Ch.151Chapter 151: The Decisive Battle in the East (19).

Zerdin liked Valt even more.

That attitude of taking it for granted that he could withstand attacks. But having witnessed him repel the Orc King’s artifact, Zerdin didn’t think Valt’s confidence was arrogance.

“Kekeke, what a straightforward fellow. Yes, the situation is very good. It’s all thanks to you. Thanks to you blocking that terrifying artifact, the entire kingdom is in a festive mood. We’ve cut down at least 100,000 orcs. Our side hasn’t even lost 30,000.”

‘Hmm… 30,000. That’s more than I expected?’

Valt was disappointed, but this was an incredible achievement. The orc forces suffered 10% casualties while the allied forces suffered 5%—nearly double the damage ratio.

Moreover, this result came despite the Orc King’s partial participation in the battle.

No wonder the morale of their forces had skyrocketed.

However, Valt had one concern.

‘It’s good that morale and momentum are high, but we shouldn’t let our guard down. The Orc King’s weapons might not end here.’

His behavior was completely similar to that of humans.

He used strategies and when things didn’t go his way, he expressed his anger with howls of rage.

Valt suspected that the orcs must have more hidden cards—artifacts and curses—up their sleeves.

But he couldn’t dampen the mood by bringing up the need for caution now.

A victory was a victory. Today, no matter what anyone said, Valt was the primary contributor to this preliminary battle’s great victory.

“You look disappointed, lad. Kekeke. Although it was just a preliminary battle, 200,000 of our troops faced 400,000 enemy forces. Despite that, creating such a result is largely due to your contribution.”

“Not bad, I suppose.”

At Valt’s response, Zerdin burst into laughter.

“Pff? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Not bad? NOT BAD, he says!!! HAHAHA that’s right!! Today, eat and drink to your heart’s content! The orcs have lost 100,000 troops, so they won’t be able to move rashly!! HAHAHA Do you know how to drink, lad?”

Celebrating a great victory with some alcohol always helps boost soldiers’ morale.

“I can drink as much as others do.”

“Good! Thanks to you, this war might end early, so we can be generous with rations today! Just drink in moderation!”

When Zerdin shouted this, it wasn’t Valt who cheered but the troops behind him who had heard Zerdin’s words.

“Wow!! Thanks to Prince Gerungtu, we get to have a drink even on the battlefield?”

“Hahaha, as expected of a knight who blocked my technique! I knew it!”

“What are you saying? Weren’t you running around worried that Valt would die, saying we needed to go save him?”

“Ahem!! W-who said that?! I just thought it would be dangerous to send Valt alone!”

Delfon Haines, who had previously competed with Valt, was chatting happily with other comrades behind them.

Valt gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment.

Delighted by this, Delfon puffed out his chest and showed off his acquaintance with Valt to the surrounding troops.

‘They’re not bad people after all. Heh.’

The saying that you can understand a person’s character after crossing fists with them wasn’t completely false.

Valt could sense Delfon’s upright and honest personality through his sword.

Of course, his words didn’t reflect that at all.

As everyone was chattering and moving to get food,

Valt caught Baron, who was trying to move elsewhere alone.

“Excuse me, Lord Baron?”

Not expecting to be addressed, Baron looked up at Valt with blank eyes.

“Ah? Ah! Yes! Prince Valt, what can I do for you?”

The Prince of Gerungtu who had won the favor of Commander-in-Chief Zerdin and captured the hearts of 30 masters in an instant.

He was bound to receive different treatment than someone like himself, who merely pushed pens and pieces around on situation boards.

Plus, that enormous physique that exuded pressure just by looking at it.

And the tremendous military achievements that came with it.

In Baron’s mind, Valt’s stock had skyrocketed.

“I have something to ask you.”

“Yes, please inquire.”

Since Baron was speaking humbly, Valt also addressed him comfortably.

“About that artifact, Gauwel’s Fang.”

Baron, who had been wondering what Valt would ask, felt slightly excited when Valt brought up artifacts, a field he knew well.

