Ch.138Chapter 138: The Decisive Battle in the East (6).

“That’s exactly right. In truth, this alliance is an alliance in name only, without a proper command structure. They’re simply asking to strictly discipline according to military law as long as it doesn’t go against their own interests.”

“That’s…”

King Lient found it difficult to answer honestly.

This was because she too belonged to the Eastern Alliance. Being completely honest with these Gerungtu princes was still unfamiliar to her.

Noticing this, Grace quickly intervened to explain to Valt.

“That’s not the case. The troops are organized by kingdom anyway. Everyone keeps it quiet, but we all know. Everyone follows their own kingdom’s chain of command.”

It was only natural.

Some powerful kingdoms might even break away from the group and act independently.

But even in such a disorganized alliance, there was one single rule.

That was that no one who wasn’t part of the Eastern Alliance Kingdoms could send troops to this Orc subjugation campaign.

In fact, when the massive orc army of one million appeared, it would have been much easier to stop them if they had borrowed help from the Empire or elsewhere.

But the Eastern Alliance didn’t choose that option.

Rather, they decided to use this orc army for their own political advantage.

Their force of 600,000 troops was incredibly powerful, but if the Halkin Empire and other kingdoms or races had helped, this orc army wouldn’t have been an issue at all.

“Then our only concern is that because we’ve been assigned to the rear units, we can’t face the orcs at the front.”

But being in the rear doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do.

With a total of 1.6 million troops between the orcs and the Eastern Alliance clashing, wouldn’t there be plenty of places to fight?

It’s just a matter of creating an opportunity.

“Anyway, once the war starts, who knows what will happen? From what I can see, many units assigned to the rear will charge forward to earn merit.”

“Prince Valt. However, that would violate the code of chivalry…”

King Lient of the Oskar Kingdom and Grace are honest people.

They did not act in ways that violated the honor of chivalry.

But now they were beginning to question it.

What is chivalry?

Is it truly chivalry to be obsessed with achievements, refuse support, and push aside, compete with, and drive away fellow humans just to build one’s own merit?

Valt speaks as if he understands the look in Lient and Grace’s eyes.

“What is chivalry? Is it chivalry to hide behind while knowing common soldiers are dying, and then fight for honor after they’ve perished, all because the Alliance Commander ordered it?”

“…”

Lient could only remain silent at Valt’s words.

“At least that’s not how Gerungtu does things. If our fellow people are dying, Gerungtu stands and fights alongside them. Do the people of the Eastern Continent not do the same?”

Though Valt seemed to be confronting Lient directly, this was a crucial moment of choice for her.

Should she agree with Valt’s opinion and carry out the operation to earn tremendous merit?

Or should she simply follow Commander Zerdin’s orders and join the war after common soldiers have died?

But this was an obvious choice.

They say humans are cunning, don’t they?

No matter how important formality and appearances were to Lient, it could become problematic if Valt’s group later swept away the orc forces.

Why?

Because she could be criticized for having such power but only using it after massive casualties had occurred.

It was a damned situation either way—using excessive force before the orcs gained ground would earn criticism, and stepping in later after soldiers had been pushed back would also invite blame.

Of course, it might be a hundred times easier to simply follow the Alliance Commander’s orders.

But looking at her daughter here and these two strangely trustworthy Gerungtu, Lient made up her mind.

“I’ll form a special detachment. About fifty thousand troops should be sufficient to strike the enemy’s flank.”

It’s a situation where massive forces are clashing. While the orc forces at the front are engaging our troops, Lient’s army including Valt will strike from the side to help our allies.

“I’ll divide the forces into two units. The 2nd Special Detachment with Prince Luktan and Grace will take the left. The 1st Special Detachment with myself and Prince Valt will strike the enemy from the right. Did you say that incantation affects both enemies and allies as long as they can hear it?”

“I’m not sure how many people it can affect, but that’s how I understand it.”

Lient nods and says.

