Vol. 1 Chapter 24

Sending the army of orcs scattering

Translated by Raizu
Edited by Mirp

After all the tents had been erected and the preparations for the camp were almost complete, I made contact with the captain of the Knights of the Royal Capital, who was on a subjugation mission this time.

[Barrier magic, huh?]

[Yes, it’s something that prevents monsters from entering. It’s a level that can’t be beaten by a troll’s attack, so if it’s okay, I’d like to deploy something that surrounds the camp.]

My words made the Knight Captain think.
I don’t think there’s any disadvantage for the Knights, so I guess they’ll bite, right?

[I’m grateful for that, but won’t that be too taxing on Hero-dono’s magic power reserve? In order to cover this much range, it must have required extraordinary magical power. Wouldn’t it be dangerous if you are not at your full capacity when we are about to fight tomorrow?]

[Ah, yes. I’ll be just fine. Marl――Princess Mariel has crafted magic recovery potions.]

It’s true that there were magic recovery potions, but what I’m saying was not completely true.
Since they set up a special tent for me and Marle, I can recover by flirting using primordial magic, all the while deploying a barrier to repel people and soundproofing the tent. Rather, this was a way to use it, hahahaha.

[Is that so…then, please do. This place is already within the enemy’s sphere of influence, so it’s a great advantage to be able to sleep well without having to be wary of night attacks.]

[Then, let’s do it quickly.]

The place where I’m talking to the Knights Captain is almost the center of the camp. It’s just right as a base point for the barrier.
Also, it’s a good opportunity to test the magic amplification of the bonded sword.
I pulled out the bonded sword from its scabbard. Even though it didn’t contain any magic power, the crystal that was the core emitted a vague blue light.
It’s a little beautiful, so I’m driven by the urge to enjoy the trajectory, but not only the Knight Captain but also the surrounding Knights are looking at me, so I restrained myself.

[Well then.]

I stabbed my sword into the ground and concentrated my magic to use the barrier magic.
And then I poured magic power into the bonded sword. The crystal on the bonded sword glowed, and a geometric pattern ran across the blade. At the same time, a magic formation emitting blue light exploded from the point where the sword was stabbed.
This was amazing, more than I expected.
The magic power efficiency when casting magic was remarkably good. Wasn’t this more powerful as a magic staff that amplified magical power than as a sword?

[Safe shelter!]

After confirming that the magic circle had expanded sufficiently, I activated the barrier magic.
A dome-shaped barrier was deployed along the perimeter of the magic circle, completely covering the camp. When I looked at the barrier with an appraisal eye, the effective time came out to be 14 hours. That’s sufficient.
The sword emitted a bluish-white light. Perhaps because it’s used as the barrier source, it won’t move even when I tried pulling it out. I probably wouldn’t be able to unless I canceled the barrier magic.
About 700 mp was consumed, leaving about 250. It doesn’t look like I’d be fully recovered just by waiting until tomorrow morning for it to recover naturally.

[This should do it. It will last for about 7 hours.]

[Y, yes…understood. Thank you, Hero-dono.]

[Don’t mention it. Alright then, I will retreat to the tent after having something to eat. Excuse me.]

Saying that, I started walking to the tent assigned to me and Marl.
Some Knights were surprised and puzzled by the mysterious magic circle that suddenly covered their feet and the overhead barrier, but the confusion soon subsided. As expected of the Knights of the Royal Capital, who were said to be the most elite in the kingdom, they were quite adaptive.
There were about 50 people deployed here, including the transport soldiers. It seemed that there were about 70 people left in the Royal Capital.
They’re not as good as the royal guards guarding the palace, but I think the average level was around 25? It seemed that less than one-third of the people had magic skills, but there were quite a few people with magic martial arts skills.
Combat skills such as sword mastery were at level 3, so compared to the Crossroad Knights, their overall level was higher. All of them were equal to or stronger than Captain Waltz. It’s an elite unit in both name and reality.

[Welcome back, Taichi-san. It seems that the barrier went well!]

Marl was waiting for me in front of the tent assigned to us.
Today, Marl was wearing the Mithril dress armor. I’m also wearing my mythril armor.
This was because the citizens of the Royal Capital sent us off. After all, the Knights of the Royal Capital and the Hero were going to battle.
Well, it’s better than Troll Hide Armor in terms of performance. Because this armor stood out, Troll Hide Armor was safer in many ways in a real frontal battle.

