Dudududududu—!
A vibration like a herd of beasts on the run. Countless gleams flashed in the darkness of dawn.
“Graaaaaah!”
“Kill the humans!”
“In the name of Lord Gromnar!”
Orcs poured out of the forest. They charged without hesitation. The orcs at the vanguard smashed through the palisade and stormed in, and thousands more followed like a surging tide. With roars, they tore through tents and brought their axes down on scarecrows.
“Die! …Huh?”
“Th-this is straw, isn’t it?”
“There’s no one here either! The tents are empty!”
Confusion spread in an instant. And when even their main force had fully entered the camp, that confusion reached its peak.
“It’s a trap! Everyone retreat!!”
An orc shouted, but it was already too late. A red signal flare rose from atop the ridge.
Piyuuuuung—!
The artillery began a volley. Along with a sound like the dawn sky being ripped apart, dozens of high-explosive shells rained down over the orcs’ heads. The flashes of the explosions lit up the darkness like broad daylight.
Kwakwakwakwa-bang!!
Before such tremendous firepower, even thick armor was useless. Most of the orcs were blown into chunks of flesh and hurled into the air. Bits of meat fell like rain, and screams were buried beneath the thunder of the blasts.
“Open fire! Don’t let a single one live!”
No sooner had the shelling stopped than every firearm of the 7th Regiment surrounding the ridge spat fire.
Dududududu! Tatatang!
Crossfire poured in from three sides. The orcs, trapped like rats in a jar, had nowhere to run. They stumbled about in confusion, tangling with one another and falling, while a merciless rain of lead poured down over them.
“Graaaaaaah—!!”
That was when it happened. Piercing through the downpour of artillery and gunfire, a roar that overwhelmed the battlefield erupted. The soldiers’ gazes all snapped in that direction. Through the thick cloud of dust, an orc of unimaginable size appeared.
He stood easily four meters tall, and his entire body was covered in dark red steel armor. In his hand was a massive hammer the size of a man’s torso, and from the head of the hammer, a crimson aura blazed.
I immediately pulled out my binoculars and observed him.
‘Analyze status.’
[Name: Gromnar Ironfist]
[Rank: Great Chieftain]
[Hidden Trait: Warlord — Inspires the morale of nearby allies and removes fear.]
‘So you’ve finally shown yourself.’
The Great Chieftain of the Ashen Claw Tribe. Gromnar Ironfist. He was the very bastard who had been continually harassing the Imperial Army on the Western Front. The orc formation that had been collapsing began to reorganize around Gromnar. Gromnar charged without hesitation to break through the encirclement.
“Uh, uh…? He’s coming our way?!”
Unluckily, the bastard charged straight toward the 1st Battalion, to which the 2nd Company belonged.
Kwaang!
The enormous hammer closed in. The defensive line of the 1st Company, positioned to the left of the 2nd Company, was broken through in an instant.
“Graaagh!”
Every time he swung his hammer, Imperial soldiers were sent flying like bowling pins. It was a situation where not only the 1st Company, but the entire 1st Battalion might collapse. Just as I judged that the encirclement would be breached at this rate, troops in black uniforms cut through the forest and appeared. It was the regiment headquarters’ direct command unit.
Chiiik! Whooooosh!
Crimson flames surged up from one side of the forest. The flamethrowers carried by the headquarters engineers spewed streams of fire as if dancing. Trees and orcs tangled together and burned alive. The acrid smell of burning flesh rode the wind and stabbed at my nose. Even Gromnar froze for a moment before the intense flames.
“It’s regiment headquarters!”
“The regimental commander is here! Hurrah!!”
The soldiers cheered. I didn’t miss that opening and aimed for the bastard’s flank.
“Now! Concentrated fire!”
Dududududu! Tatatang!
Hundreds of bullets poured down on Gromnar.
Shwaaak— Kwaang!
At the same time, a chilling magic bullet fired from Seraphina’s pistol slammed into his chest, and machine guns and grenades surged in all at once. All of the 7th Regiment’s firepower was focused on a single Great Chieftain.
“Graaaaaah!”
Even amid all that, Gromnar howled like a beast and took a step forward. Dark red blood gushed from between his tattered armor, but the madness in his eyes did not fade.
The bastard squeezed out the last of his strength and moved his massive body. His target was… the 2nd Company. And among them, Seraphina, who stood at the front.
“Die!”
But Seraphina’s magic bullet was faster. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger of her pistol.
[Status: Backflow temporarily eased. Current mana flow is stable.]
Tang—!
It was a clean shot. A silver-white flash stretched out in a straight line and buried itself in the center of his chest. His armor, already shredded by concentrated fire, failed to serve its purpose, and the bullet pierced through his massive body. It was a sight that made all the suffering from [Hand of Attunement] worth it.
“Kh, huff……”
Black clots of blood spilled from Gromnar’s mouth. The enormous body of the orc Great Chieftain slowly tilted backward.
