25 – Episode 25 Territory Expansion
＜Episode 25 Territory Expansion＞
They arrived at the third destination.
They cleared the area by cutting down surrounding trees.
They built a wooden wall around it.
Building stone walls like Kariyan Frontier did in the past is beyond our capability.
So, I plan to stack several trees to create a sturdy wall.
Instead, I made the interior even larger than a castle.
Thanks to that, we were able to secure enough space for military, residential, and farming areas.
Uncle and I explored a place where large-scale civil engineering was in full swing.
“How about it, Uncle?”
“Is that building an inn?”
“Yes. It’s a space for tired hunters to rest.”
“And is that a blacksmith? Have you found a skilled artisan to dispatch there?”
“When we harvest wheat in the spring, we’ll use the proceeds to buy slaves. We plan to purchase a blacksmith slave at that time.”
“I see. With this, hunters can focus on hunting.”
“Don’t worry about anything else. Just hunt as many monsters as possible. I’ll support the rest.”
Uncle patted my shoulder.
“Don’t worry about that. Monster hunting is truly our specialty.”
It took a month to establish the third outpost.
Even that was limited to constructing the wooden walls and essential facilities.
The remaining facilities would be slowly built by the soldiers stationed here.
There was no rush at the moment.
I left 200 soldiers here.
No hunters remained.
It was decided to dispatch them to the third and fourth outposts after expanding the hunter team.
“Advance the entire army to the east!”
Three forward bases were secured and constructed.
Now, with just one more, the territory in the southern region would be secured.
To be precise, it was at the level of planting a flag, but securing is securing, anyway.
700 slave soldiers and 50 hunters set off towards their final destination.
‘Just one more…’
It was warned to be cautious when everything was going smoothly.
In the end, an incident occurred.
“Northern orc emergence.”
“Estimated around 400.”
“Quickly advancing south through the forest.”
“Expected encounter in 10 minutes.”
Hunters continued to relay the latest news.
‘Suddenly, 400 orcs.’
They hurriedly moved to the open plain.
“Shield formation!”
The 400 soldiers of the Phalanx division lowered their long spears.
Shield-bearers, 50 on each side, protected the flanks.
In the rear, 200 crossbowmen prepared to bolt their quarrels.
“Hans, engage in the battle as defensively as possible.”
“Understood!”
Until now, the goal had been to exterminate the monsters.
But continuing like this could lead to casualties.
After all, there were over 400 orcs, physically stronger than humans.
And they were Black Orcs, no less.
“Encounter expected in 3 minutes. Orcs will soon emerge from the forest!”
The forest ahead trembled.
“Crossbowmen, prepare to fire!”
1 minute.
2 minutes.
3 minutes passed, and
Orcs came rushing out of the forest.
“Fire!”
Orcs who had emerged in formation were quickly mowed down by the simultaneous fire of 200 crossbowmen.
Those who followed trampled over their fallen comrades and charged straight toward the allies.
They surged toward the tightly-packed phalanx of spears.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Someone said.
In battle, the one with the weapon usually wins.
Unless there’s an overwhelming difference in skill, that saying is mostly true.
For a trained martial artist who has been training for a long time, facing an armed ordinary person is difficult.
No, you just have to avoid it.
Utilize quick footwork.
And if both have weapons, the one with the longer weapon wins.
The Black Orc, possessing a physique stronger than humans, collapsed helplessly in front of a 4m-long spear.
None of their axes touched the human body.
“Hold on! Maintain the formation!”
The situation was favorable.
If it continued like this, victory could be achieved without casualties.
‘But… something’s strange?’
No matter how low in intelligence and tainted with madness the Black Orcs were compared to ordinary orcs,
it was odd to thrust directly at Palanx’s front.
They should instinctively detect danger and evade.
“Lady Soyoung! We need to retreat!”
“What’s going on?”
“Trolls. Trolls are approaching.”
“Trolls? This isn’t a troll area, is it?”
“It seems they’ve come down here, probably for orc hunting.”
Trolls.
Large monsters with a height of 4m.
From trolls onward, it goes beyond what ordinary people can handle.
“If they can make an orc 400 flee…?”
“What about the numbers? How many are there?”
“Currently, three are approaching. Additionally, we’ve discovered ten trolls behind us.”
Only thirteen trolls were found.
It’s a number that cannot be defeated with our current forces.
“Are thirteen approaching?”
“No. The ten in the rear are devouring the orc they hunted. Only three are approaching here. We need to retreat quickly. We are not prepared to capture trolls.”
Only with a team of multiple veteran hunters can they barely capture one troll.
They need to set traps,
lure only one,
and relentlessly attack the trapped troll.
But right now, there are no traps,
and the number is three. In the worst case, it could be thirteen.
Even so,
“We cannot retreat.”
The Palanks Unit engaged in combat with the orcs.
To expose their backs to the enemy in this situation?
It would result in tremendous casualties.
“But! Lord So Young!”
“Hans. Bring Hans here.”
“… Yes.”
After a moment, Hans came running.
