Ch.140Chapter 140: Eastern Decisive Battle (8)

“Uh, uhh? It’s hard to see from this far away, but isn’t that Orc King looking at us?”

Lisa, standing next to Valt, said while shivering.

For reference, Valt was positioned in the rear.

And between Valt and the Orc King were hundreds of thousands of humans and orcs.

Despite this situation, Valt could clearly feel the Orc King’s gaze.

“Yes, that one. For some reason, he’s looking in our direction.”

“S-stop scaring me!! Why on earth would the Orc King!? If you’re trying to frighten me, you’ve already succeeded!”

Lisa didn’t find Valt’s joke funny at all.

The overwhelming presence of the Orc King that could be felt across hundreds of thousands was enough to be sensed even by herbivore-like Lisa.

“I don’t understand. What is it? Does he know we annihilated the orc special forces?”

“That might be it. It doesn’t make sense that they would use magic and employ strategies without having some language system.”

Lilith’s words made sense. Magic is something complex to understand.

The orcs might have informed the Orc King about the annihilation through some method.

But even so, Valt couldn’t understand why the Orc King would be staring at him from such a distance.

It was too unsettling to believe it was just a coincidence.

“It’s better to assume we’re being checked.”

“What? Checked?”

“Yes, Your Highness Lient. This has become troublesome.”

But Lient looked quite displeased.

“Are you certain that orc is looking at you?”

“No, it’s not certainty. It’s suspicion. But isn’t it better than not being prepared?”

“How?”

“Moving on our own is dangerous. We need insurance.”

***

“I’ll ask, but you might find it easier to expect to be ignored.”

Lient was making a request in front of Baron Haint, whom they had met again.

“I’m not alone today; I’ve come with the prince of Gerungtu. The prince of Gerungtu says he has business. Would you put in a word for us?”

Baron couldn’t help but notice the huge man standing next to Lient since earlier.

A massive physique and silver hair different from Central Continent people. And slightly tanned skin.

Just his presence made the frail Baron feel intimidated.

“I’ll put in a word… but he’s preparing to march out either today or tomorrow.”

With such massive armies clashing, this wasn’t a war that would be decided in a day or two.

But since it was a war between humans and monsters, not just between humans, Zerdin was preparing to march out at any time.

Zerdin was probably in an extremely tense situation right now.

“Just a moment will do. You know, the prince of Gerungtu has personally come all this way to offer help. Are you saying he can’t even see the commander once?”

“…Hmm…”

Gerungtu, whose name has been spreading throughout the continent recently.

Those who were once thought to be mere barbarians were now showing tremendous achievements in the Central Continent.

So much so that people were saying it was far better to bring one Gerungtu than to bring along high-class magicians.

Each Gerungtu was a useful warrior and laborer.

In places where combat was needed and in tasks requiring strength, Gerungtu demonstrated overwhelming efficiency.

“Then I’ll just mention it to him.”

“Good. I’ll wait.”

***

“What? The prince of Gerungtu has come?”

“Yes, Commander. He says he wants to meet and talk with you directly.”

“Hmm… Gerungtu… Gerungtu at a time like this? Did he bring troops by any chance?”

“No. I heard he came to help because of his connection with Princess Grace from attending the same academy.”

“Oh, is that so?”

After pondering for a moment, Zerdin began to think.

Though they had nothing to boast about except their strength, he was still a Grand Master and had lived as a king of a country for a long time.

He started to consider how he could turn the Gerungtu’s visit into some advantage.

But even he didn’t have much information about Gerungtu.

However, this visitor was certainly worth hearing out. That’s how significant the topic of Gerungtu was.

Moreover, he had also heard rumors that Kwan and the Emperor of the Empire had clashed.

The outcome wasn’t known, but the Emperor was stronger than Zerdin.

He couldn’t help but be curious about Kwan, who had faced such an opponent and remained unscathed.

Furthermore, this Gerungtu wasn’t just anyone related to Kwan. He was his son. If this meeting could establish a connection with Kwan, it would definitely be beneficial for Zerdin.

“Alright, I’ll hear what he has to say. Let him in.”

Baron breathed a sigh of relief at Zerdin’s unexpected decision.

“Understood.”

***

“Pleased to meet you. I am Valt Gerungtu.”