[Ah, I want to take it easy tonight. I have to recover my magic.]

Marle’s face turned red and looked troubled as if she had read the true meaning of my words. Fufufu, isn’t that a face you don’t often see?

[Ah, Taichi-san? As expected, isn’t that bad here? Um, my voice might be leaking out…]

Marl looked down while saying so. Even if the fingers of both hands are entwined in front of the chest, she was still obviously fidgeting. So cute.

[It’s okay, I’ll put up a sound barrier.]

[I-Isn’t that kind of a problem? It would be a problem if someone suddenly came in.]

[It’s fine, it’s fine.]

After eating up a large portion of the Knights’ meal, we retreated to the tent and used primordial magic to flirt intently.
Sound-blocking magic prevented my voice from leaking outside, but the sight of Marl desperately trying to hold back her voice made me burn with desire. And she’s still wearing her dress armor. I’m burning with excitement.
It was so hot I might burn for real.

===========

[…..phew.]

After midnight, I left Marl, who was tired and asleep, and left the tent. I left a note saying that I would go around the encampment, so even if she woke up without me around, she wouldn’t worry about it.
My magic had already fully recovered.
After exchanging magic with Marl, I found out that I had a high output of magic.
I couldn’t put it into words, but in terms of electricity, my amperage was absurdly high.
For example, if a Knight needed to use 5 MP in order to destroy an object with magic strike, I would only need 1 MP to do the same.
I wonder if you could call it the explosive power of magic power, or rather, the power output would be the most fitting. This is a bit too much.
So, even if Marl sent me magic power with primordial magic to take the initiative, if I went all out, I could regain the initiative in an instant.
In order to circulate magic power, it was necessary to touch the opponent’s body with two parts of my body, but if I met this condition, I should be able to neutralize most humans in an instant.
The side effect was, well, it’s going to be a huge explosion. But, it should feel super good, so please forgive me.
For the time being, let’s put the verification of primordial magic aside.

The reason why I purposely escaped from the tent was because I wanted to see the state of the barrier and interact with the Knights.
Kukuku, it’s an adult’s taste to keep things simple like this.
I had prepared enough bribes such as liquor and sweets. Let’s make some arrangements.

[I’m on a mission.]

[Excuse me, but I’m on a mission.]

[I appreciate your concern, but I’m sorry.]

What’s wrong with these people? Are you guys Knights? Well, I mean yes, they were.
Dejectedly, I made my way to the center of the camp, where my bonded sword was stuck.
I placed a small barrel filled with water for a chair and looked at the glowing bonded sword. Oh no, but it’s a light that cleanses the soul. .

[Hero-dono.]

A young Knight called out to me while I was picking dried fruits.
People in this world have European and American faces, so it’s hard to tell their age, but this one was probably in his mid-twenties.
He looks somewhat nervous. I don’t think it’s a confession of love. But even if it was, I’m straight, so that kind of thing is a no thank you.

[What is it? I’m still heartbroken from all the rejections.]

Saying that, I take the same barrel that I’m sitting on next to me from the inventory and ask him to take a seat.
After a little hesitation, the young Knight sat next to me. I don’t need to put my knees together to talk, I turn my face to the side and see how the young Knight is doing.

[Well, actually――I have long admired the Heroes. They’re the reason why I aspired to be a Knight. What does it feel like? Being a Hero I mean.]

[Hmmm…]

While ruminating on the young Knight’s words, I remembered what happened after it was discovered that I was a Hero.
Escape, attacks by assassins, negotiation with the Karendil kingdom, weapon making, and so on.

[It makes a lot of things more convenient, but the difficulties that come with it are also numerous. Honestly, I think I prefer being just a regular adventurer.]

Even if I continued to be an adventurer, I think there would come a time when I had to kill someone no matter what.
Monsters weren’t the only things that adventurers dealt with. It seems that there were also subjugations of ex-adventurers who have turned into thieves.
However, there were times when I wonder if the『Loss of innocence』would be better than the slaughter I committed at that ruin.
I can understand that this was a silly『What-if』, but there were times when I couldn’t help but think so. Even now, I still dream about that time.

[Well, nothing will change even if I talk about it. For as long as I am considered a Hero, I will do to the best of my ability. Princess Mariel is my number one priority.]

[I see… Thank you for your answer.]

