Chapter 107: Orc Lord

Chapter 107: Orc Lord

Hegel, who had cut off communication, took out a cigar from his pocket and began to light it.

Soon, the smoke from the lit cigar enveloped his surroundings.

The conversation with Adrias was somewhat meaningful.

"A refusal..."

Indeed, someone holding the position of an imperial count wouldn't easily set foot at a gathering.

Certainly, he understood, but it felt a bit vexing.

"Should I mess with Charon a bit?"

Certainly, Jester seemed like he would make a fuss, but it didn't matter.

From the start, Hegel's skills were superior to Jester's.

Even if there were complaints, there wouldn't be much to say even if they came in person.

Adrias seemed quite talented, so Hegel didn't want to meddle anymore.

As is the case in this world, if one couldn't easily crush a sapling, it was better to get along.

Since it was impossible to predict when the other party might become helpful or threatening.

'Adrias Cromwell is barely in his early twenties. Considering that he killed Kyle alone at that age, the probability of possessing exceptional talent and skill is high.'

Getting along with such a person would be advantageous in various ways in the long run.

However, that didn't mean he would just let things be.

Ordering the hierarchy was something that needed to be done right away.

"It seems I've been reaching out to various places after a long time."

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We greeted the first morning in the Grandis Kingdom.

Since he was planning to head straight to the bordering area of Great Forest, he had a simple breakfast at the inn.

While dipping a hard bread into the watery soup, Luna's figure descending the stairs caught his eye.

"Good morning."

Luna, greeting with a bright smile, still had a mysterious aura about her.

Her appearance was so unrealistically beautiful that one would wonder how a person could be born like that.

He had already told Luna that they would be entering the Great Forest beforehand.

Sitting across from him, she dipped her portion of bread into the soup and ate.

"Hmm, it's a bit bland."

She immediately picked up the soup and bread and headed to the counter.

"It's bland! Are you going to run the business like this?"

"I-I'm sorry. I'll bring it back soon."

Since she was so famous that almost no one didn't know her, the innkeeper hurriedly took the soup and bread to the kitchen.

I wonder how someone with that personality manages to hide in a residence.

'Come to think of it, Luna dies quite often in the game.'

There were hardly any cases where she died due to the player.

Mostly, she died due to other characters, with the kingdom being the biggest reason.

'The kingdom can't stand her.'

Even among the numerous black magicians, their antagonism was remarkable.

The connection traced back to her mother, Eve Millennium.

It was a longstanding feud that had carried on since ancient times, not something that could be easily severed, and there was nothing I could do right now to change that.

She came back with the bread and soup and set a plate in front of me.

"I brought yours too."

"Thank you."

"We're friends, after all. What's there to thank for, hehe."

I was reminded again of her unexpected consideration.

Looking at her like this, the title of "mad genius" didn't quite fit. Life is full of the unknown.

"By the way, friend, what did you talk with Hegel yesterday?"

"Weren't you listening together?"

"Yeah, but..."

Luna calmly spoke as she put the bread in her mouth.

Her cheeks protruding like that made her look like a chipmunk.

"He told me to join the assembly."

"Assembly!"

Luna, hurriedly passing the bread, looked at me with sparkling eyes.

I looked around nervously to see if anyone else could hear, but it was early morning and there was no one in sight.

"So? Are you going too? None of my friends of the same age have ever joined the gathering!"

'It's an unexpected turn of events.'

For now, it seemed like the best thing to do was to head to the border area of the Great Forest to assess the situation.

If it was indeed as difficult as expected to enter the interior of the Great Forest, then the goal should be to cut off the Orc Lord's head, just as Luna said.

I could think these thoughts only because Luna was accompanying me.

'With Luna Pendragon, capturing the Orc Lord should be quite quick.'

After concluding my thoughts, I said to Luna.

"Let's go for now. Let's go and check it out."

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Vayatra Fortress, bordering the Great Forest of Vayatra.

Among the outposts located in the border area, it was the largest in scale.

Ding dong ding dong!

"Multiple orcs spotted at 1 o'clock direction."

With the resounding toll of a massive bell, soldiers' alerts spread through the area.

However, as it had become routine, the soldiers and mercenaries preparing for battle didn't seem tense.

"Let us eat, you damn bastards."

A mercenary grumbled as he climbed up the fortress wall.

As always, the sight of the monotonous, muscular green-skinned creatures advancing was seen.

"Hmm? Hey, there's something odd about that."

People who considered it the usual provocation realized something was strange.

The orc's momentum was particularly fierce, and their eyes were bloodshot as if excited.

"Damn it! It's a shaman!"

The appearance of the shaman caused turmoil within the Vayatra Fortress.

For the first time, the orc shamans who had only shown themselves near the front lines, particularly around the nearby Endeavor Fortress, revealed themselves in this rear stronghold, which also served as a hub for distributing resources.

"Does the appearance of a shaman here mean that the front line has been breached?"

"There's been no news like that. It's probably one of the groups that broke away."

Despite trying to judge calmly, concerns about the possibility of the front-line fortress being in danger or breached lingered. Meanwhile, a force of several hundred orcs was drawing closer.

"Magicians, get ready!"

"Open fire!"

From mercenary magicians to Grandis Royal Court magicians,

Magicians with diverse abilities initiated bombardments.

Boom! Clank!

Their attacks, with longer range than arrows, crushed over the heads of the orcs.

"The shaman is confirmed."

The soldiers' expressions froze as they observed the nearly transparent barriers blocking the spells sent from the fortress.

Soon, while subsequent spells were being cast, a shower of arrows rained down toward the orcs.

Swish!

Thunk thunk thunk!

Kraha!

Covered in tough muscles all over, the orcs only protected their vital points and marched forward tenaciously.

Sometimes, even if arrows pierced their bodies, they just laughed, casually snapping the arrows in their bodies.

"They're coming!"

"Stand firm and block them!"

With the shaman's involvement, a different kind of offensive was unfolding than what had been seen until now.

The wicked orc strategy was so overwhelming that the forces of the fortress, who had fought tirelessly in a battle of attrition for days, were staggered.

"Here come ladders!"

"Remove the ladders!"

Archers and magicians continued to fire projectiles, but the orcs, agitated by the shaman's sorcery, were unyielding.

Amid this tense moment of preparing for a close combat engagement,

Swoosh

From the rear of the orc horde, something rapidly approached, and in an instant, it cut through the orcs and sliced the neck of what seemed to be the shaman.

Squelch!

Thunk, clatter.

As the shaman died, the frenzied orcs were suddenly released from their agitated state, falling into confusion without understanding the situation. The forces on the fortress walls were equally bewildered.

"What in the world...?"

The man who had severed the orc shaman's neck.

It was the appearance of Adrias Cromwell.