Ch.136Chapter 136: The Decisive Battle in the East (4).

“Woahhh…!”

Endless rows of tents and people stretched out before them.

The 600,000 people were impressive enough, but the Grasen Plains that contained all these people and tents was truly enormous.

“Th-there’s no end to it?”

It’s only 600,000.

Even for Balt, who had lived in a country with tens of millions of people before falling into this world, seeing hundreds of thousands gathered in one place was a truly rare sight.

Let alone what a million orcs, each larger than humans, would look like.

The impact of 30,000 orcs had been no joke, but a million was unimaginable.

“Hmm… there are certainly many of them. And I can see quite a few who look capable.”

Luktan was already scanning around, searching for strong warriors.

This was because he, being a Gerungtu, possessed good eyes and senses like Balt.

“Indeed. They are quite impressive.”

As everyone was exchanging words, Grace stepped forward.

“The Oscar Kingdom’s camp is a bit further in. Everyone follow me.”

Although tents and people were densely packed, paths were naturally kept wide enough for troops to pass through.

Grace’s forces all departed toward the designated area for the Oscar Kingdom.

***

“My daughter! My successor has arrived.”

‘Hmm… so that’s him…’

King Rient Oscar of the Oscar Kingdom.

Although his personal combat ability seemed inferior to Grace’s, the aura emanating from him was befitting of a king ruling a nation.

Upon seeing Rient, Grace prostrated herself and exclaimed:

“I have returned, Your Majesty.”

Several people followed Grace’s lead, kneeling and bowing, but Balt and a few others did not.

This was a battlefield.

If Balt and his friends had entered the royal palace of the Oscar Kingdom as invited guests, they would certainly have observed proper etiquette, but they had no obligation to show respect to King Rient when they weren’t even citizens of his country.

Besides, Gerungtu warriors rarely knelt to anyone.

Arias and Liris were the same.

Only the impressionable Lisa flinched, about to follow the others in kneeling, but seeing Balt and his friends standing stiffly, she too remained proudly upright.

“I see, these must be our distinguished guests. I apologize for receiving such noble visitors in a place like this.”

Instead, it was King Rient who showed respect to Balt and the others.

Though slightly formal, this was the maximum courtesy a king of one country could show to princes of another nation.

Comparable to the treatment that princes and princesses of the Halquin Empire might receive.

‘He’s quick-witted. He must already know about Grace’s relationship with Brother Luktan. He wants to establish a complete alliance with the Gerungtu.’

Balt’s assessment was accurate.

King Rient had initially strongly opposed when Grace said she would marry a Gerungtu man.

But the fact that his daughter, a Master, had been defeated by a junior from the same academy was enough to shock Rient.

And not even by a great warrior, but by the youngest prince.

It was already strange that the Gerungtu had ventured into the unusual realm of magic, but to defeat Grace meant his abilities exceeded Master level.

Moreover, she had even gone to visit the Gerungtu territory personally.

When Grace visited the Gerungtu on Balt’s introduction, Rient had disguised himself as one of her attendants and accompanied her.

This was a choice he could make because Grace’s combat ability exceeded Rient’s.

And who would expect a king to volunteer as his daughter’s attendant in disguise?

Even Kwan was unaware of this fact.

That’s how free-spirited and open-minded she was. Despite her somewhat lacking combat ability, her actions made it clear why she had become king.

The Gerungtu that King Rient saw was like a dormant volcano.

She instinctively knew that if this volcano erupted, no country except the Empire could handle the Gerungtu.

The fact that they had achieved such civilizational development in just a few months after establishing their nation was astonishing to her.

There was no reason to hesitate.

When her daughter brought Prince Luktan, she couldn’t help but be amazed.

Seeing him smash the royal guards of Oscar Kingdom with his bare fists, without any aura, and flashing his white teeth in a grin, she too felt something ignite within her.

Moreover, he wasn’t crude enough to be called a barbarian.

It wasn’t barbarism but free-spiritedness. Her preconceptions about the Gerungtu gradually changed.

“We are grateful for your hospitality, Your Majesty.”

Balt stepped forward instead of Luktan to speak on behalf of the group.

Seeing this, Rient felt puzzled.

‘The younger brother steps forward when the elder is present? There must be something here.’

“Hospitality? I feel bad that I couldn’t prepare much since we’re on a battlefield. Let’s go inside and talk.”

Grace, the key officials, and Balt’s group entered Rient’s massive tent.

As befitting a king of a nation, even his war tent was quite substantial in size.

“Please make yourselves comfortable. I would like to hear your story.”

Balt’s group, also wanting to understand how the situation was unfolding, sat around the conference table as Rient directed.

“Well… I should first explain the current situation.”

Rient quickly and thoroughly explained the current situation to Balt’s group.

First, that the Commander-in-Chief wasn’t listening to Rient’s advice at all.

Second, that the orcs had halted their advance, so the battle expected for tomorrow might be delayed a bit.

Third, that the enemy forces might exceed one million.

After hearing various details, it was clear that the Eastern Alliance wasn’t in a good position.

“You’re saying they’re proceeding with the troop deployment as planned even though they know the enemy uses shamanic magic?”

“Yes, Commander-in-Chief Zerdin said there was no need to change anything.”

At Rient’s words, Luktan clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, what a fool. Is he blinded by ambition? Or has old age made him deaf? Did he not even see our Grace’s report?”

“Your Majesty, was the report properly submitted?”

In response to Grace’s question, Rient nodded.

“Yes, I personally confirmed it and handed it directly to the Commander. That Zerdin fellow was too busy to meet with me.”

But Grace knew.

That Zerdin wouldn’t meet with any warrior below Master level.

If Grace had gone herself, he probably would have met her. But the result would have been the same.

“Sigh… and this man is the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Alliance. How could he…”

Seeing Grace and the others worried, Rient instead asked them:

“Is that shamanic magic really that powerful?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. If we had responded conventionally, we would have suffered greatly. I might even have died there.”

Rient’s eyes widened slightly at the suggestion that Grace could have died.

“That serious?”

“Yes, their shamanic magic is extremely effective in group battles. Plus, the Orc Lords are formidable.”

“If they’re so formidable, how did you avoid taking heavy casualties? I was curious since it wasn’t in the report.”

In the rush to send the report, many details had been omitted from Grace’s account.

She had prioritized alerting them to the danger posed by the orcs.

“Ah… that was resolved by the Gerungtu brothers.”

Rient looked surprised again.

“Is shamanic magic so easily countered?”

Luktan answered that question.

“Hehehe, isn’t it simple to kill them before they can cast it, Your Majesty?”

“You continue to speak boldly and incomprehensibly. If it were that easy, would I be asking? From what I heard, the orc shamans were guarded by an Orc Lord and dozens of Orc Generals?”

Luktan smiled and jutted his chin toward Balt.

“Hmm?”

“Him. He’s my younger brother, and he’s become quite extraordinary. Hahaha!”

After quite some time into the conversation, Rient was finally able to engage with Balt directly.

“You are… Prince Balt Gerungtu?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

An enormous physique surpassing Luktan’s. And overwhelming presence and charisma.

One could tell he was destined to be king.

This Gerungtu named Balt was a man who aimed even higher than Luktan.

To Rient, who had opportunities to see various heroes of the continent from his position as king, Balt appeared as such.

“I heard our Grace is indebted to you. They say you’re quite strong?”

“You flatter me. I was merely fortunate.”

Polite but not subservient. Rather, confidence and dignity were evident in his voice.

“I’d like to hear how you defeated the orcs. The course of our entire army may depend on the prince’s account.”

The greatest variable in the battle against the orc army was just beginning to emerge.