Chapter 41
Imperial Army Dispatched to Suppress the Rebellion by the Emperor’s Command.
Led by General Obel, the Warrior King, the Imperial Army marched along the Nael River, which was still stained with fresh blood, and arrived at a fortress that had been occupied by orcs.
But then…
“What… What is that…?”
“Hmm…”
“Ugh… These filthy orcs dare…?”
The fortress began to emerge in front of them, and the Imperial Army instinctively frowned at the sight.
It wasn’t due to the size of the fortress or the might of the garrison.
The number of orcs visible was roughly around twenty thousand.
On the other hand, the number of elite soldiers in the Imperial Army that came here totalled thirty thousand.
Three of the four Imperial Legions were present, excluding the 1st Legion, which remained in the imperial palace as a precautionary measure. In terms of force and presence, the Imperial Army had the upper hand.
Moreover, the fortress by the Nael River was originally meant only for surveillance and maintaining “public order.”
While it could provide some assistance in defense, it was fundamentally too cramped for large-scale combat operations.
In other words, it couldn’t be expected to play any significant role in a large-scale battle.
However, despite this seemingly favourable position, a deep sense of confusion and… a slight tinge of fear arose within the hearts of the soldiers, the generals, and even the Supreme Commander Obel, as they stood before the fortress.
Blood.
And Corpses.
The walls of the fortress were covered in crimson blood.
Rotting corpses were swarmed by flies and maggots, and the stench of decay was pervasive throughout the area.
Seeing such a sight that would naturally incite revulsion in any human, the atmosphere among the Imperial Army grew heavy.
“Are those corpses… of those who were monitoring the orc villages?”
“It seems so, General. Judging by their equipment, they were probably the ones involved in the ‘Disposal’ Operations.”
The systematic massacre of young orc cubs had been conducted periodically.
To carry out these extermination operations, soldiers were stationed throughout various orc villages.
From the orcs’ perspective, these individuals were, of course, their most loathed enemies.
But from the Empire’s standpoint, they were patriots who had dedicated themselves and died for the Empire.
Seeing the bodies of such people lying so brutally desecrated was something the Imperial Army could not tolerate.
“No matter how much of an enemy they are, how could they commit such a vile act?!”
“Unforgivable! In the name of a warrior’s honour, I will kill every last one of these filthy orcs! Full attack, now!”
Consumed by anger and hatred, Obel gave the order to attack.
Following his command, the heavily armed infantry quickly began their assault on the fortress.
Driven by a deep-seated loathing for their enemies who had cruelly slaughtered their comrades, the infantry charged forward without a second thought.
But then…
Thud!
“What?”
“What… What is this…?”
“It’s… it’s a trap!!”
In an instant, the ground suddenly gave way, and the soldiers fell straight down.
Caught off guard, the soldiers found themselves plummeting down into the ground…
“Aaaargh!!!”
“Gaaaah!!!”
What greeted the falling soldiers, their faces filled with confusion and fear, was…
A series of sharp bamboo stakes.
Even though they were wearing armour, the speed and weight of their fall, combined with the surprisingly strong and unyielding nature of the bamboo…
No, the “spikes”…
The stakes penetrated straight through the bodies of the soldiers.
Moreover, the soldiers following closely behind were unable to control their momentum and fell on top of their impaled comrades.
The vanguard infantry unit led by Obel was thus stuck, struggling in the pitfall trap, and their advance was severely delayed.
At that moment…
Whoosh!
Bam!!
“Ugh!!”
“No… Those bastards are throwing rocks… Aaargh!!”
The orcs, stationed within the fortress, began hurling rocks down upon the Imperial Army.
These weren’t just ordinary stones. With the tremendous strength of the orcs behind them, the rocks flew with tremendous force, shattering the helmets of soldiers even at considerable distances.
The impact of the rocks, imbued with the orcs’ overwhelming power, was so destructive that even steel helmets proved useless.
This inflicted severe casualties on the Imperial Army, already struggling in the pitfall trap.
“These… these scoundrels!”
“Cowardly bastards! These orcs dare use such dirty tricks with their traps!”
“Haa…”
Obel and Hos expressed their frustration and anger at the unexpected situation.
However, upon witnessing their reactions, Seth let out a small sigh and slowly shook her head.
‘Cowardly? There’s no such thing as cowardice on a battlefield where lives are at stake. If that’s the case, then I guess we shouldn’t use traps when hunting monsters, either?’
It was a grave mistake from the very beginning to consider strategy and tactics as something exclusive to humans.
Moreover, if their opponent was the cunning Mok leading the orcs, then no matter how brutish the individual orcs might seem, they were certainly capable of moving tactically.
Ignoring this fact and underestimating the enemy just because they were orcs was the reason they ended up in this mess.
Of course, despite this oversight, the situation hadn’t turned completely against them just yet.