“Lady Soyoung! Did you call for me?”
“Have you heard about the current situation?”
“Are you referring to the trolls?”
“Yes, do you remember the strategy with the hammer and the mace we used before?”
When explaining how amazing Falanks was, they also mentioned the strategy with the hammer and the mace.
Falanks would turn into a sturdy hammer, and the cavalry would become a mace, annihilating the enemy like a sandwich.
Hans had a negative opinion about this strategy.
“I do remember.”
“We’re going to use that strategy now. If the trolls come, the Falanks unit will become the hammer.”
“What about the mace?”
She pointed her index finger at Hans.
“You. You have to end the trolls’ lives.”
Hans tightened his grip on the sword hilt.
“I can do it. No, I must do it. If we retreat in this situation, more than half of us will die or get injured.”
“I will try. No, I will definitely kill the trolls.”
When there were about 100 orcs left, three trolls entered the battlefield.
They struck the orcs with their huge wooden clubs.
The orc struck by the club floated in the air and flew away.
Between the sheep, only the orcs were annihilated,
leaving humans and trolls.
“Palance Unit! Hold your ground. Shoulder to shoulder!”
Important in battle.
Weapons and reach.
‘Reach is worth a try.’
The weapon used by the Palance Disease soldiers is a 4m spear.
This was not inadequate compared to the troll’s long arms and club.
The problem is…
The troll attacked the closely packed spears.
“Hold the line!”
Dozens of spears clashed with the troll’s club.
As if a giant wave had hit, the spear turned sideways.
‘It’s rather fortunate.’
The weakness of human strength has now become an advantage.
If they had resisted, the spear would have broken.
The staggering Palance soldiers once again thrust their spears forward.
“Growowow!”
As if annoyed, the troll repeatedly swung the club.
Whenever that happened, the Planks battalion surged.
“Hold the line! Hold it at all costs! Extend the spears to keep the trolls at bay!”
Planks hunched over like a hedgehog in front of a leopard, extending their long spears.
As they held their ground.
“Crossbowmen! Aim for the trolls’ eyes! Fire at will as soon as you’re loaded!”
As bolts flew towards their eyes,
the trolls raised a hand to shield them.
Thanks to that, the Planks battalion found it easier to hold their ground.
And then,
there was someone quietly approaching behind the trolls.
Knight Hans.
A prodigy long awaited since childhood.
Hence, appointed as a guardian knight to Lady Soyoung at an early age.
“The problem is, he’s still young.”
By the standards of this world, he’s an adult, but by Korean age, he’s still a high school student.
Blood trickled from Hans’s sword.
The kind of bloodshed one wears proudly on their sword.
It signifies the rank of a Sword Expert.
Hans leaped forward in a flash.
From Noble mtl dot com
Then, he sliced through the back of the troll.
The tough troll’s skin was gruesomely torn apart.
“Growwwl!!!”
The troll roared in a scream-like manner and hunched its body.
“Palance Unit, attack!”
Soldiers from the Palance Unit, who were marking the troll, thrust their long spears into it.
The spears didn’t easily penetrate the tough skin, but they continued to attack with great force.
To kill a troll, one needed to inflict damage surpassing its exceptional regenerative abilities.
Hans was no different.
His sword swung so fast that it left a lingering afterimage.
Like that.
They defeated one troll.
The problem arose next.
The remaining two went berserk after their comrade’s death.
One swung its club more fiercely,
while the other.
‘Huh?’
Threw a massive club with all its might.
Towards the Palance Unit.
The club bypassed the closely packed spears and directly struck the soldiers.
In an instant, dozens of casualties occurred.
The troll didn’t miss a single gap.
That creature burrowed through space and mercilessly attacked humans with its palm and fist.
“Hans! That thing! Take it down first!”
He pointed at the rampaging troll that had entered the Frank’s unit.
Hans nodded and rushed towards the creature.
In the brief time it took for Hans to approach and attack,
dozens of casualties occurred again.
Sharp spears from enraged soldiers pierced through the troll, who had grabbed Hans by the throat and fallen.
That was how the second troll died.
The last troll, who had lost two comrades, fled.
“What’s the situation with the other trolls?”
Three trolls are not the end.
There were about ten more trolls in the forest.
“No movement.”
“Keep watching. And the soldiers will collect troll and orc remains. Hans, assess the damage.”
“Understood.”
“Understood.”
While the other trolls remained motionless,
the soldiers dismantled the monster remains and left the battlefield.
28 casualties.
73 wounded.
Most of the casualties occurred in the brief moment when the troll threw its club and invaded.
‘I should avoid a battle with the troll.’
Deep down, I had hoped to be able to confront the troll as well.
However, it wasn’t the case when we actually faced it.
We arrived at the fourth destination and
established a forward base there.
That’s right.
As we completed the four forward bases, we finished planting our flags on 15% of the land in the frontier territory.
After completing the forward bases,
we deployed soldiers there.
With the remaining soldiers, wounded, and hunters, we returned to Snowver.
