2 – Episode 2: Death
＜Episode 2: Death＞
“I’m back, Mother.”
“Come in quickly, Elwin.”
After Brilda’s words concluded,
The tightly sealed lips of the attendants finally opened.
“Welcome, Lord Elwin.”
“Welcome, Lord Elwin.”
***
Frontier’s Self-governing Territory.
Central South.
A place where I spent two years after being transported to another world.
“To think of this place as paradise.”
People’s memories are said to be distorted.
I thought so too.
When I struggled in the Vampiric Duchy,
I longed for the Frontier’s Self-governing Territory.
However, it was only after coming here that reality became apparent.
Complete isolation.
Frontier Lord, my father, was married twice.
The first wife bore a son and a daughter.
That son is me, Elwin,
and the daughter is Elena.
Not long after giving birth to the second child, she passed away.
And then came the second wife.
The current Frontier Lady, Brida.
She also bore two children.
The third and fourth sons.
“There’s no separate prison here.”
The room gives off a noble atmosphere.
The furniture is all made by skilled craftsmen.
The space is also spacious.
It’s well cleaned.
But to me, it was a prison.
“There’s not a single person who comes to visit.”
At least it wasn’t like this four years ago.
Before I became the Vampire Duke, I had allies.
No matter what anyone said, I was the eldest son of the Frontier Lord, and the heir to the Soyoungju title.
“Right now… What am I?”
Just a name, Soyungju.
Without magical talent, I can’t protect the domain.
Monster Island.
Literally, the land of monsters.
Humans cling to a part of this land.
As much as there are monsters, they are formidable.
In this situation, the lord must protect the domain and its people.
Power is essential for that.
“Stripping Soyungju of her title is certain, right?”
Then what should I do from now on? How should I live?
What can I do well?
I left the room.
It felt suffocating not to go outside.
Several maids were wandering in the corridor.
They greeted me formally.
“It’s new.”
The vampire maids whispered behind my back.
Saying I’m not manly enough.
Saying I’m not like Allenzia’s fiancé but more like a servant.
In any case, I had said everything under the stars.
But here…
Ignore. Keep a distance.
These words were appropriate.
Because of nobility, greetings were exchanged,
but that was the end.
There was not even a minimal expression of emotion.
No laughter, no personal stories.
They didn’t try to become close to me, and they didn’t blame me either.
“If vampire servants are hate comments, is this a comment-free zone?”
It’s something celebrities sometimes say.
They fear comment-free zones more than hate comments.
Actually experiencing it, that saying turned out to be true.
It felt as if I were a non-existent person in this place.
Feeling the solitude in the midst of the crowd,
as I walked down the corridor,
someone called my name.
“Lord Elwin!”
My name echoed,
followed by urgent footsteps.
“Elwin!”
I, who was once a non-existent presence.
Now, I exist again.
Someone is calling my name.
“What’s the matter? Knight Wilson?”
Warmth naturally seeped into my voice.
I was thankful for them calling my name.
“The lady is looking for you.”
“The lady? Mother?”
Following Knight Wilson, I stepped out of the mansion.
There, knights and soldiers were gathered.
“Elwin, stand in front.”
“Yes, Mother.”
As I stood in front of the knights,
Brylda resumed her speech.
“According to the messenger, the Black Orcs are approaching this place. To minimize the damage to our territory, we’ve decided to intercept them.”
Brylda paused her speech and locked eyes with me.
“This operation will be commanded by Lady Elwin.”
“Are you talking about me?”
Why me?
I am not a knight.
Far from being a swordsman.
I don’t even have the blood of a frontier, and I can’t use magic.
I have no experience commanding an army.
But why me?
“Since the lord has left, naturally it should be done by the young lord, right?”
“Yes, milady.”
“You are absolutely right.”
Before I could respond, the knights echoed in agreement.
In this situation, I had no choice but to go along with it.
Logically, it made sense for me to go.
The lord has a duty to protect the territory and its people.
“…Alright. I will stop the Black Orc.”
Let’s think positively.
If I show my abilities here, my situation will improve.
I turned my head and surveyed the surroundings.
Two knights and one hundred fifty soldiers.
With knights present, dealing with the Black Orc seemed manageable.
“To minimize casualties… should I deploy a dense formation?”
Though I lack direct combat experience,
I possess countless indirect experiences.
Through playing various games,
I’ve fought innumerable wars.
In ancient European games, I conquered territories from the Iberian Peninsula in the west to Egypt in the east as Rome.
When playing the Three Kingdoms game, I successfully led a million-strong army to conquer the north.
In medieval European games, I formed empires not just with major countries like England, France, and Spain, but also with smaller states like Venice.
What about the World War games?
