Chapter 42
The meal that emerged from the Orcs’ lunchboxes.
A winged creature, palm-sized, with strong hind legs.
The Wind of Destruction.
The Maw of Hell.
A living, tiny catastrophe.
It had many names, but its official designation was:
Abaddon Locust
These insects, also known as the Locusts of Hell, which are bred as a traditional delicacy beloved by orcs, had escaped their fate of being devoured and found their freedom.
And right after that—
They began to devour the crops in front of them and multiplied their numbers in an instant.
The swarm of Hell’s Locusts, numbering in the tens of thousands, began to grow in the blink of an eye.
If food was abundant, these creatures, which could grow from egg to adult in a single night, would transform from a mere meal into an unstoppable disaster within just a few days.
“What… How is this possible…”
“Damn it! Block them somehow! Stop these damned locusts!”
The living wave of calamity that turned the golden fields into wasteland in an instant.
If there were any wizards around, the damage could have been minimized. However, the Empire’s wizards were fully occupied maintaining the barrier and assisting the Nael River campaign, leaving them with no extra capacity.
In the end, before any countermeasures could be taken, the Eastern Granary Region, which accounted for 60% of the Empire’s food production, was reduced to barren land, with not a single grain of rice left.
***
“Given this situation… the Empire now has no means left to produce any military provisions. The livestock have been slaughtered and are rotting in the fields, and every single grain of food has been consumed by the locusts.”
“…”
Gulp.
An enemy attack executed in a completely unexpected manner.
While they had been wasting days being stuck at the front of the fortress, the enemy had struck a critical blow right at their rear.
“How… how could those orcs come up with such a strategy…”
“This is not the time for stunned babbling. The fact that our supply lines have been cut means that, starting tomorrow, we won’t have any food to eat. What do we do now?”
“Ugh…”
Given the relatively short distance, food was being delivered every three days.
This left them with no stockpile of surplus provisions.
In other words, the 30,000 troops present here were now on the verge of starving to death.
In such a situation, there was only one decision General Obel could make.
“… We have no choice. We launch the attack as quickly as possible.”
“Wh… What? B-But…”
“There is no other way! By today, or at the latest by tomorrow, we must capture that fortress. After we slaughter those filthy orcs, we can declare victory and retreat!”
“Hmm…”
“Well, that’s probably the right answer. It’s better than just sitting around and starving to death, isn’t it?”
Even though they had managed to clear out the traps after several days of gruelling effort,
it was still uncertain whether they could capture the fortress in just three days.
However, despite this uncertainty, they had no choice but to move.
As time went on, the soldiers’ hunger would become more and more severe, ultimately pushing them into a corner.
Resolute in his decision, General Obel immediately began to take action.
***
“Attack!”
“Wipe out those filthy orcs!”
Finally, the Imperial Army launched a full-scale assault.
With no remaining traps to hinder them on the plain, they sprinted with all their might toward the fortress walls.
Soldiers advanced swiftly, blocking the incoming rocks with their shields.
They finally reached the walls, set up ladders, and began to climb.
“Raise your shields!”
“They’re going to attack! Protect your heads!”
Following the standard protocol of a siege, they climbed the ladders quickly, shields held overhead.
Even if more rocks came hurtling down, they believed that their steel shields would protect them from any serious harm.
However—
“Huh?”
“What is this… Gyaaah!!!”
The moment a chilling sensation brushed past them—
Massive boulders fell from above, crashing down on the soldiers climbing with their shields raised.
These stones, large enough to be used in a catapult, plummeted down and knocked the soldiers off the ladders.
“Humans! Block them!”
“Defend the fortress!”
“For Seraphim!”
The orcs shouted as they launched their counterattack.
They threw huge rocks or used their brute strength to push away the ladders that were securely set up, causing the Imperial Army to face unexpected difficulties in their assault.
Attempts to scale the walls were thwarted one after another, and even when some soldiers barely managed to reach the top, they were quickly overwhelmed by groups of orcs swarming like ants, killing them before they could put up a proper fight.
As time went by, the Imperial Army, having lost their initial momentum, began to slow down.
