Ch.181181. The Great Invasion Guerrilla Force (1)

Perhaps the ‘Great Invasion’ that threatened to collapse the Western Continent, and the ‘Allied Forces’ formed by the Western Continent to stop it… were predictably creaking from the very beginning.

The major powers that had dispatched enough troops to have a significant voice here were three in total: the Holy Empire, the Frankish Kingdom, and the Northern Kingdom.

Though not as influential as those major powers, there were factions with their own influence who had formally sent troops: mercenaries from the Southern countries, the Dwarf Kingdom, and the Eastern Duchies who were providing the battlefield.

Added to this were four international organizations with significant global influence: the Adventurers’ Guild, the Magic Tower, the Temple, and the Druid Conclave.

Beyond these, if we were to break it down further, each of these forces would obviously be divided into their own factions, meaning that in reality, over 100 minor powers had formed an alliance, each leading forces of roughly equal strength.

If anyone thought this patchwork alliance would function normally, such people shouldn’t even consider entering politics directly in the first place.

To put it bluntly, a multinational allied force faces challenges in every aspect from its formation to its unification as a single army.

Should supplies be handled separately or jointly? Where does command authority lie during joint operations? How should equipment with incompatible specifications be handled, and what happens when accidents occur between troops of different factions?

Just the obvious difficulties that come to mind easily exceed dozens, and to manage this properly would naturally require aligning everyone’s opinions through tedious political talks and meetings.

…Obviously, such tasks might be impossible to implement even with modern-level administrative capabilities.

Since these complex issues—where no side could possibly yield—were ultimately deemed unsolvable, the Allied Forces concluded that each faction would form separate armies and operate independently.

Countries that brought infantry-focused armies would conduct defensive operations in certain areas, while those with cavalry would be deployed for offensive operations or guerrilla warfare.

It might seem inefficient, but this was the best choice available to the Allied Forces.

And… as the war situation developed this way, there seemed to be two main reasons why the Allied Forces leadership tolerated our guerrilla unit.

One was obviously to gather capable but difficult-to-manage individuals in one place—to put it crudely, to serve as a dumping ground.

The other reason was that the current Allied Forces needed a competent guerrilla unit.

In truth, the current situation of the Allied Forces couldn’t really be considered advantageous.

Purely in terms of military strength, they had enough to repel the Orc invasion force, but the problem was the inevitable difficulties arising from the alliance members’ fear of casualties.

Most armies, after initially charging bravely but then suffering heavy losses against the unexpectedly powerful Orc army, had retreated to a completely defensive posture, holing up in cities and slowly consuming supplies.

Meanwhile, since the Orcs lacked clear siege weapons to break through these fortified cities, they typically moved elsewhere, given their characteristic dislike for drawn-out battles.

As a result, the current war situation had become stagnant with neither side able to move freely, so the Allied Forces leadership wanted “something” that could somehow reverse this situation…

And that was our guerrilla unit, composed of strong but awkward individuals gathered together.

In reality, we were faithfully fulfilling our assigned role of “letting out gas” by actively disrupting the front lines.

After the Research Society’s private soldiers and Joseph Malonson’s rune-armored vehicle unleashed a barrage of firepower, my animal spirit golems and the War God’s priests would charge in and clean up in one sweep.

Sometimes Sophia or I would wipe everything out with area-of-effect annihilation magic, and occasionally the Magic Tower’s wizards would also lend a hand with their spells.

This simple tactic was the decisive factor that allowed us to hunt down about ten Orc reconnaissance teams, and it had the advantage of maintaining combat effectiveness even without supplies for extended periods.

The consumption of ranged firepower using mana and rune-stones could be replenished indefinitely, damaged weapons or equipment could be readily repaired by the Dwarves, and I alone could provide enough food and water for everyone.

Thanks to this advantage of maintaining combat effectiveness without supplies, our guerrilla unit was now…

“Is this the place?”

“Yes, please come this way…”

In this state of temporary encampment to interrogate an Orc, presumed to be the only warrior we had successfully captured alive during our various excursions.

※ ※ ※

The Orc warrior I saw up close for the first time was impressive in many ways.

With a strange hairstyle resembling a queue with only a few ponytails left after shaving the rest, and covered in all sorts of scars, he was visually a specimen that exuded masculinity, but…

“Hmph, so you’re the leader.”

“…Oh?”

Despite my slightly intimidating entrance to establish dominance, the warrior’s fierce gaze as he glared at me with murderous intent was a somewhat unique experience.

There was a certain roughness to his pronunciation—a feeling that it was coarse and explosive—but the language he used was unmistakably the Western Continent’s common tongue, which I found rather interesting.

Of course, in a situation where we needed to extract various information immediately, I couldn’t afford to be leisurely, so we decided to use some extreme measures from the start.

“You’re not planning to answer questions willingly, are you?”

“Kehehehe. That’s right, why ask when you already know?”

The Orc was looking at me with eyes that seemed to be deliberately provocative and mocking, but honestly, being looked at that way by a mere low-ranking warrior was simply laughable.

“Prepare him.”

“Yes!”

Various “work tools” and blades that were easy to wound with but difficult to kill with were just the beginning.

The great medieval four search engines: Geegle, Bogle, Tangle, and Whippity.

As the branding iron heated in the indoor brazier, a large bucket of water was prepared, and clubs and whips were readied, I ended up squeezing my eyes shut.

“…Torture is really something that should be left to professionals. I simply can’t do it.”

“That’s right! That’s how it should be, please leave it to me instead!”

I had no hobby of watching others suffer, and according to Lady Dorthea, the paladin who claimed to double as an inquisitor, the fate of those who fell into her hands was something I’d rather not contemplate.

And… a very short while later.

“St-stop… please… I’ll talk…”

The Orc, who had been “preliminarily roasted” and was completely battered, had long been ready to spill everything.

※ ※ ※

According to the story told by the Orc warrior who had tasted the search engines and shed tears of “emotion,” the Orc invasion force was even more chaotic internally than the Allied Forces that I had thought were a mess.

This made sense because, strictly speaking, they were completely different forces that had united as one.

From the outside, they were all lumped together under the Orc race, but naturally, even among these Orcs, there were different factions and tribes that formed distinct groups.

In short, this Orc army was an army in name only; in reality, it could be considered a cluster of raider groups.

“Lord Gregory. If I may ask, why are you trying to study the ecology of those hideous creatures?”

Of course, Dorthea expressed her doubts when she saw me asking the Orc about things unrelated to combat, but even she, second to none in her extremism, could understand my subsequent explanation.

“If we understand the enemy’s way of thinking, we can predict their actions.”

“Ah! And to understand, we must know about the Orcs! I see now!”

On a tactical level, knowing how the Orc race thinks and moves would allow us to predict their actions and plan our operations accordingly.

Anyway, back to the main point.

Orcs don’t move based on military units but operate in organizational units called “warbands” based on tribal warrior groups.

These warbands, varying in size, are typically led by warriors who have reached intermediate levels, and the warbands are essentially professional soldiers who support their tribes of origin.

Of course, in reality, they’re closer to vulgar raiders, but for these Orcs who can’t survive without a raiding economy, it’s at least a noble story.

And among the things the Orc warrior revealed while talking about Orc society and warfare…

“Th-there is strong Orc in this area. Red Fang tribe, leader is superior.”

There was information about enemy superiors that couldn’t be overlooked at all.