After that, the young Knight and I parted ways after a short chat. It seemed he was in the middle of a patrol.
Well, there were people among the Knights who were interested in me. Just knowing that was a good thing.
I returned to the tent and took a nap. Marl was still sleeping with a happy look on her face.

========

[According to the scout’s report, they’re deployed on the plains ahead. They’re around 100 in number, and they’re in a close formation.]

The next day, in the early afternoon, we entered the basin, built a very simple field position, and held a military council.
It seemed that the orcs had already anticipated our attack and had already deployed their troops.
Heavy infantry armed with long spears and strong armor were placed at the front, and archers appeared to be deployed behind them.
Orcs have excellent physique and physical strength, and were exceptionally strong in melee combat. It would be reckless to launch a direct assault from the front.
It seems that the Knights were thinking of a strategy such as dividing them into several units and repeating hit-and-run attacks from multiple sides, breaking down the enemy’s formations, and then trampling the rearguard.
Therefore, I raised my hand.

[May I speak?]

[Hero-dono, do you have any plans?]

[Ah, why don’t you just let me charge at them alone? Afterward, you can then clean up the rest.]

Someone laughed at my suggestion.
The captain’s hand hits the map of the surrounding area and the table, showing off his strength. The headquarters fell silent.

[Hero-dono, the opponent is an army of orcs. And the number is about 100. No matter how strong Hero-dono is, you can’t manage it alone.]

[What? Even if I make a mistake, it’d be just a matter of one foolish Hero dying. But, no worries. I’m confident in my skills. I’ll do something to confuse the enemy.]

The Knight Captain wrinkled his eyebrows at my suggestion. Marl pulled my arm and gave me a worried look.
Actually, I’m making this proposal because I had a good chance of winning.
Yesterday, I got a real feel from using barrier magic. This bonded sword was successful. Well, if things got worse, I could always run away.

[Well, I’m not going to die in vain. It’s uncool, but if it’s dangerous, I’ll run away. Can you let me put on a Hero’s face here and leave it to me?]

==========

[Taichi-san…]

After the military council, the Knights scattered in threes and fives. I guess they went to seize the platoon in order to respond flexibly after I charged.
Marl didn’t let go of my arm. She looked like she’s about to burst into tears.

[Don’t worry. My armor is new, and arrows can’t reach me. You know how strong I am, right?]

I said that while stroking Marl’s head.
I would be lying if I say that I’m not scared.
I felt like my legs were going to tremble at any moment, but if I said that, the battles I’ve fought so far weren’t very different. I could fight goblins, trolls, and assassins.
That’s why I should be able to deal with this one too.

[Princess Mariel, we will protect you.]

Several Knights appeared.
When I thought of who it was, it was the young Knight I talked to last night.

[Don’t disappoint the Knights.]

[Taichi-san…!]

[It’s okay, you worry too much.]

Saying that, I entrusted Marl to the Knights and turned around.
My next destination was the battlefield.
The line-up was already in place. The Knights on horseback had formed battle lines and were preparing to charge.

[Well, it’s time for me to go.]

[Best of luck.]

After saying that to the Knight Captain, I started walking.
The distance to where the orcs were concentrated was probably about 1 km? Maybe a bit closer than that.
I concentrated my magic and cast a wind barrier.

[Wind Shield!]

Deploying a swirling wind barrier, I ran alone toward the herd of orcs,
Strengthening my legs, I charged forward, gouging up a pile of dirt in the process. My speed right now probably surpassed even the charge of the cavalry.
The orcs’ rearguard fired arrows in panic.
However, the first volley couldn’t keep up with my charging speed. All the arrows landed behind me.
Second volley, this time the arrows landed closer to me. Despite being wrapped in Wind Shield, danger detection was flaring.
I managed to parry some of the arrows heading toward me. Some penetrated the Wind Shield and grazed my body. What the hell was this?
On the third volley, I grabbed one of the arrows and inspected the arrowhead.

[Black Steel, huh?]

The orcs seem to be armed with black steel armor. It’s the best choice if you don’t use magic power in battle and fight with brute force.
I understood why it could break through the wind barrier since it used black steel which prevented magical interference.
I crushed the arrow, threw it away and continued running. It was close to the line of battle of the orcs. The orcs set up their shiny black spears and set up an interception system.
The bonded ​​sword, which had been filled with magical power the entire time I was running, had already accumulated magical power to the limit of its magical capacity and emitted a dazzling light.

[Zeii!]

It’s still far out of reach. I knew that.
However, I stepped in and swung down the bonded sword.

