53 – Scar-7

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to vacate the inn tomorrow. This old man said to fight with a spear.”

“It’s okay. We were going to fight too.”

“Thank you. Well, it won’t be possible to escape… but it will slightly increase my daughter’s chances of surviving.”

I couldn’t be sure If I were there, the line wouldn’t collapse right away, but there is absolutely nothing on the battlefield.

No matter how formidable an Orc was, he was stronger than an ordinary soldier. The moment the swords meet, the god of fate decides whether that person will survive or not.

“If you’re really scared, stay by my side! Even if I’m like this now, I’ve had a fight in the past, right?”

The waitress was also wearing leather armor and holding a sword and shield and stanced here and there.

I didn’t know much about adventurers, but her armament was quite plausible.

The swords in this world are handmade no matter how cheap they are. Even if it’s not a famous sword, it’s not easy for adventurers to buy it at their own expense.

Considering that shields and leather armor are items that cost money, at least he spared no investment in himself, and his skills were proven to some extent.

Of course, such people die.

“Please take care of me.”

Usually, in situations like this, I would be wary of outsiders. But these people accepted me without hesitation.

At least, I’m glad I didn’t think this decision was for nothing.

“Well, we’ll meet eventually anyway. Adventurers and wandering knights are gathered in one place… Ah, can the lady fight too?”

Seris waved her hands cutely and pretended to fight.

“Give me a knife and I’ll just wipe it all away!”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ll never die and I’ll come back with the lady’s master, so please wait here.”

The waitress stroked her hair and then beat the drunken sleepy adventurers to wake them up.

“Wake up, pigs! How long are you going to sleep?”

“I might die today, isn’t it too harsh?”

“I will never die. So don’t be embarrassed and get up, you idiot! If you don’t want to die by my sword, not by the orc!”

Despite the desperate situation, it seemed that they hadn’t lost their composure yet.

“Is it a battle?”

“Yes. They say that as soon as we get together, we’ll sortie right away? Honestly, I don’t know why we have to fight the orcs first. Can’t we just dig a trap…”

It didn’t feel right. I thought it might be a harder fight than I thought.

/////

“A group of Orcs have appeared. The number is at least a thousand. We must dispatch an army as soon as possible.”

It was a bit late, but the news also reached the imperial palace. However, not all of his subjects considered this an urgent matter.

“Who will send an army first?”

No one opened their mouths.

It wasn’t without an army. Soldiers from all over the world who had been called up to stop the Demon King’s army were waiting in a position where they could be put in at any time.

However, they didn’t want to move.

“First of all, we need to figure out the number of enemies. Rather than being defeated individually after a clumsy army marches out one after another, we need to move based on clear information.”

Creon’s words were the truth. Not even a handful of troops should be used hastily.

However, now that the demon king is dead, time is more important to save even one more citizen.

“The territory where the Orcs are haunted has no castles and lacks a standing army. Urgently raise troops before the village is devastated…”

The emperor paused for a moment. Things were worse than expected.

There was a limit to the army that the emperor could directly move. It was money to maintain an army, and loyal guards were already on the battlefield where they were indispensable.

The war isn’t over yet. Although there was no large-scale attack by demonic spirits, they had to recover the occupied land and prepare for an unexpected attack.

And what filled that void, of course, was Eleanor’s overwhelming force and her knights.

However, even the emperor himself could not tell her broken heart to move.

There were many people who inherited the blood of the imperial family, and there were not a few people who were aiming for her life. Eleanor, who became his sword instead of the emperor and opposed the nobles, was not supported by the nobles.

What kept her alive was her strong strength as a hero and the support of the citizens.

Even if a nobleman mobilizes a clumsy assassin or a bully, he has the power to cut down with a single knife, and even if he mobilizes countless soldiers, he has such a reputation that the soldier will refuse to obey orders.

But now, neither was there. Sending the princess into the army of an unreliable nobleman was dangerous.

“Your Majesty. The lords are getting tired too.”

Crown was the kind of person who thought a few times and then chose the safest words. The reason he said such rude things was because it was okay to say these things now.