“Damn it! Halt the advance and raise your shields!”
“Archers to the front! Prevent those orcs from throwing stones!”
Though briefly caught off guard, Obel and Hos quickly resumed command with the composure expected of the Empire’s leading generals.
Following their orders, the soldiers began moving in perfect unison, slowly advancing forward.
But as they moved, they were mercilessly subjected to a series of traps.
Starting with the first pitfall trap filled with bamboo spikes…
Then there were the wooden planks covered with nails that pierced through their boots.
And finally, a moat filled with the putrid stench of rotting corpses and water teeming with maggots.
Each one of these traps was unbelievably vicious and ruthless, making it hard to believe they were conceived by orcs.
In addition, intermittent rock-throwing attacks from the orcs further hindered the Imperial Army’s advance, causing their pace to become excruciatingly slow.
To make matters worse, disease began to spread within their ranks as they passed through the moat covered in rotting bodies.
Despite being right in front of the fortress, the Imperial Army’s march came to a near standstill.
“Damn it… Just how many days has it been like this?!”
“Hey, Seth! Can’t you just blow away all these traps with your magic?”
“That’s difficult. We don’t even know where all the traps are. It would be too inefficient. And if I recklessly waste mana like that, we’ll be left twiddling our thumbs when the real battle starts, you know?”
Seth shrugged her shoulders and declined in a roundabout way.
However, Obel, who was already reaching his limit of frustration, spoke in a stern voice.
“Do it anyway! While our soldiers are dying, are you mages just going to stand around doing nothing?! Lend us your strength, even if just a little!”
“Doing nothing…? Do you not realize that even breathing is a task for us mages? We have to conserve our power to use it at the most crucial moment—”
“Silence! That’s an order! Get rid of those traps immediately with your magic!”
“Huu~ Fine, fine~ Just don’t regret it later~”
With a half-hearted expression, Seth made a simple gesture with her hand.
Thus, the mages began to use up their precious mana to help clear away the traps.
True to the name of the Storm Legion, they created massive whirlwinds to sweep away the traps.
As a result, their mana quickly drained, but thanks to their efforts, the army’s sluggish advance started to pick up speed.
And finally…
After spending several days overcoming the tedious traps, the Imperial Army finally reached the walls of the fortress and launched a full-scale siege.
“Finally, the time for revenge has come!”
“Don’t leave a single one of those filthy creatures alive! Kill them all!”
Having suffered through numerous traps, the Imperial Army was filled with a burning rage.
With their eyes fixed only on the enemy before them, they advanced with fierce determination.
But then…
“General! Th… there’s a major problem!”
“Hmm?”
“A major problem? What do you mean?”
Obel and Hos felt a sense of confusion and curiosity at the sudden report from the messenger.
And the news that reached their ears was…
“Wh… what did you just say? The… the orcs, what did they do?”
“The enemy’s special forces have attacked the rear! The supply lines that were supposed to come our way have all been severed!”
“Wha… what do you mean…”
“How is that possible?! What was General Roa and the 1st Legion doing?! How could something like this happen?”
“Th… that’s…”
Unexpected news.
As the detailed report continued, shock and disbelief spread across the faces of the two generals.
In contrast, a deep admiration began to appear on the face of Seth, who was listening from the sidelines.
***
The air was filled with the desperate cries of livestock coming from all directions.
Amidst those cries, Mok spoke in a calm, collected voice.
“Hurry up. We need to finish this before they catch on.”
The western pasturelands, located just west of the Empire, where nearly 80% of the Empire’s livestock was raised.
At this moment, the place had turned into an open slaughterhouse under Mok and his 20,000 orcs.
Livestock were being mercilessly slaughtered by the orcs’ clubs.
Mok, who had once served as a Regent and been deeply involved in livestock management, felt uncomfortable witnessing the scene. However, he pressed forward without wavering.
The future of his people was far more important than the lives of these mute animals.
With that clear understanding, he swiftly moved through the western pasturelands, using the knowledge he had gained as a Regent to complete his “work.”
By the time the Empire, fully focused on the attack on the Nael River fortress, noticed what was happening and started to act…
Nearly all of the livestock raised in the western pasturelands had been massacred.
***
Meanwhile.
On the opposite side, in the eastern granary region, another group of orcs was in motion.
Led by Princess Patra, a force of 10,000 orcs had arrived in the eastern granary region and began releasing the “traditional food” they had brought with them.
“Slurp… What a waste.”
“Looks delicious.”
“Stop gawking and start unloading. We need to move before the enemy notices.”
“Understood, Princess.”
“Orders received!”
“For Lord Seraphim! We can afford to miss a meal!”
With drooling mouths, the orcs opened the “lunchboxes” they had carried with them.
And with that, “those things” started to crawl out of the containers brought by the 10,000 orcs.
—
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