Meanwhile, the youths began guessing at their fate with anxious eyes. None of them knew why,
or for what reason, they had been singled out. A short while later, the officer who had finished the count
saluted Jatorman.
“You have done well. We have taken custody of six hundred and ninety-three slaves in full.”
Jatorman nodded as if he understood.
“Good. Then I will go to receive my next assignment.
I leave the corpses of the dead and the treatment of the wounded in your hands.”
“Understood.”
Having handed everything over, Jatorman turned away. He had no choice but to hurry, for he had to return to headquarters
and receive a new mission. He and the knights of the raiding party
took the youths and stepped onto the magic circle.
When they realized that only they were being taken somewhere else, the youths hesitated uneasily. But
each time, the knights glared fiercely and shoved them, so the youths had no choice but to
climb onto the magic circle.
What was surprising was that there was no resistance at all in the process. The youths obediently
followed the orders with resigned eyes, and the villagers merely murmured among themselves; not a single one stepped forward
to stop them. It showed just how thoroughly they had been tamed by life as slaves.
After checking the number of people, Jatorman gave the order.
“We depart.”
The one hundred knights and roughly one hundred and fifty youths vanished
from the spatial transfer magic circle amid a dazzling radiance. After confirming that they had disappeared, the officer walked toward the captured slaves.
There, aside from the officer, around one hundred soldiers gripped spears and swords, their eyes
gleaming sharply. Soon the officer began his long address.
“I am Havel, the one in charge of this 143rd Group Supply Village. I welcome you.
You will consider it an honor to serve our expeditionary army, and for the time being, your lives
will not change. You need only work hard for us, just as you have worked for the orcs until now.”
At that moment, a voice suddenly burst out from among the slaves. It was
the very same middle-aged man who had spoken against Jatorman.
“And what happens after that?
Once you have finished using us, do you mean to simply leave us behind as targets for the orcs’ revenge?”
The officer who had introduced himself as Havel stared at the middle-aged man with piercing eyes. But the middle-aged
man did not retreat in the slightest and met his gaze head-on. A smile flickered across Havel’s lips.
“Our mission is to wipe out the orcs in Truvenia. Because he could not stand by and watch fellow humans
live in hardship as orc slaves only to be eaten when their time came, His Grace Duke Pershtein
personally decided upon the conquest of Truvenia. Already, in order to realize that plan, a great army of
five hundred thousand has crossed into Truvenia.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes widened. Of course, he had known nothing
of the fact that a large expeditionary army had crossed into Truvenia. They had no freedom of movement, and in order
to prevent unrest among the slaves, the orcs had kept the truth under strict secrecy. Thus, he had
regarded the knights who captured him simply as people who had crossed over to hunt monsters.
And yet Arcadia had sent in a massive army of no fewer than five hundred thousand
to liberate them…… The middle-aged man stammered as if he could not believe it.
“I-is that true?”
“It is. In this war, the elites of every kingdom in Arcadia have been deployed.
Therefore, if we win the war, there will no longer be any orcs left in Truvenia
to take revenge on you.”
“……”
“However, it is still unclear whose victory will decide the outcome of the war. One thing
is important: the harder you work, the higher our chances of victory become.”
“Then if the war ends, what will become of us?”
Havel answered curtly.
“At that time, you will return to the status of free people, not slaves. Most likely, you will live as citizens
of the new nation to be founded in Truvenia. If you wish to live freely
without fearing being captured and eaten by orcs, then you must work hard for us. Of course, there is no fixed term,
and there will be no wages. However, we will take responsibility for and guarantee what you need to eat and wear.”
“Then what will happen to the youths you took away earlier?”
“They have been conscripted as soldiers of the expeditionary army.
After completing a prescribed training course, they will be thrown into battle against the orcs.”
After hearing Havel’s explanation, the middle-aged man fell into thought. If he considered it deeply, it could not necessarily
be called misfortune. The villagers had grown accustomed to a hopeless life as orc slaves. For them
to regain their freedom was something the middle-aged man had never stopped wishing for, even in his dreams.
But when he thought of the mighty orc horde and the dragons watching their backs, his heart
grew heavy. They said an army of five hundred thousand had crossed over, but the number of orcs was several times greater.
In particular, the man believed there was no possibility whatsoever of winning against dragons.
‘But there is nothing else we can do. Even if we beg and say we were dragged here by force, the orcs will certainly
not spare us. The water has already been spilled. We have no choice but to rely on them……’
Having made his decision, the man silently nodded. He had no other choice.
“Very well. We will cooperate.”
“What is your name?”
“Call me Bartolo.
Not now, but until recently, I served as the village chief of our village.”
Havel smiled and nodded.
“Good. From this moment on, I appoint you as the person responsible for overseeing the villagers.
Aside from you, there are also some three hundred people here brought in from other villages. So
I hope you will take charge of everyone and control them well, without discord.”
After hesitating briefly at the unexpected proposal, Bartolo soon nodded. Though no one knew how
the war would be decided, at the very least, if the villagers were not taken away by the orcs,
he had nothing more to wish for.
“Understood. I will cooperate actively.”
“If anyone falls ill or if you need anything, say so…… Two mages are permanently stationed here
for communications and the management of the magic circle, so they should be of great help.”
“Understood.”
