Due to the dragons’ intervention, the course of the war became exceedingly uncertain. Because of the red dragon Verkis and
the two dragons who followed him, three heavy knight orders were annihilated within days, and bases across the land
were being destroyed almost daily.
Because of them, the expeditionary army’s strategy had no choice but to be drastically revised. They could no longer conduct efficient
battles through the coordinated use of each branch of arms. Arcadia’s expeditionary army, just as the Truvenian army had done in the past,
was reduced to splitting into small units in order to respond to the dragons’ air raids.
The one fortunate thing was that, unlike five hundred years ago, there were no simultaneous air raids across multiple battlefields.
Wary of the Dragon Slayer, the dragons always attacked the expeditionary army’s divisions in groups of three.
It was because they feared being defeated one by one, as Musius had been. Ironically, the expeditionary army was able to regain
a measure of leeway for precisely that reason. Of course, any division attacked by the dragons had to be prepared for annihilation,
but the other divisions could carry out operations actively without worrying about air raids.
However, the greatest problem for the expeditionary army was supply. Since storms were still raging over the sea
between the continents, their supply lines were as good as completely cut off. They were not in immediate difficulty,
but it was plain as day that food and supplies would run out before long.
In order to resolve that supply problem, Duke Pershtein sent down an innovative strategy to each division.
It was a plan to use small elite units to rescue the human slaves under the rule of the orc tribes and make them
the expeditionary army’s supply line. To carry out the plan, senior knights from knight orders of every level were
drafted on a large scale. The operation was executed with lightning speed. So as not to give the orcs time to respond……
The territory of the former Kingdom of Tranbel, located at the southern end of Truvenia. Five hundred years ago, Tranbel,
the wealthiest nation in Truvenia, had stood there, but now only desolate ruins remained.
However, the fertile land itself had not changed, and several orc tribes had firmly established themselves there.
Each and every one of them was a race that prospered by raising human slaves on a massive scale.
The Roar River, which ran through the center of the territory, flowed on leisurely despite the change in its master. Yet
on the riverbank, dozens of shadows had gathered together, murmuring among themselves. They all wore leather armor
smeared with soot, and their weapons had been coated with ash as well, so that they would not give off a sharp gleam.
One among them looked around at the shadows and opened his mouth.
“Is this place certain?”
The middle-aged man with brown hair standing beside him quickly answered.
“Yes. According to our information, the orc tribe located here is said to have around a thousand slaves under its control.”
“Are you certain?”
“Yes. This is information that knights of our homeland investigated only a few years ago, and considering that the orcs
are not a race that readily changes territory, it should be certain.”
“Hmm.”
The one who let out a low groan was a Royal Guard knight from Tezeros by the name of Jatorman. Having been deployed
to Truvenia through the portal as part of the advance party, he had been assigned to this operation and was in command of the raiding party.
The brown-haired staff officer was also from Tezeros, and most of the raiding group were knights of Tezeros as well.
For the smooth execution of the operation, the raiding parties, each made up of one hundred men, were mostly composed of knights
from a single nation. Only then could they expect smooth coordination and a rise in morale.
After letting out a long sigh, Jatorman soon began a speech. It was a speech meant to raise his subordinates’ morale
and instill in them a sense of purpose.
“This mission is an indispensable operation for the survival of the entire expeditionary army. As you already know,
with the destruction of the portal, our supply lines have been completely severed. The same goes for our route of retreat.
Therefore, if we fail to succeed in this operation, all of us will have to bury our bones here.
Is there anyone among you who has no family?”
But not a single person raised his hand. Unless one had been born an orphan, there was no reason anyone would have
no family. Jatorman nodded as if he had expected as much, then concluded.
“If you want to return alive and see your families, you must succeed in this mission. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then commence the operation.”
Once the order was given, the knights began to move in perfect order. Because they wore leather armor, and even their shields
had been covered in leather, they made no sound at all. As knights belonging to a regular knight order, their movements
were incomparably agile.