“That’s good enough. And about that Meteor magic… that seems a bit risky… Even for someone like you, if you’re casting such magic alone in the air, you could become a target for the Orc King.”

The Orc King’s power is classified as Grand Master level.

It’s unclear how a monster could possess such power, but that alone is enough to call it a calamity.

Honestly, Valt would need considerable time to use Meteor magic.

And there’s no guarantee the Orc King would remain idle during that time.

If a Grand Master-level being spotted Valt and launched a ranged attack like a javelin, Valt’s group could be helplessly vulnerable.

Given that the Grand Master-level Orc King’s capabilities remain unknown, creating Meteor magic in mid-air using Liris’s platform magic carries significant risk.

“Hmm… then I’ll have to wait for the right moment.”

“That’s right. Perhaps when King Zerdin steps forward to face the Orc King—that would be the time.”

Valt can’t use Meteor magic from the beginning.

But if Zerdin, a Grand Master, can hold off the Orc King even briefly, Valt could drop a Meteor into the middle of the enemy forces.

After all, Meteor magic only shows meaningful power when Valt uses all his strength. Rather than using it at the start and becoming exhausted, it might be better to use it later in the battle.

“Yes, that makes sense. Let’s do that. Then we need to position ourselves where we can confirm when King Zerdin engages the Orc King.”

“Exactly. If, as you say, this organization called the Dark Society planned this war, then this is no simple conflict. King Zerdin might be in danger. He’s the only Grand Master in this alliance. If he falls, there will be no one who can face the Orc King.”

The absence of an absolute powerhouse.

That would mean defeat.

They might be able to push through with sheer numbers, but right now, the orcs have more troops.

In other words, King Zerdin is an extremely important figure in this alliance.

‘This could be dangerous. This is a meticulously planned war. They must have prepared for King Zerdin’s involvement. But would a Grand Master fall so easily?’

A Grand Master is a being that transcends humanity.

Even among Grand Masters, it wouldn’t be easy to chase down and kill a fleeing Grand Master.

But Valt naturally felt uneasy about this war.

Yet there was nothing he could do right now.

Valt was an outsider, participating in this war only as a supporting force for the Oskar Kingdom and as a mercenary.

Grace wanted to borrow Gerungtu forces through Luktan, but couldn’t because of the Eastern Alliance’s official notice prohibiting the introduction of outside forces.

Though concerned, they had to face the situation head-on.

Even the 30,000 orc troops organized as a special detachment would have been an enormous threat without Valt’s group.

What about the main force? There could be dangers that Valt hadn’t anticipated.

“Then it would be best not to go to the front lines immediately. We should form a special detachment but quickly prepare countermeasures against their incantations.”

The war at Grasein Plain wouldn’t start immediately, but it would begin tomorrow or the day after. That’s how long it takes for 1.6 million troops to clash.

In the meantime, Valt plans to inform nearby mage units about methods to counter the incantations.

It was difficult to discover countermeasures against incantations, but Valt, Martina, Raindhee, and others had managed to find ways to break the orcs’ spells.

The clue was the dark mist-like magical energy they spread.

It turned out that this was causing debuffs on allied forces.

Low-level mages couldn’t interfere with it, but mages like Valt or Liris, who was at least 7th circle, could interfere with the magical energy of the incantation.

Even if not completely, they could halt its progress.

There must be such mages in other kingdoms, so sharing the countermeasures, even if not perfect, would greatly contribute to reducing allied casualties.

***

And finally.

The morning of the decisive battle dawned.

Tremendous horn blasts and war cries could be heard from the orc camp, and the alliance forces, who had been fully prepared, began to tense up at the sound.

[Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom!]

If the orcs had horn blasts, the alliance had magically amplified massive drum sounds—the order to prepare for battle.

With so many people gathered, this was the only way to convey orders.

Even that would likely become difficult once the battle began.

Listening to the loud drum beats, Valt stands confidently with his arms crossed and says:

“So it finally begins.”