A strange light wavered in Bartolo’s eyes. It was a faint hope
for an uncertain future. This was no different from a gamble with extremely slim odds of victory.
If it failed, they would die, but if it succeeded, they could escape from slavery…… Though
the war was one with scant chance of victory. He led the anxious villagers into the village.
“Let us hurry into our new homes.”
It seemed to be a village where other slaves had lived, for everything necessary was in place. The villagers
took their families and entered, one by one, the houses assigned to them by Village Chief Bartolo.
Thanks to their fierce struggle in the early stages, the expeditionary army had occupied a fairly wide territory. At
the foremost front stood the 1st Corps of the Krosen Empire, which had been deployed first. They
were facing off against the orc horde with a single river between them, and almost every day,
skirmishes broke out with orc warriors who crossed the river.
However, the soldiers of the 1st Corps, the finest elite troops, repelled the orc raiding parties each time. The greatest
reason was that, as of yet, no dragon air raids had been launched, allowing them to preserve their full strength.
Under Viscount Mikhail, who commanded the 1st Corps, there were ten divisions in all. One day,
welcome news reached the 4th Division, commanded by Baron Antinov, among those divisions.
It was news that reinforcements had arrived along with a modest amount of supplies. Yet the commander, Viscount Antinov
himself, wore a displeased expression. It seemed he did not find the quality of the reinforcements
particularly satisfactory.
“Ha. This is unbelievable.”
Before him stood around five hundred youths, trembling. Seeing their bodies, all skin and bones,
they looked as though even swinging a sword would be difficult. Looking at the youths
who were utterly terrified, Viscount Antinov let out a long sigh.
“Just how am I supposed to fight a battle with these things……”
They were the youths selected from among the captured slaves. Since the supply line had been cut,
this was the only way to replenish their depleted forces. Even so, Duke Pershtein
assigned all of the slave conscripts to divisions from the Krosen Empire. It was an arrangement
made with the future in mind, yet the commanders themselves were now being tormented by them……
“Somehow, we must train these fellows and turn them into usable soldiers. If we win the war,
the armies of the other nations will all return to Arcadia.”
Even so, he could not help but sigh again and again.
Shaking his head, the baron called in his adjutant without delay.
“You called for me, sir?”
“After issuing them armor and weapons, assign them to the reserve force. For the time being,
do not let them participate in combat, and have them focus solely on training…… If they are fed well and put on some flesh,
they may be able to serve as soldiers, after a fashion.”
“Understood.”
“And……”
Baron Antinov’s eyes flashed.
He had remembered the order that had come directly from Duke Pershtein.
“Because they lived as slaves for so long, they must have an instinctive fear of orcs.
So after each battle, assign them the task of clearing the battlefield. If they continue
to finish off wounded orcs, their fear will naturally disappear as well……”
“Yes, sir.”
After thinking over something, the baron issued another order.
“Attach one well-trained soldier to each of them…… It seems we will have to let those soldiers lead them
until they can properly act like soldiers. No matter how simple the task, they will not be able to handle it
on their own.”
The adjutant withdrew after giving a respectful acknowledgment. The terrified reinforcements, too, were led away
by the soldiers.
“Though they are nothing more than a rabble for now, if they mingle and fight alongside
the brave and peerless soldiers of the 1st Corps, they cannot help but be forged, can they?”
Resolving to think of the situation positively, Baron Antinov looked up at the sky.
“I wonder how the course of this war will truly be decided……”
As if to reveal mankind’s uncertain future, the sky was thick with dark clouds.
“Are you awake?”
At the voice that seemed to come from within a dream, Shrekheimer woke from a deep sleep. When he opened his eyes,
what came into view was Damon’s familiar face.
“Damon?”
A smile spread across Damon’s face.
“That is right. I am truly glad to see the Grand Prelate again. Thinking on it now, it seems
making you into a lich was a very good thing. Otherwise, how could I have brought you back to life?”
“……”
Shrekheimer quickly raised himself up. Seeing that his body was brimming with vitality, it seemed someone else’s
life force had been packed into him to the very limit. A strange light flickered through his eye sockets.
“To revive me, another’s life force is absolutely necessary……”
Damon quickly answered him.
“I used the orcs we had taken prisoner. It was a sight I had watched until I was sick of it in Verkis’s lair,
so there was nothing particularly difficult about it.”
Having finished speaking, Damon pointed to the floor. There, the corpses of orcs reduced to nothing but bones and skin
lay scattered here and there. Judging by their small bodies, it seemed he had chosen only the young ones and used them. Shrekheimer
smiled bitterly and shook his head.
“To be revived by the life force of orcs—how absurd.
In any case, I too am glad to meet you again, Damon.”
“Not at all. Thanks to the Grand Prelate’s sacrifice, I was able to avoid the trap Verkis had dug.
As a bonus, I was also able to dispose of one blue dragon……”
A slight astonishment passed through Shrekheimer’s eyes.
“You disposed of a dragon?”
“That is right. After leaving that place, I pursued the blue dragon Katroy had lured away and
ended its life. They will likely be unable to roam about alone for some time.”
“Well done.”
Shrekheimer silently nodded. As he conversed with Damon, he recalled the moment when he had been annihilated
by Verkis’s Fire. It was truly a terrible memory that made him shudder just to think of it.