Thud—!
Gromnar collapsed. With that as the signal, cheers erupted.
“We killed him! We got the Great Chieftain!”
“Waaaaaaaah!”
“Long live the 2nd Company! Long live the 7th Regiment!”
The orcs, having lost their leader, lost their will to fight. They threw away their weapons and scattered in all directions, but they were hunted down one by one by the regiment’s troops, who had already completed the encirclement. It was no longer a battle, but a one-sided sweep.
I pushed through the cheering soldiers and approached Gromnar’s corpse. Seraphina was already standing before it, breathing roughly as she looked down at the fallen giant.
“……”
A faint wisp of smoke still rose from the muzzle of her gun.
“You did it, Captain.”
When I approached, she slowly turned her head.
“…Yes. Lieutenant, thanks to you… we truly won.”
She staggered a step closer and placed a hand on my shoulder. It seemed the strength had gone out of her legs.
“Captain, are you all right?”
“…I’m fine. I just felt… a bit dizzy for a moment.”
‘Analyze status.’
[Status: On the verge of mana depletion. However, there is no rebound from mana backflow. Mana flow is clean.]
[Emotion: Deep trust in and dependence on the man named Max Jaeger.]
Fortunately, the effects of the treatment had lasted until the end of the battle. Right now, she was simply exhausted. I supported her and helped her stand.
Soon, footsteps came from the other side of the forest. It was Colonel Karl von Dietrich, the regimental commander, and the headquarters soldiers. The moment the regimental commander saw Gromnar’s corpse, his eyes gleamed.
“Hahahaha! Splendid! Absolutely splendid!”
Forgetting his dignity, he laughed heartily. After prodding Gromnar’s corpse with his foot, he looked back and forth between Seraphina and me with a satisfied expression.
“To turn the enemy’s trap against them and annihilate their main force in one stroke! In all my military career, I have never seen such a perfect encirclement and annihilation!”
“It was all thanks to your bold decision, Colonel.”
Seraphina gave him the credit. The regimental commander stroked his mustache as if he didn’t dislike hearing that.
“How modest. It would have been impossible without the efforts of your 2nd Company. And Lieutenant Jaeger.”
The regimental commander’s gaze fixed on me.
“That strategy you proposed. It was truly remarkable. Even those fellows in the capital won’t be able to keep their mouths shut when they see this report.”
‘Analyze status.’
[Name: Karl von Dietrich]
[Status: Extremely elated]
[Emotion: Intoxication with victory, pride in the capable subordinates who opened the way for his future]
I read his desires and threw out exactly what he wanted to hear. Advancement was no different from handling people well.
“All this glory was possible because of your decisive command, Colonel, choosing to attack rather than retreat even in a moment of crisis. We merely moved as your sword.”
“Hohoho! You even know how to speak well. Yes, you’re right. Retreat is something only cowards do!”
The regimental commander, in the highest of spirits, thumped my shoulder.
“Relay this to all units! The Ashen Forest belongs to the Empire! From this moment on, this forest will become a massive salient on the Western Front, a wedge that pierces the enemy’s heart! And all of that credit belongs to our 7th Regiment! Tonight, everyone shall raise a toast to victory!”
Waaaaaaaaah!
The soldiers’ cheers shook the forest. Amid the commotion, I quietly smiled.
Now it was time to receive my settlement.
*
Once the situation was settled, the regiment swiftly moved to seize control of the forest. The remnants of the Ashen Claw Tribe, having lost their master, were nothing but a rabble. The sweep proceeded almost anticlimactically fast.
I led the exhausted soldiers back to the camp. The soldiers, their tension finally released, sat down in the trenches or embraced one another and shared the joy of victory.
“Wow, we survived…”
“We actually killed that monster!”
But I had no intention of joining their cheers. I still had something more important left to do.
“Gunther, take care of the cleanup. I’m going in for a while.”
“Yes, sir! Go in and rest! Lieutenant Jaeger… no, Captain Jaeger-to-be, sir! We’re all alive thanks to you!”
“Hah.”
Gunther saluted energetically. I gave a short laugh at his ever-improving flattery and entered my tent.
Whoosh.
The moment I lowered the tent flap and stepped into my own space, cut off from the outside, I let out the breath I had been holding in for a long time.
“Phew…”
Fatigue washed over me. More than physical exhaustion, the mental drain was immense. It was only natural, since I had spent the entire day wrestling with hordes of orcs, walking a tightrope with my superiors, and even attuning Seraphina at the same time.
But now was the real part. Calming my chest, which swelled with anticipation, I stared into the empty air.
“……”
As expected, it didn’t appear right away. I simply waited.
And then, at last, the notification window appeared.
Ding—
Along with a clear sound ringing in my head, long system messages poured down before my eyes like a waterfall.
[Commencing battle settlement.]