Chapter 428 - Chapter 411: Sudden Raid
While significantly strengthening the vigilance toward the forest to prepare for further attacks from the orc hordes, they supplemented as many troops as possible from neighboring territories and hurried the establishment of the camp for two days.
The subjugation force, composed of the Northwest Faction and the Grand Duchy of Arqvist, finished the immediate preparations to intercept the orcs by constructing moats and obstacles to protect the camp, and installing ballista positions to the left and right.
The following day, decoys entered the forest to lure the orc horde in front of the camp to execute a fishing-ambush—and from then, another two days had passed.
While soldiers holding loaded crossbows looked toward the forest beyond the obstacles and moats with tense expressions, and among them, the Claymore puppet mages kept golems on standby, and to their left and right, the ballista positions protected by infantry units were ready for firing.
At the center front of the camp, next to Noein, who stood ready to activate his own dedicated giant golem at any moment, Yuri, with a magic circle floating on his wrist, placed a finger near his temple and looked into the air as he spoke.
"I see, understood... Your Excellency, Radley and the others are returning. There are no results this time either."
When Yuri, who had been in contact with Radley—who had entered the forest to serve as a decoy—via the communication magic 'Far-Talk', spoke, Noein relaxed his tension and let out a sigh.
"Again? This is a pain..."
The decoys who entered the forest to perform the fishing-ambush failed to lure out the orcs and returned without obtaining any results. The tension of the main force, which had been preparing for battle, also went to waste. This kind of development had already happened three times now.
At the rear of the camp, a Guard soldier beside Noein waved a flag toward the main headquarters of the command center, and upon confirming this, Edelgard raised her voice: "Stand down from combat readiness! The orcs are not coming! Everyone, rest!"
Hearing the commander-in-chief's order, a relaxed atmosphere drifted through each unit. The crossbowmen removed the loaded bolts, the puppet mages cut off the mana supply to the golems, and the infantry units that had been lining up their shields sat down where they were.
Almost simultaneously, Radley and his subordinates, as well as dozens of soldiers from each territorial army who had entered the forest, returned. Since there had been no combat, everyone was unscathed.
Meanwhile, a messenger soldier ran from the main headquarters in the rear toward Noein. The soldier saluted and spoke.
"Grand Duke Arqvist-sama. The commander-in-chief requests your presence at the command center's tent. It is also requested that Knight Bachelor Nordheim-sama, who served as the decoy, attend the military council."
"...Understood. Tell them I will come immediately."
.....
"It's the same this time. The orcs are staying put in the nests they made by occupying lumber mills and villages in the forest; no matter how much we provoked them, not a single one took the bait. It seems they were wary of us, but I can only think that they had absolutely no intention of attacking from their side."
Inside the command center's tent, Radley reported uncomfortably while drawing the gazes of the commanders and officers, including high-ranking nobles.
"I see. As I thought..."
"We should consider that the orcs have seen through it as a trap," Count Marcel, expressionless, continued after Edelgard muttered with a bitter expression.
"N-no way, to think orcs possess that much intelligence... even if they are led by an Orc Kaiser..."
"No, it's likely not that they understand and are wary of a fishing-ambush. I suspect they are feeling something that could be called a wild instinct," Baron Oggoren answered Viscount Ludo, who had spoken with a pale face.
"It is likely as Lord Oggoren says. The Kaiser should be smarter than orcs who simply rampage according to instinct, but even looking at past literature, they shouldn't be capable of such complex thought. At most, they should understand the concept of friend and foe in group combat, and the concepts of attack and retreat. It is strange for a small number of humans, who they couldn't possibly lose to, to approach. They probably have a bad feeling. That is likely why the Orc Kaiser is restraining the attack," Noein spoke, and the air inside the tent became even heavier. Everyone harbored frustration and impatience toward this deadlocked situation, though they did not voice it.
"...There is no point in groaning while facing each other here. Let us each think of a breakthrough, and we shall hold the military council again tonight."
After a brief silence, the military council was adjourned, triggered by those words from Edelgard.
Following the others as they left the tent, Noein also returned to the Grand Duchy army's campsite and entered his own tent with Matilda.
"Noein-sama, shall I brew some tea?"
"Thank you, Matilda. Please do... Still, this is a pain."
Thinking that the third time would be the charm, he had tightened his nerves and prepared for battle only for it to end in futility; feeling a sense of exhaustion, Noein sat down on the camping bed.
He took a breath while drinking the tea Matilda had brewed, and then lay down on the bed. Burying his face in the chest of Matilda, who snuggled beside him, he rested his head and heart.
"Think of a plan individually, huh... even if they say that..."
Before him were the Orc Kaiser and his subordinates, who would not bite even when human bait—and a small number that seemed easy to defeat—was dangled. Even if he increased the decoys slightly, the result would likely not change once they had become wary, and it would be the same even if he used livestock as decoys, for example.