I led Germany’s 3 million troops to occupy the Soviet Union.
Conversely, with the Soviet Union’s 5 million troops, I defended against Germany and eventually took over Europe.
‘Yes, I can do this.’
Games and reality are different, but
I should be able to handle 150 soldiers somehow.
I called a knight.
And shared my plan.
“Sir Elwin, I understand what you’re saying, but the lady has already ordered a strategy.”
“There’s already a plan?”
The existing strategy was this:
I would lead the soldiers and hold our position in the center.
Meanwhile, two knights with a few soldiers would attack from the flanks.
Not a bad plan.
The Black Orc of Monster Island.
Stronger than the typical orc on the continent.
Even so, not a match for an expert knight.
“Understood. Please proceed as planned.”
In the forest far away from South Castle.
We encountered the Black Orc.
We divided ourselves into three units as planned.
One knight led 30 soldiers and moved left.
Another knight led 30 soldiers and moved right.
And I took charge of the center with 90 soldiers.
The Black Orc, who discovered us, charged forward.
Their height was similar to that of humans.
But their shoulders were 1.5 to 2 times wider.
Their muscles were also larger than those of humans.
Their sight of charging with axes
instinctively triggered fear.
“Raise your shields! Just hold on a little longer!”
Thud. Thud.
The soldiers clashed with the Black Orc.
As soldiers of Monster Island, they bravely fought against the Black Orc.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The Black Orcs relentlessly struck their shields with axes.
Soldiers parried with their spears, blocking the axes.
Five minutes that felt like an hour passed.
However…
‘Why aren’t they moving?’
The gaze of the Black Orcs was already focused on the central army.
Now was the perfect opportunity for a surprise attack.
If knights and soldiers assaulted from both sides,
the Black Orcs would collapse.
But why?
Thud. Thud. Swish.
“Kraaah!”
The shield shattered under the Orc’s axe.
The soldier, now without a shield, was attacked directly by the axe blade.
“Captain Wilson! This is your chance!!”
He shouted in desperation.
“Captain Wilson! Attack immediately!!”
Thud. Swish.
The shield split by the Orc’s axe fell to the ground.
He, along with him, casualties among the soldiers had accumulated.
“Young Lady So!”
“We can’t hold on any longer!”
The situation was dire.
‘At this rate, morale won’t hold.’
The strategy often used in war games was ‘Morale Bread.’
A combination of the English word ‘morale’ and the Korean word for bread. Or, in other words, it meant morale hitting rock bottom.
A unit affected by Morale Bread would either suffer severe damage to its combat effectiveness or break free from control and flee.
That situation had befallen me.
“Just a little longer. Hold on just a bit more!”
“Young Lady So! Argh!”
Ninety soldiers had become seventy.
A 20% casualty rate had occurred.
The Morale Bread situation was not at all unusual for me.
And the feared event had finally occurred.
One soldier had deserted the front lines.
This was the beginning.
Other soldiers also started fleeing, one by one.
‘Oh no…’
It’s over.
There’s no way to command.
To survive, we can only flee together.
“Retreat!!! All forces, retreat!!”
Shouting loudly, I turned my body.
“Kraaah!”
From behind, human screams could be heard.
“Kraaah!”
“eeek!!”
The screams were getting closer.
And then.
“Cough…”
A groan escaped my lips.
The strength left my legs.
I tried to escape somehow, but my legs wouldn’t move.
The ground approached.
Thud.
The searing pain from my back gradually disappeared.
Contrarily, my consciousness became clearer.
It felt like the mythical revival described only in words.
Thud.
The orc struck the empty back again.
From Noble mtl dot com
It was a confirmed kill.
They had already suffered a fatal wound from the first attack.
Considering the medical standards of the frontier, they were going to die anyway.
But still, the orc launched another attack.
And the sound of bones breaking could be heard.
It seemed that the orc had shattered their spine.
They had completely given up hope of life.
They were 99% certain to die, and even if they were lucky, they would live as a cripple for the rest of their life.
“Attack, all forces!!”
“Attack the orc’s flank!!”
Only after the central force collapsed did the voices of the two knights reach them.
“Now they attack.”
As their physical senses diminished,
their mind became clearer.
“No, could it be that they’re aiming for me? To kill me?”
Even if they stayed still, the position of Chief So Young-ju was supposed to pass to Third Gibson.
But it seemed that Brellda wanted to make sure of something.
Even their clear consciousness was fading away.
Now, it’s truly the end.
My attention shifted to the notification in a crimson view.
It appears blurry.
However…
The last letter was different.
[Mission]
Tutorial (Completed)
‘I thought I couldn’t break it until I died. In the end, I broke it.’