The place they were approaching was a slave village managed by orcs. In this village, which belonged to a tribe
called Kuirek by the orcs, some three hundred warriors had been dispatched to supervise the humans.
It was now the hour before dawn, when day was just beginning to break, and it was also the time when the nocturnal orcs
would be deep asleep. It could be called the optimal time for the raiding parties to infiltrate. Concealing themselves as much as possible,
the raiding groups began to approach the outposts on the outskirts of the village. A moment later, faint sounds of breath being cut off
leaked from the outer outpost.
“Grrk.”
“Kik.”
The knights who had gone on the raid took care to silence the sentries as soundlessly as possible. Unfortunately,
the orcs’ senses far surpassed those of humans. A sentry who had woken from sleep at the sound from the neighboring outpost
saw the attackers and immediately let out a warning cry.
“Enemy! Humans are attacking!”
Without hesitation, the attackers revealed themselves and began to charge. Now that they had been discovered, a swift resolution
was the only way through, and the knights who had been sent in knew that fact well.
Bwooooo.
The sound of a horn rang out breathlessly. At the same time, the gates of the wooden palisade surrounding the village closed with a roar.
Thud.
The doors of the houses opened, and orc warriors began pouring out. Their response could be called flawless,
but unfortunately, the attackers’ abilities far exceeded the orcs’ expectations. Jatorman, who had been running at the very front,
swung his sword without asking questions.
“Kek.”
The two orc warriors standing firm before the palisade gate collapsed like rotten sheaves of straw. Jatorman pressed the advantage,
cut down one more warrior, then drove his longsword, infused with Aura Blade, straight into the palisade gate without hesitation.
Thunk.
It was a sturdy gate reinforced here and there with iron, but it could not resist the Aura Blade. The palisade gate
broke apart almost absurdly easily, and through it the attackers surged in like a burst dam.
What followed was a one-sided massacre.
More than half of the knights deployed in the raid were skilled enough to use Aura Blade.
With a hundred such high-ranking knights pouring in, there was no way the mere three hundred or so orc warriors
could stop them. As if to prove it, the number of orc warriors was rapidly dwindling.
It was like a fight between adults and children. Realizing that things were hopeless, a few orc warriors
began to quietly fall back. They intended to go to the tribe and request reinforcements,
but unfortunately, they could not escape Jatorman’s sharp eyes and ears.
“Don’t let a single one get away. Kill them all.”
At those words, three or four knights abandoned the opponents they had been fighting and launched themselves forward. Because every one of them
could control mana, the distance to the fleeing orc warriors closed rapidly.
Realizing that the distance had narrowed, one knight drew a dagger from his chest and hurled it with all his might.
“Kik.”
The orc warrior, with the dagger lodged in the back of his neck, toppled over on the spot. Toward the orc warrior beside him,
who had flinched at his comrade’s death, the hand of death was already approaching. In the instant a sword flash gleamed,
the waist of the orc warrior, who had been focused on running, was cleanly severed. His upper body was driven into the ground where it stood,
and only after his lower body took a few more steps did it collapse limply.
The two orc warriors running in the opposite direction likewise bid farewell to life at the hands of the knights. When the knight
who had dealt with the orc warriors returned to where his comrades were, the situation had been cleanly settled. The three hundred
orc warriors had all collapsed into a sea of blood without a single one remaining. Jatorman, his expression stiff,
was listening to the damage report.
“One dead, and two seriously wounded. There are five lightly wounded, but they can still fight.”
“It is regrettable to lose one here. But it cannot be helped. Carry out the mission as planned.”
“Understood.”
The mages who had followed behind the knights began drawing teleportation magic circles on the ground. Only the mages
knew where they would be moving to. In the meantime, the knights, drenched in blood,
went around knocking on the doors of the houses. But most of the doors were tightly locked.
“Open up. If you do not open, we will break our way in.”
