It had been an intense battle.
The orcs, enhanced by the orc shaman, were so tough that even the prisoners’ swords couldn’t pierce them. Unlike this side, which failed to form proper ranks, the orcs had established formations and fought in a systematic manner.
On top of that, they were fearless.
Had the prisoners faced them alone, they would have been completely wiped out.
In fact, even with Eleanor’s support, some prisoners still ended up dead.
“Tch, he’s dead.”
“That’s what happens when you fight on the front lines…”
The number of prisoners who had died totaled four.
Now, only fifteen prisoners remained.
If things had gone well, not a single one of them would’ve died.
It wasn’t regret over their deaths so much as the painful loss of fighting power that stung.
Joseph really needed to rally the prisoners quickly.
Should it be called a relief, perhaps?
“Hey, look at Joseph’s group over there…”
“Not many injuries.”
“I saw them earlier, and they were practically kissing his ass.”
“Whew…”
Just as they said, Joseph’s squad which had been reduced to three after Mustache’s death now had four additional prisoners gathered around them.
These were the prisoners who had recently come under Joseph’s command.
Even after the battle had ended, they were relatively unscathed.
And rightly so.
First of all, Joseph himself was a soldier, so he led them with skill and precision. On top of that, they had stamina potions Jun had given him.
“H-Hey, Joseph.”
“What is it?”
“…Next time, let me fight with your group.”
“Do as you please. But if you disobey orders, I’ll drop you without hesitation.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
No one wanted to die.
Those kinds of people were already long dead.
Everyone who remained here had a desire to live.
And once they saw a way to survive, they swarmed toward it like moths to a flame.
Did the deaths of four prisoners allow Joseph to seize control of the others’ hearts?
Not a bad outcome.
Jun approached Barbata’s corpse, the result of a coordinated attack by Schneider and Maya.
Even in the game, Barbata was the type to weaken once his army began to collapse.
That was exactly why Jun had brought down the building and picked off the orcs one by one from the start.
He must’ve been caught off guard. The barrier collapsed, and he’d probably planned to strengthen all his forces at once before engaging in battle.
The battle had unfolded exactly according to plan, and the result was excellent.
And then—
As expected, this bastard had it.
Jun pulled out a spellbook and a single talisman from within Barbata’s robes.
He kept the talisman for himself and handed over the book to Schneider without hesitation.
“A spellbook… May I ask you to decipher it later?”
“Just let me know whenever you need.”
“Thanks.”
Ever since Braight’s death, Schneider had become strangely calm.
He no longer displayed the same kind of greed toward Jun as before.
It was probably due to the death of the assistant he had cherished so much.
It’s unfortunate, but what can you do? The living have to keep living.
With that thought, Jun began to go over the remaining steps in his plan.
In the game, the Orc Lord started out with three mediums.
One of them had just been killed. The shaman orc.
Another one was the Scout.
The Orc Ranger unit.
Things would get annoying the moment the Orc Lord brought them along.
They constantly launched surprise attacks, set traps along the path, and delayed the party.
Meanwhile, the Orc Lord would move toward the remaining mediums.
Fortunately, unlike the game, the Orc Lord made different choices. At this point, what is certain is that we can at least take out the Orc Rangers without much trouble.
Around then, Jun realized it was time to make a decision.
“Mr. Schneider.”
“Hmm? What is it, Jun?”
“I’d like to discuss the plan moving forward.”
“…Please wait a moment. I’ll bring Leon.”
Schneider brought over Leon, who had been staring coldly at the corpses of the dead prisoners.
“What is it, mage?”
“Go ahead and speak. Is there a change in the plan?”
Faced with the questions from the two Level 6 fighters, Jun slowly opened his mouth.
“I believe I’ll need to act separately from this point on.”
“What do you mean? You’re going to move on your own?”
“….…”
Schneider unusually looked taken aback, and Leon furrowed his brows as if trying to interpret Jun’s intentions.
Jun who didn’t seem to mind with their reactions spread out the map.
“We are currently here. And the location where the Scout is sealed is here. Based on our current travel speed, it’s about a three-week distance.”
This much had already been discussed multiple times in previous meetings.
The two looked at Jun as if wondering why he was repeating what had already been said.
“The day the Orc Lord awoke, his soul went east.”
Whether it was because there was an orc in that direction suitable for possession or because he hadn’t absorbed enough of the party’s souls, Jun didn’t know.
However—
“There are three mediums lying dormant in the direction he went. By now, he’s probably found one of them.”
“And?”
“Judging from the number of orcs that were sealed together with the shaman just now, the other mediums are likely commanding a similar number of orcs.”
At the current pace, by the time they reached the location of the Scout and confronted the Orc Lord—
“Given the distance, he will have reclaimed all three mediums.”
One hundred and fifty elite orc soldiers.
“With our current forces, we stand no chance.”
The moment they clashed, it was obvious they’d be wiped out in an instant.
“But wasn’t that already anticipated?”
At Schneider’s question, Jun nodded.
“That’s why I plan to try and block his advance.”
“You think that’s possible?”
It was Leon who asked.
“Yes. I’m a mage, after all.”
“That’s sheer arrogance.”
Leon didn’t particularly like Jun, but he understood well how crucial the mage in front of him was to their current forces.
“I know mages are strong against groups. But we’re talking about the Orc Lord here, aren’t we?”