‘Oh… An incredible physique. Mana permeates every cell. So this is why Gerungtu bodies are strong?’

Indeed, the title of Grand Master wasn’t for nothing; Zerdin recognized Valt’s strength at a glance.

‘But it’s too tightly bound. That’s just how he was born. An interesting race.’

“Yes, nice to meet you. I’m Zerdin Lucas. We’re on the battlefield, so let’s skip the formalities. What brings you here?”

Zerdin got straight to the point.

Valt actually found this kind of personality easier to deal with.

“Since you’re being direct, I’ll speak plainly too. Would it be possible to include me in the forces going after the Orc King? To be precise, me and my party members.”

“W-what!?”

Both Lient and Baron were surprised.

Lient had no idea what Valt was planning, and Baron hadn’t expected this Gerungtu to make such a bold request.

*twitch*

Zerdin’s eyebrow moved as he carefully examined Valt.

He thought the Gerungtu prince had just come to pay his respects, but instead, he was boldly addressing a sensitive matter.

But Zerdin actually liked this attitude.

“Kukukuk, you impudent fellow. You do know who I am when you open your mouth, right?”

*KUOOOOO*

Indeed, it was the tremendous pressure of a Grand Master.

But Valt didn’t think his pressure was greater than Kwan’s.

Perhaps because of this, Valt handled it with ease.

“Yes. You are the strongest in the Eastern Alliance, Grand Master Zerdin Lucas, Your Majesty.”

“KUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

*RUMBLE RUMBLE*

“Urgh!!”

The tent shook with his hearty laughter, generating a powerful wave of energy.

Lient, being at the Expert level, could barely withstand it, but Baron was on the verge of fainting.

*STOP*

His storm-like laughter ceased, and with a serious expression, he glared at Valt and asked:

“You better choose your words carefully. If this goes wrong, it could become an issue between Gerungtu and the Eastern Alliance, kid.”

Gerungtu interfering in the Eastern Alliance’s affairs?

The meaning changes completely depending on the form it takes.

But Valt had already thought about what to say to Zerdin.

“Just say that I begged and you let me come along.”

“What?”

“Exactly as I said. Couldn’t we say that King Zerdin, having some connection with me, granted my earnest request to see the fierce battlefield?”

“Oh…?”

This was a different story.

Having the prince of Gerungtu, who was already a hot topic in the continent, indebted to him? Nothing could be more beneficial.

But Zerdin was a greedy individual.

“Fine, fine. Then what will you offer? If I’m granting your request, there should naturally be some compensation, shouldn’t there?”

A situation where a king of one country puts the prince of another country in his debt.

Naturally, there needs to be an exchange for other countries to recognize it. Otherwise, it would just be empty words.

“Would trade negotiation rights be acceptable?”

Gerungtu is currently located in the south, so they mainly trade with the Empire and the southern alliance kingdoms adjacent to it.

But somehow Gerungtu had acquired so much money that the Southern Alliance was ecstatic.

Moreover, news about Lupenium was gradually spreading.

“What!? Trade rights with Gerungtu!? Are you saying you can guarantee that?”

This wasn’t a bad proposition for Valt either.

While Valt alone might not be able to, he had Ramrepo, a capable merchant, as his sponsor.

It wouldn’t be an unreasonable demand to ask him to pioneer a trade route connecting the east and south, especially since he had been successfully leading trade with Kwan.

Moreover, if successful, Valt could gain even more benefits as an intermediary.

But the Eastern Alliance was different.

They lacked justification.

They naturally wanted to trade with Gerungtu, but apart from some merchants traveling back and forth, they didn’t have the justification for large-scale trade at a national level.

But now, the Gerungtu prince in front of them was offering to create that justification.

“It’s possible. Are you aware that the trades with the Southern Alliance and the Empire were first established through my hands?”

“Really?”

“You can verify it. I’m not bold enough to lie in front of a Grand Master.”

Seeing Valt’s confident expression, Zerdin began to ponder deeply.

The Orc King?

Of course, it would be good to capture him.

But in the long run, establishing trade with the Gerungtu in front of him might be more beneficial for the Lucas Kingdom than capturing the Orc King.

Having made his decision, Zerdin grinned at Valt.

“Alright, I’ll take you. But I can’t be responsible if you die.”