In the next moment, the enormous amount of magical power emitted from the sword turned into a shock wave and mowed down everything in front of me.
The ground was gouged out, and the orc heavy infantry with spears and large shields were turned into splatters of blood and guts while being blown away like leaves.
The orcs couldn’t have seen it coming.
The members of the Knights, who were watching the situation far behind, probably didn’t know what had happened.

With just one swing of my sword, the heavy infantry, light infantry, and archers deployed in the center of the orc army, totaling around 30 orcs, were wiped out.

[What the! What the hell!?]

Of course I didn’t understand what was going on either.
A wide range of enemy soldiers vanished with a single swing of the sword. I don’t think I understand what you’re saying, but I didn’t really understand either.
I originally thought that only the heavy infantry at the front would be blown away.

At any rate, it was a chance, so I jumped into the hole in the battle line and overran the interior.

[Uoooooooo!]

I constantly imbued the bonded sword with magic power and rampaged around, throwing『Flash Strike』here and there.
After all, regardless whichever direction I slashed, there would be orcs there.
The orcs rushed in and tried to crush me, but every time I swung my sword, their armor and weapon would split in half.

The emitted magical power cut through everything even before the actual blade reached.

The surroundings were filled with the smell of blood and guts. While holding back the urge to vomit, I continued to swing my sword mindlessly.
After a while, the orcs broke their formation and began to run away.

[Chaーーーーarge!]

This was where the Knights entered the fray
They struck the backs of the fleeing orcs with their lances, picking off the rest with their sabers.

[Hero-dono!]

[Taichi-san!]

The young Knight came to my side riding a horse with Marl on it.
Marl promptly jumped off the horse into my chest.
I stroked her head while holding the sword in one hand.

[There’s no time to take it easy now, let’s pursue them.]

[Yes!]

Marl and I got on our horses and started chasing the fleeing orcs.

============

The town, which was said to be situated in the basin, was repaired by the orcs and turned into a fort instead of a village.
However, the strength that appeared in the field battle earlier seemed to be the majority of the strength in the fort, and the resistance was sporadic.

[Orraaaaa!]

I literally wiped out the closed wooden castle gates with the magic-infused bonded sword, and we easily entered the fortress.
The orcs, who were still young, stood in our way with weapons drawn, but they were no match to the well-trained Knights.
I paired up with Marl to clean up the remnants of the fort.

[Uhyi!]

[Goo!]

Marl’s slash cut down the orc’s arm, and the returned sword slashed deeply into the torso.
The orc fell to the ground with that one blow. Marl firmly slashed its neck to end it.
She made sure to finish it off properly. It’ll be silly if it rose back and attacked just because you let your guard down thinking you’ve killed it.
In the mopping up of the remnants of the fort, I went around supporting Marl, as she fought as the vanguard.
It’s to gain experience in combat and raise her level.
My level had gone up by 5 to 25, while Marl was at level 15 at the moment.

[Is it about time?]

[Maybe. The sound of battle is getting a lot quieter.]

No particular commotion has occurred, and the strength remaining in this fort would not stand a chance against the Knights.
All that’s left was to wipe out the hiding Orcs.
We walked around the fort and wiped out the remaining enemies.

And then I found it. I found it.

[U, Uuu…]

A female Orc who protected their young Orcs with something like a thick meat cleaver.
Even though they were young, orcs are orcs. From our human point of view, it’s ugly, pig-like.
The same was true for female orcs, they were ugly. They’re only recognizable as females because they had large breasts and were slimmer than other orcs.
However, it was unmistakably the figure of a mother trying to protect her young child.

[…Let’s kill it.]

[…yes.]

Marl nodded at my words and took a step forward. Swinging her sword.

A moment of silence.

The female orc moved first.
Contrary to expectations, it quickly closed in to Marl and raised its butcher knife.

However, Marl was simply faster.
Marl lowered her body and passed by the side of the female orc, slicing its torso with her cutlass as they passed each other.
She then quickly turned around and thrust the cutlass through the female orc back into the area where its heart was.
The female orc’s body trembled for a moment before collapsing.
Marl pulled out the cutlass from the female orc’s body and muttered.

[…This is what war is all about.]

[….yeah, pretty much.]

And then, Marl and I turned our attention to the orc children.

=========

[It’s a complete victory, isn’t it?]

[Yeah.]