Normally, the nobles would have followed just the emperor’s orders. He had that much authority.

Or, there might have been an ambitious nobleman who would invest his soldiers just to gain the Emperor’s favour.

“From the beginning, the defense of the territory is the responsibility of the lord. Since the demon army is gone, shouldn’t we obey the laws of the empire?”

And the reason why the lord’s soldiers were lacking was because he, a member of the princess’ faction, zealously recruited soldiers.

For the sake of the Empire, the territory must be protected. Those who devoted themselves to the Emperor must be rewarded.

Once trust is broken, the nobles will stock up on privates again. The nobles who increased the number of soldiers would become a threat to other nobles around them, and in order to suppress it, the empire had to increase the number of soldiers again.

Ironically, however, it was also a matter of trust that the territory could not be saved now.

Unlike before, it was not possible to instill a sense of security that service to the emperor would surely be rewarded.

He’s holding on somehow for now, but in the end, the emperor has to concede something. His authority will be further shaken.

The emperor felt that his seat was crumbling. You were paying the price for your choices.

“In the first place, if the lord had been competent, this would not have happened.”

“To fight head-on with an orc with an improvised army, maybe I’ve read too many chivalry novels, or I have no concept of a battlefield at all…”

The Emperor could understand why he made that choice. And that, ironically, was also the reason why he couldn’t use the last remaining soldiers.

In the end, no decision was made until after the meeting. People did not back down an inch for their own interests.

When the time passed, no one who would be harmed had a voice or was not in the meeting room.

/////

“no.”

Eleanor thought that it could still be undone.

Even if she had ceased to be a hero, she was still a swordsman. His body was in tatters and he couldn’t possibly hold a sword, but with more rest and time, he could get better.

However, the information that the informant handed over was more shocking than I could have imagined.

“Nonsense. Not too far from the capital… There’s no way that many Orcs can be found.”

“The reports from the spies agree. The quantity varies slightly, but the fact that a large group of orcs is moving is consistent.”

“…Has this report gone up to His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes. The agenda has already been raised to the meeting. But…”

None of the soldiers moved. There were no reinforcements. To that extent, it was a fact that could be known without being reported separately.

“Has it been reported that Erenel is there?”

“You have been reported.”

If so, the emperor must have felt the same threat as her.

Thousands of orcs couldn’t cross the border stealthily like assassins.

It’s true that the battle with the demon lord left loopholes on the border, but at least for a unit of that size, intelligence should have come in long ago.

“…Is it increasing?”

However, it was different if there were dozens or hundreds of Orcs. If you move away from the village, there will be no damage, and you can invade without being noticed between the attacks of numerous monsters.

“Are you saying that orcs just grow?”

“As long as there is magic. And, if there is a catalyst to do so. Didn’t the lord say that he chose the field battle?”

“That’s right.”

It was a lord I had met several times. He didn’t have outstanding tactics, but he was someone who knew the minimum reason.

If you were going to deal with 1,000 Orcs, it would be much more efficient to mobilize a detached unit to lure them in and wait.

However, if that 1,000 Orc troops increased to 3,000 or 5,000 in a matter of days, it was the only possible strategy to somehow gather soldiers and attack and defeat them.

“Did the Orc Lord come in?”

Now that the demon king is dead, there are few monsters that have accumulated demonic energy enough to form a group of orcs.

The reason why the emperor did not gather the last remaining guards and send rescue was probably because he was afraid of that variable.

Reinhardt was strong enough to fight the Orc Lord with swords, but he would lose his life if he was surrounded by the Orcs due to his lack of power.

“At least he has to live…”

“Looking at the fact that he won’t leave so far, it looks like he intends to join the fight.”

“is it.”

Again, he was there. I stood there to save even one more person.

Eleanor used to lean on that figure. I deceived myself and thought in a comfortable direction.

He was treated as if the chain of a slave hung on his ankle, who had no obligation.

Sacrifice and dedication were taken for granted.

Eleanor had no intention of being deceived any more.