Watching this unfold, Generals Obel and Hos shouted decisively.
“Damn it! This isn’t working!”
“Seth! What on earth are you doing? Why aren’t you providing magical support?”
“Even if you say that… we’re out of mana! You saw how we used all our strength just to clear out the traps earlier. We even exhausted the mana we had saved through meditation…”
“This is no time to be saying such things! Provide support immediately! Even if you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel, just bombard them somehow!”
“But if I overdo it and the magic goes berserk… Haa… Fine, fine, I get it. But don’t blame me if things go wrong afterward.”
Reluctantly, Seth made a quick hand signal under the pressure of the Supreme Commander’s orders.
As soon as her signal was given, the mages positioned at the rear began their incantation.
“Winds of Madness!
Rise of the desert!
Sweep away everything in your path!
<Mad Tornado>!”
As the incantation ended, a tremendous gust of wind began to blow.
The powerful wind, strong enough to lift everything off the ground, formed a giant pillar and surged toward the fortress.
“Ugh!”
“Wind! It’s strong!”
A massive whirlwind swept over the orcs standing atop the fortress wall. Most of them clung to the ground, keeping their bodies firmly in place, but some were swept up by the wind, ultimately being flung high into the air. The orcs who fell to the ground died instantly upon impact.
The seemingly impregnable fortress wall that had been holding back the Imperial Army now started to show gaps. Seth and the mages had created a critical opening for their allied forces to seize the fortress.
However, if that had been all, it would have been fine. Unfortunately, a significant problem emerged at the same time…
“What… what is this… wh- whirlwind?!”
“No… Why are we—Aaaaargh!!!”
The whirlwind, which was initially intended to sweep away only the orcs, began to envelop the allied soldiers as well.
Having been forced to use magic with depleted mana, Seth’s spell spiralled out of control, indiscriminately drawing in both the orcs and the Imperial Army.
The orcs, possessing greater physical strength, managed to hold onto the walls and endure, but the human soldiers, unable to resist, were lifted into the air and met their deaths upon crashing back down.
In terms of actual damage, this spell was causing more harm to the allies than the enemies.
“You… you bastard!”
“What do you think you’re doing?! Why are you attacking our soldiers? Don’t tell me… did you betray us?!”
“Whoa, whoa! Hold on, hold on. You can’t just get mad at me right now, can you? I clearly mentioned that my mana was depleted. Forcing me to cast a spell in such a condition and expecting it to work perfectly? Isn’t that more unreasonable? I mean, you’re the ones who know this stuff better than anyone else, right? So why are you acting this way?”
“… Damn it.”
“Damn you…”
Already frustrated by her insincere and careless demeanour, Obel and Hos were now seething at being confronted with such blunt truth. All they could do was glare at Seth, unable to come up with any counterarguments.
In the end, the Imperial Army’s last bit of morale crumbled due to Seth’s erratic spell.
The soldiers, now sluggish and demoralized, showed no sign of regaining their momentum. Recognizing this, Obel had no choice but to make a painful decision.
“Retreat…”
“B-but, General Obel!”
“The soldiers have already lost their will to fight. Continuing the battle will only increase casualties. For now, retreat and reorganize the formation. That’s our best option.”
With no food supply left, the order to reorganize was practically akin to abandoning the mission altogether.
However, Hos had no better solution either, so he could only comply with the command.
But then…
“! General! Look over there!”
“What?”
“What… what is that?! Don’t tell me…”
At that moment, a massive horde of orcs appeared in their line of sight.
And leading the orcs were individuals who could be considered the Alpha and Omega of this entire war.
Seeing them emerge from the east and the west, the faces of the Imperial commanders turned ashen—except for one person.
‘That must be… Regent Mok!’
The orcs began to swarm from all sides, delivering a fatal and decisive blow to the already retreating Imperial Army.
Half a day later…
The once-proud Imperial Army lay in ruins, completely annihilated.
And then…
{Heh…}
Observing the scene from a high vantage point…
A cold smile spread across the lips of Goddess Isiris as she realized that the moment for her to step forward was drawing near.
—
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