Baron had read numerous books about artifacts since childhood.

He was confident he could explain most artifacts.

“Yes! The Fang! What would you like to know?!”

“Do you happen to know how ownership of that artifact is determined?”

“Pardon??”

An unexpected question.

Baron had honestly thought Valt would ask about the historical background, power, or abilities of Gauwel’s Fang.

That’s why he had diligently analyzed Gauwel’s Fang using magical tools while Valt was fighting.

Without actual combat power, that was all he could do.

He had just hoped his research would be helpful.

“Ownership, you say?”

“Yes, ownership. While facing Gauwel’s Fang, I had a question. That object clearly returns to its owner, but how does it recognize its owner? That’s what I’m curious about.”

An artifact that could precisely target Valt from kilometers away and return accurately to its owner.

Some might think returning was just a trivial ability, but Valt didn’t see it that way at all.

It was truly an extraordinary item.

Not like a boomerang that returns after flying a few dozen meters, but an object with a return radius of several, if not tens of kilometers.

Moreover, despite striking from such a distance, its power was truly formidable.

Naturally, this aroused both curiosity and desire.

Although it was a weapon used by the Orc King, Valt thought it would suit him perfectly.

That was it.

Valt was currently thinking about seizing the Orc King’s artifact.

Due to his “Do No Harm” trait, Valt had the weakness of being unable to attack directly.

However, his attack power was so great that it made this weakness seem insignificant, and he could compensate with magic.

But there would certainly be limitations when facing super-powerful opponents.

So far, he had been lucky not to be discovered, but if it became known that he couldn’t engage in ultra-close combat, Valt might find himself in situations where he had to defend.

A limitation and weakness that would eventually need to be overcome.

This was a major challenge for Valt.

But the moment Gauwel’s Fang appeared, Valt thought it could be the one weapon to compensate for his weakness.

As it happened, many warriors in Gerungtu enjoyed using javelins.

Ranged attacks were naturally necessary in war, and the physically powerful Gerungtu preferred javelins and thrown rocks over delicate arrows.

Of course, they weren’t incapable of close combat, but it meant they had specialized positions for ranged attacks.

The so-called “throwing Gerungtu”—a position that helped warriors from the rear by throwing anything they could get their hands on.

Rather than compensating for the weakness in close combat, the idea was to further develop the strength in ranged attacks to prevent enemies from approaching at all.

That was how Valt envisioned using Gauwel’s Fang.

Moreover, Gauwel’s Fang had the property of returning.

If combined with close-range magic techniques, even close combat would naturally be upgraded.

Baron pondered Valt’s question for a moment.

Valt waited patiently without rushing him.

After this considerate wait, Baron finally spoke.

“To be honest, I can’t give you a definitive answer. That artifact, Gauwel’s Fang, hasn’t appeared for hundreds of years. For humans, it’s an object no one has seen for generations.”

“Hmm… I see… That’s unfortunate.”

Seeing Valt’s slight disappointment, Baron quickly continued.

“However, artifacts come in different types. Based on the information I’ve gathered while observing Gauwel’s Fang, I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I might be able to provide some clues.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Valt was pleased to receive an unexpected answer to a question he had asked without much hope.

“First, how much do you know about artifacts?”

Though the question was quite broad, Valt answered sincerely.

“That they’re objects with divine power? I know they’re strange items that defy common sense and transcend magic.”

Baron nodded at Valt’s brief but accurate description of artifacts.

“That’s right. Objects that existed in ancient times and before, during the age of gods—we call these artifacts. They come in countless varieties with countless activation conditions. Some objects are suspected to be artifacts but have been left unused for decades or centuries because no one knows how to use them.”

“I see.”

The conversation seemed like it would be lengthy, but Valt actually enjoyed such discussions.

Old tales naturally stimulated human curiosity.

“To understand how an artifact works, you need to know the background of its creation. Would you like to hear about it?”

“Of course, I’m curious.”