That said, attempting a total war inside the forest was far too reckless. Humans can maintain an advantage over orcs only when employing tactics that utilize numerical superiority in open areas. No matter how superior in numbers, in a forest where trees become obstacles and the footing is poor, they would be unable to surround the orcs and would instead be trampled.
"..."
In that case, there was no choice but to make the fishing-ambush succeed. He had to draw the orcs' attention and drag them out of the forest by means other than "dangling the bait of decoy humans." Just what kind of situation would make the orcs want to leave the forest of their own accord?
"...Ah."
At that moment, Noein had a flash of inspiration. Matilda looked up at Noein, who lifted his face from her chest and sat up from the bed.
"Noein-sama?"
"I might have thought of a good idea. For now, let's gather Yuri and the others to discuss it."
.....
The next day. A place a few hundred meters inside the entrance of the Limnee forest.
There was a large-scale lumber mill that performed primary processing and drying of wood, including Semirawood, and right next to it was a village built for the artisans, laborers, and their families who worked there.
That mill and village were now under the control of the orc horde.
The horde, led by a powerful orc who had survived and grown in the forest for decades, numbered over one hundred and fifty in total. Among the horde, where many pairs and parents and children gathered, there were naturally a fair number of female and child individuals.
The place that was once a village where humans lived had now become a nest where child orcs waited for the return of parents who had gone hunting, some female orcs who protected and looked after them, and wounded orcs spent their time. From the perspective of orc habits, where they normally live only with their mate and children, this society where multiple families cooperatively cared for children and the injured was an abnormal thing.
Such a society was maintained solely because there was a leader who subordinated the orcs with overwhelming power and wisdom.
"Goa?"
On that day, the largest individual who managed the female orcs guarding the nest felt something strange toward the west side of the village, in the direction leading out of the forest, and looked that way.
"..."
There were several humans.
"Gaa! Bugoo!"
"Ga ga!"
"Bugoooooo!"
Several other orcs also noticed the presence of the humans and let out intimidating cries. The largest individual also released an intimidation toward the small group of humans.
However, she did not act on instinct to attack and chase them. This was because she had been ordered by their leader: do not chase even if you see humans.
Many days ago, male orcs led by the leader attacked the humans gathered outside the forest.
When occupying this mill and village, the orcs had learned that humans were more dangerous prey than they looked because they used various tools and strange powers, but the leader, thinking they would surely win if they suddenly attacked a careless group with a large horde, ordered them to challenge the fight.
And then, they were defeated and fled before humans who used even more powerful tools and strange powers, and the black wooden monsters that obeyed those humans. Nearly twenty orcs died, and an even greater number of comrades were injured.
Humans are dangerous. However, humans do not actively enter the forest. While they sometimes observe from a distance, as the orcs also do, they do not attack deep into the forest in large numbers.
Therefore, even if it is a small number that seems easy to defeat, one should not easily approach humans. One must not, by mistake, chase them and leave the forest.
Ordered by the leader who had learned this, the orcs made sure not to chase even when they saw humans. Their leader was currently thinking only of waiting for injured comrades to recover while being protected by the forest, giving birth to and raising children, and making the horde even stronger.
"Bugo! Bugo!"
"Goooo! Bugaaaa!"
The orcs simply continued to intimidate the humans. Humans had come yesterday and the day before, but while they were being intimidated like this, they had returned outside the forest, perhaps out of fear. They barked, thinking it would be the same today.
"...! Gaaaaaaaa!"
However, today was different. From behind the few humans, several more humans advanced. Furthermore, from behind them, this time an even larger number of humans came. Even those black wooden monsters were there.
The largest individual guarding the nest, as well as the other orcs, noticed that something was different. The humans had not come to observe. They understood that they had come to do something. They thought that they might have finally come to attack inside the forest.
Perhaps sensing the anomaly, other orcs inside the nest also came and lined up, and the intimidating cries grew even louder. Among the orcs who were resting due to injuries, those with shallow wounds also joined the intimidation.
Still, the humans did not flee.
The largest individual agonized. Should she continue the intimidation, following the leader's order? Or was it okay to fight? In her heart, the fear of the leader told her not to fight, while her instinct as an orc barked at her to fight.
What erased that thought was light.
The humans pointed their hands, or rod-like things with sparkling tips, or strange tools that launched hard pointed rods toward the orcs, and a few seconds later, attacks released from those hands assaulted the orcs.
The cover art for the second volume of the book version "The Happiness Tale of the Twisted Lord" has been released.
This cover features one of the most important characters in Volume 2, Christy (Damian is also in the back).
Reservations are now being accepted at bookstores and various online shopping sites. Following Volume 1, there are plenty of additions. Please look forward to it.