Marl and I were in the square in the center of the fort. The Knight Captain was also with us.
The orc corpses were being piled up one after another in the square.
The collected weapons would be taken back as loot, and the corpses collected and burned.
It seems that leaving such corpses unattended could cause an epidemic in the neighborhood, and if not done well, they would turn into undead and attack people.
The piled corpses included small ones.
Marl stared at the spectacle with blank eyes, and I just stood there with her.
I could try to comfort her, to make her forget. However, it’s up to Marl herself to overcome this.
If I could say something witty, I’d be able to push her forward, but unfortunately I couldn’t come up with those words.

[Don’t look at the corpses too much. It will eat away at your soul.]

The Knights Captain warned Marl, who was staring at the corpses.

[This was a battle, and the enemies were monsters. You can’t communicate with monsters, and if you ignore them, they’ll bare their fangs to someone else. No need for mercy, this was necessary.]

The large man stepped forward in front of us and pointed at the Knights carrying the corpses.
and smiled.

[Don’t look at the dead, look at the living. They all look terrible now, but you saved their lives and the smiles of their families. No one died this time, which is something to be proud of.]

Me and Marl looked at the Knights carrying and stacking corpses.
It’s true, everyone had a terrible look on their face.
Their silver armors were in a tragic state, covered in blood and dust, and everyone’s eyes were hollow and their expressions were grim.
But, they were alive. No one was missing and they all survived.

[ I agree, we must not be gloomy.]

Saying that, Marl slapped her cheeks with both hands and looked up.

[That’s a cool rousing speech, Knight Captain.]

[Hahaha! With age comes wisdom! I had the same worries when I was still a recruit]

Saying that, the Knight Captain made a deeply emotional expression. Are you thinking about the past?
After receiving the potions containing the self-made recovery medicine from me, Marl ran to the Knights who were treating the injured.
The light of determination had returned to her eyes.

Five minutes later, screams came from the mouths of the Knights who had drunk Marl’s potion.
Yeah, that’s right. It’s really awful, isn’t it? But it works.

The corpses collected in the plaza were burnt to ashes by several Knights, including myself, using fire magic, leaving no bones behind.
Collected weapons and gold items were to be taken back and used as loot.
It seems that these would be disposed of by the Kingdom and returned to the Knights as salaries.

We offered a silent prayer to the orcs and held a simple memorial service. I don’t know about others, but it seems that the Knights of the Royal Capital do this as a custom regardless of who they are fighting against.
Over the next several days, the corpses on the plains where they fought in the field were also processed and returned to the Royal Capital.
For the first two days when we were disposing of the corpses, all the members of the Knights had a terrible expression on their faces, but on the way home they gradually began to smile.
Every time I passed through the basin and through the farming village, the villagers welcomed me with open arms. The feeling of having survived away from the battlefield must have come to the front.

==============

[It was tough.]

After returning triumphantly to the Royal Capital and finally being released after a simple ceremony, Marl and I took a bath in the mansion and were exhausted.
The two of us thoroughly washed our bodies and were exhausted without the energy to flirt any further.
It was physically and mentally taxing, but a rewarding experience.
It wasn’t like that yesterday, but Marl had nightmares almost every night. The experience in that fort must have been a shock.
Whenever she did, she woke up, and every time I comforted her, she cried until she fell asleep. I’ve had a few nights like that.

[Take a good rest today and tomorrow, and work hard again the day after tomorrow.]

Actually, I don’t have time to take it easy, but it’s not efficient even if I take root.
I have to think about how to use the skill points I got from leveling up, and I still want to raise Marl’s level a little more.
It’s really difficult to level in this world.
It’s obvious, but there’s no place where an affordable enemy can come up with an affordable number of experience rewards.
If you’re going to level up, you’ll just have to do quests with reasonably strong enemies, but it’s going to be extremely difficult to level up Marl.
Wasn’t there an enemy stronger than goblins but weaker than orcs that could be hunted in numbers? Hmmm.

[Taichi-san.]

While I was thinking like that, Marl came rushing at me.
When I held her shoulder, she hugged me tightly.
I’ll give you lots of comfort today. I had to repay my debt someday.

[It is safe to say that they made a triumphant return.]

[They did. Are things in order?]

[Yes, I’ve already prepared an invitation letter, and the bindings that seal the magic are also perfect.]

[Ufufu, that’s fine.]

[But are you really sure? I don’t think the King or Zondark-sama will stay silent.]

[I always get what I want. No matter what.]