Episode 131. Trap(1)
The battle at the Balkan Fortress resulted in numerous casualties on both sides.
The orcs knocked on the castle gate with the number and quality of troops saying that the day was far away, and the kingdom was narrowly successful in defending itself repeatedly.
The Kingdom Army showed a potential that could not be pierced.
In addition, the reinforcements added every day also added to their strength.
Initially, Balak expected that he would be able to capture the fortress easily, but even after more than a week, the fortress was firmly held.
* * *
“Kwoaaa!!”
“Attack!”
Orcs holding shields roared in unison and rushed to the walls.
“coming!”
In response, the army of the kingdom took care of what they had to do, even with a nervous look on their faces.
Rangers and knights shoot arrows.
On the other hand, the soldiers prepared stones and boiling oil to prevent the orcs from climbing over the ramparts.
Before long, numerous orcs broke through the barrage of arrows and crashed into the walls.
chuck.
Tuuk!
Numerous ladders and hooks spanning the fort’s walls.
Orcs climbed the walls without hesitation.
The veteran soldiers spat out like rapid-fire guns at the sight of the hook getting closer due to their tremendous strength and physique.
“Stop! Push away the ladder, and cut off the hook by extending your arm!”
“… Oh, I’m not pushing!!”
“what? damn! You’re already on board! Don’t push, pour stones!”
From noble mtl dot com
When the weight of an orc is placed on a slanted ladder, several soldiers cling to it and push it away without being pushed back.
That’s why he prepared heavy stones and boiling oil.
“… Pour!”
At the veteran soldier’s words, the soldiers next to him suddenly overturned the basket with stones.
“Be careful not to fall together.”
“yes. oops!”
clattering!
The angular stones poured down and crushed the crown of the orc climbing the ladder at terrifying speed.
blah blah!
“Kwoaaa!!”
The crushed orc tumbled ten meters down the wall, frothing at the mouth.
It was a bonus that the Orcs under him also fell one after another.
“This is the time, push away!”
“… ! yes!”
The soldiers pushed the ladder away while the orcs were tangled up among themselves.
At the same time, the soldiers who were waiting with arrows on them leaned out slightly and fired arrows.
The orcs who were still rolling on the ground had no way to avoid these arrows.
Giving up one’s life in vain
Ian, who was quietly contemplating the battlefield with some senior knights on top of the castle wall, thought about it.
‘… The defense isn’t bad.’
The soldiers of the Balkan Fortress are basically strong soldiers, and since battles happen every day, coping is familiar.
Even in Ian’s eyes, the soldiers were doing the best they could.
‘however… .’
Nonetheless, casualties were always high.
It was unavoidable.
Some of the strong Orcs easily broke through the soldiers’ checks and looked over the top of the castle wall.
“… coming!”
Soldiers screamed at the sight of a black-maned orc approaching the wall at high speed from afar.
He was an exceptionally agile and light-bodied variant of Orcs.
He stepped on the corpses of his people piled up around him and ran toward the ladder that spanned the castle wall.
“Pass it! right now… !”
The soldiers hurriedly pushed the ladder away, but it was already too late.
It was because it was enough for him to cross the castle wall even if he had only 1 second of time.
Tup!
“What!?”
“no way… .”
Staggeringly, he stumbled across a ladder and, in the blink of an eye, leaped several steps at a time and flew up to the top of the castle wall.
Then, at the sight of the soldiers surrounding him with their spears in their hands, he let out a loud roar.
“Kuuu!!!!!”
“Ugh, ugh!”
The roar, full of murder, made the soldiers tremble like aspen trees.
‘What, what is it? body… !’
My body didn’t move.
The horror seen from a distance and from right in front could not be compared.
I know I have to move, but I didn’t listen as if my body was broken.
Chew!!
soldiers died
The orcs mercilessly slaughtered countless soldiers around them.
“aaagh!!”
“Live… . 100 million!?”
Since it was impossible to avoid its attack at the speed of ordinary soldiers, the number of deaths skyrocketed in an instant.
The massacre of the guy stopped only after the nearby knights rushed in and caught him.
‘It makes me suffer.’
Ian murmured at the sight of the soldiers around him covered in blood.
A little while ago, he was in a position where he could step out, but instead of stepping out, he kept his place.
The desire to help the soldiers was like a chimney, but I couldn’t help it.
‘… … .’
At first glance, it seems to be doing nothing, but in reality, it was because it was carrying out a very important mission.
Just to keep Balak in check.
‘… If I had stepped out, he would have moved.’
Ian’s gaze had been on Balak ever since the battle began.
If he had taken his eyes off it for even a moment, he would have rushed somewhere on the wall in an instant, and an extremely dangerous situation would have emerged.
The reason why Balak stood still and watched the battlefield like now was because he knew that countless knights were only looking at him.
“… … .”
“… … .”
A fierce eye fight ensued.
At first glance, the static appearance seemed to contrast with the busy battlefield situation, but in reality, this side was also very fierce.
As evidence of that, the eyes of the senior knights standing behind Ian turned red.
It was because there was no time to blink in the suffocating confrontation.
The confrontation was resolved only after it was dark and Balak withdrew with his army.
“The guy is leaving.”
“Whoa… .”
The senior knights, who had been keeping an eye on Balak all day, sighed in relief and sat down.
They didn’t move much, but their foreheads were wet with cold sweat.