Yet no doors opened, so the knights had no choice but to break them down and drag the slaves out.
The slaves, all skin and bones, were led out by the hands of the knights, trembling. Jatorman first had them
gathered in one place. The terrified gazes of the slaves focused on Jatorman.
‘He told me that, since they are people accustomed to life as slaves, I should deal with them sternly.’
Recalling Duke Pershtein’s request, Jatorman took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“As of today, you have been drafted into our Arcadian expeditionary army.
From now on, you will work not for the orcs, but for the soldiers of our expeditionary army.”
The gathered slaves only murmured and showed no particular reaction.
A moment later, a middle-aged man walked out from among the slaves.
Judging by the hostility in his eyes, his feelings toward the people of Arcadia did not seem very favorable.
“We cannot agree to that.
Until now, I have not seen a single person who associated with Arcadians and managed to keep his life.”
Jatorman glanced sideways at the knight standing beside him.
Thud.
The middle-aged man clutched his abdomen and collapsed on the spot. Having been struck by a blow loaded with mana,
there was no way he could withstand it. Jatorman stretched out a finger and pointed at the corpses of the orc warriors lying scattered everywhere.
“Anyone who does not obey orders, or who says he wants to continue living as an orc’s slave, will be made to look like that. In any case,
you have no right to choose. If you do not want to die, you will work for us without pay for an indefinite period.”
At that moment, the middle-aged man raised his face, twisted in pain. Soon, a strained voice burst out.
“You mean to use us as slaves. If so, then you are no different from the orcs.”
A smile appeared on Jatorman’s face.
“There is one difference. At the very least, we do not eat humans……”
At Jatorman’s single sentence, the middle-aged man was left utterly speechless. In the meantime, the mages completed the teleportation
magic circles. There were ten in all.
“They are ready.”
“We move.”
Jatorman gave the order without another word. The knights who received the order roughly shoved the slaves forward.
The middle-aged man was hauled up by the collar by Jatorman himself.
“Now move. I will not forgive anyone who dawdles.”
“Everyone, stand on the magic circles.”
At the knights’ rough gestures, the slaves had no choice but to climb onto the magic circles, not leaving a single one behind. After confirming
that no one had been missed, Jatorman gestured. Seeing it, the mages immediately activated the teleportation
magic.
“Warp.”
A dazzling light burst from the magic circles, and the people standing atop them vanished along with the mass of light.
The mages who had carried out the warp immediately stepped onto the magic circle prepared for themselves. Their figures
also disappeared from that place without a trace. Such events were occurring simultaneously throughout Truvenia.
The place where the slaves, who had experienced teleportation for the first time in their lives, arrived was an isolated
village prepared in a remote spot on a mountainside. Of course, it was also an area occupied by the expeditionary army.
There, many people other than them had gathered together and were murmuring. Seeing their emaciated bodies
draped in rags, they seemed to be slaves brought in from other places. Once they arrived at the destination,
the knights separated only the young men from among the captured slaves.
The number of young men was unexpectedly small. Among nearly seven hundred slaves, there were only around
one hundred young men. It was because the orcs had seized every opportunity to pick out and take away young people
who might become the seed of rebellion. Most of the slaves were middle-aged or elderly, and there were far more women.
The knights gathered the selected youths off to the side. Around fifty young men who seemed to have been sorted in advance
were looking around anxiously in every direction. Once the sorting was finished, Jatorman strode over
and handed documents to an officer who appeared to be in charge.
“I am Jatorman, in command of the Eighty-Ninth Raiding Party. We completed the mission, but there were not as many slaves
as the intelligence department had identified. The total number of slaves captured is six hundred ninety-three. Among them, two hundred ninety-one
are men, and the rest are women and children. The number of conscripted youths is one hundred four. There is much
to do, so I ask for a quick confirmation.”
The officer accepted the documents with an expressionless face, then began counting the slaves.