding a small smile at his disciple’s growth, he corrected his disciple’s mistake.
“Unfortunately, my role is only support to the end. Fighting is all your share.”
“Pardon?! Where is something like that?! How can you do that to me, Master? Even if we die, we should die together!!”
Watching the disciple barking nonsense confidently, Garius laughed heartily.