It was because they, who were high-level knights, could vaguely feel the level of Balak just by confronting them from a distance.
“… To think there was an orc like that.”
“It is a monster.”
Ian also nodded in agreement with the knights’ words of relief.
On the contrary, because the realm was higher, he could know the fact more painfully than the senior knights felt.
It was to the extent that I could understand why Roan had gone to such lengths to ask him not to fight him.
‘I’m speechless.’
If he had met him under the castle wall, he would have been defeated even if he was with high-ranking knights.
Perhaps it would have been best to spread out and increase the number of survivors as much as possible.
‘… It’s a long way to go.’
Ian sighed and shook his head with a calm expression.
However, contrary to his thoughts, he wasn’t too worried about Balak.
‘I am doing my job.’
It’s hard, but I’m doing well.
Because he had that certainty.
And the basis for that conviction was none other than Roan.
I was able to have such confidence because I was hearing the news of the other side every day through Roan’s family.
‘Is Ballack still there?’
‘This side won.’
‘The western front is in a stabilization phase. There are some surplus troops, so depending on the situation, more reinforcements may go.’
Even Ian was amazed at his performance without words.
The number of Orcs killed by Roan’s troops already easily exceeded 10,000.
The damage caused by the fort was not small, but even that was incomparable to the damage suffered by the Orcs on the Western Front.
Maybe that’s why the movements of the Orcs have changed a bit lately.
There are almost no invasions, and they are only scouting the surroundings in groups of tens of thousands.
Now you realize how serious it is.
‘… So sooner or later, Balak will be reported.’
Roan said confidently.
The reason why those warlike orcs are taking such a defensive stance is that they are waiting for Balak’s orders.
‘There are two cases here.’
Upon receiving the report, Balak could either remain in the Balkan Fortress or move to the Western Front.
Roan also said that he was not sure what choice Balak would make.
However, he said that the response according to each choice was clearly determined.
‘If it’s the latter, then we’ll have to buy ourselves. but… .’
But, if the former.
‘The corps commander will regret his choice for the first time.’
‘… !!’
I promise to make you regret it. He said so in a confident voice.
Ian couldn’t think of it as a mere expression of confidence.
Because it wasn’t just one or two achievements that had already been proven as results.
* * *
At night, Balak, who stopped fighting and withdrew, inspected the troops.
Compared to when he was on the battlefield, the number was clearly reduced, and the injured soldiers were also occasionally noticeable.
“How long have you died?”
“Kirik. Five thousand.”
Ballack narrowed his brow.
At 5,000, it wasn’t that much of an orc’s loss.
However, the story changes when the troops lost on the Western Front are combined.
This amount of loss in just a week or so was painful for even the Orc army, which was recovering quickly.
“… Kiruk. What are you going to do?”
What are you going to do? The goblin looked at the snow and asked Balak.
“… … .”
It was difficult to make a judgment because it was impossible to accurately grasp the report alone.
Because of this, Balak was troubled.
‘Should I go?’
But that worry didn’t last long.
In the first place, he tended to act when his temperament itself was troubled.
“I don’t go.”
“… !”
Unexpectedly, the resistance of the kingdom was fierce and the fall of the fortress was delayed, but if you keep knocking, you thought that someday you would reveal your limits.
Conversely, damage would continue to occur on the Western Front, but it would gradually diminish.
‘There is a limit to a surprise attack alone.’
If the method is the same, even the dullest orcs will gradually get used to it and find a countermeasure.
Unexpectedly, when the damage accumulated, it was evident just by killing the belligerence with his own judgment and sending a messenger to wait for the command of the corps commander.
They had already figured out a way and were on the way to finding a countermeasure.
then… .
“I should finish what I was doing.”
Somehow they captured the fortress and called the Dark Elves to threaten the capital.
This is a simple plan that anyone can think of, but if it succeeds, it will act as a direct hit that will turn the tide of war.
“It won’t take long anyway.”
The level of the knights of the kingdom was quite high, and their patience was also surprisingly great, but that was not long.
Because knights are people too.
In the battle that continues day after day, it will not be possible to maintain such a high level of concentration forever.
‘A little time is enough.’
If you lose your concentration even for a moment, you can cross the wall, and if you cross the wall, the fortress will fall as it is.
This is because there is no power there to stop them without the help of the walls.
“Tomorrow’s departure will proceed as scheduled. Tell the messenger to take care of their problems.”
* * *
For the first time in a long time since the war began, the headquarters of the Western Front was crowded with various figures.
Taking advantage of the silence of the Orcs, the frontline commanders gathered.
I also found this place with Sigrun because I was qualified to participate.
“What, an elf?”
“Over there… .”
As the young leader and the elf walked around the headquarters together, they naturally drew all the attention around them.
“Are you okay?”
“… … .”
Because of that, Sigrun’s complexion suddenly became tired even before the meeting.
“It’s a little dizzy.”
“Then just go ahead.”
moved quickly
There’s still time before the meeting begins, but it’ll be better in a quiet place.
“And the meeting will be over soon.”
“is that so?”
“yes.”
It was this morning that I heard that Balak was left in the Balkan Fortress.
In this case, the plan was made in advance.
‘Horn. I haven’t written it yet.’
A horn to lure monsters that Müller stole from the palace storage.
After digging a good trap, I thought of giving this a try.