Even the Goblin Lord had required an army. So how could a single mage possibly stop an Orc Lord, who was far stronger than any goblin?
“I can do it.”
“……”
“Hoo…”
He couldn’t go into detail about the method.
But both of them knew the mage standing before them was neither foolish nor arrogant.
“Is it truly possible?”
“Yes. So I ask the two of you to lead the remaining forces and take down the Orc Rangers. Let’s make this our rendezvous point.”
“……Then may fortune be with you.”
“Let’s live to meet again.”
Schneider and Leon also understood well that, as things stood, they couldn’t handle the Orc Lord on their own.
“And Leon.”
“What is it, mage?”
“Don’t trust the prisoners.”
“That goes without saying.”
“But judge the humans as you go.”
“……?”
What nonsense was that?
It wouldn’t be long before Leon understood the meaning behind the words Jun had left before departing.
He clenched and unclenched his fist.
The sensation in his hand didn’t feel too bad.
Including Mustache, the total number of dead prisoners now stood at five.
In exchange for sealing the prisoners’ powers, Leon had been unable to use most of his own true strength.
But as that burden began to lift, some of his strength had returned. Enough now to protect himself, at least.
Is he telling me to lift the binding spell on the prisoners and reclaim my power?
Not a chance.
Leon shook his head firmly.
The prisoners couldn’t be trusted.
***
There was no tearful farewell.
Though Aiden wore an extremely, extremely worried expression.
“I told you, I’ll be fine. Remember that sparring match I had with Bern last time?”
“Yes……”
“I can at least take care of myself, so don’t worry about me. More importantly… you know what I mean, right? Eleanor.”
“Yeah, yeah. Be nice to the prisoners like a good priestess, right?”
“Try to support Joseph as much as you can.”
Even up to the moment of his departure, Jun continued to share his plan with his companions—
Just to make sure they wouldn’t push it aside or forget.
It was only after Eleanor shuddered and claimed that her ears might start bleeding that Jun was finally able to prepare for his journey.
***
Throughout the journey so far, Jun had always distinguished between his strengths and weaknesses.
What was a mage?
A wielder of overwhelming firepower spells capable of toppling countless enemies.
A supporter of allies through a vast array of utility magic.
To Jun, a mage was the very definition of versatility. A class shaped like a perfect hexagon.
But to many veteran players, that image was nothing but an illusion. Something flashy on the outside but hollow within.
And they weren’t wrong.
Behind that dazzling exterior, a mage carried numerous drawbacks.
A different progression system from other characters.
A constant lack of resources because of it.
Stamina so low that even calling it pathetic felt like an understatement.
A long wait before reaching late-game strength.
If there was no frontline to hold enemies back, the mage would collapse in an instant.
And when faced with assassin-type enemies, they were utterly helpless.
Each and every one of these weaknesses was critically severe.
Among that sea of flaws, there were two in particular that Jun considered the worst.
The first was weak confrontation ability.
Mages had limited means of defending against enemy attacks and few options to drive away foes that got too close.
“That was resolved when I gained the Predator.”
Then what was the other flaw?
Mobility.
A warrior could destroy enemy lines with a single leap.
A hunter could tear through enemies at speeds that left afterimages.
But what about a mage?
“I kept researching.”
There were plenty of ways to gain mobility itself.
There were artifacts, skills, and even magic.
But how should it be used?
After much thought and deliberation, Jun had finally come to a conclusion.
Recently, he had found the answer.
***
Orc Lord Hargon.
A soul once trapped in the underworld by foreign powers had returned to the living world.
However, he knew that he did not belong in this world.
He also came to realize that even his very existence had been crafted by someone else.
He didn’t care.
His title was the Conqueror King.
If there was something he didn’t have, he simply had to take it.
He left the Ancient Temple and took what he lacked.
A body.
His eyes fell upon the pitiful body of an orc who led a small tribe.
The body possessed exceptional talent, but the fool had never known how to use it properly.
He immediately took over the orc’s body.
The original owner, once the soul at the pinnacle of all orcs, screamed as he yielded control before Hargon’s powerful spirit.
“Follow me.”
And so, Hargon led a group of fewer than twenty orcs eastward.
He recalled the group of humans at the Ancient Temple.
It was a lamentable matter, but Hargon was a wise king.
Rather than recklessly trying to kill the intruders who had stepped onto his land, he chose instead to grow his army.
And, the journey began.
By the time the sun and moon had traded places twenty times,
He had found one of his generals.
From a past filled with glory.
A brave warrior who had always stood at the frontlines of his army. Vandal.
Together, he and fifty elite warriors awakened from their deep slumber.
“My king.”
Along the way, he gathered the scattered orcs from the plains.
Fifty elite warriors and two hundred and fifty orcs of this era.
A total of three hundred.
It seemed now that they could deal with the intruders.
Not yet.
But he discarded that option.
He was the Conqueror King.
Though confident in his own strength, he was the one who would lead an army, stand at the summit, and trample the land beneath him.
“I seek Takuda.”
If Vandal was the sword that struck from the frontlines,
Then Takuda was the sturdy shield, strong as a fortress wall.
Only by finding him could the army take on the bare minimum form of a true force.
And so, by the time the sun and moon had traded places thirty more times,
“Hello?”
A lone human stood in the path of the orc legion.
It was around the time their numbers had grown to over five hundred.
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