Ch.192192. Guerrilla Forces (2)

To be honest, speaking a bit harshly and with some exaggeration, we might be a dumping ground, but in reality, our military importance in this war is by no means inferior.

Two high-rank strategic weapons, each treated as military power equivalent to the army of a small but powerful nation on their own.

Add to that dozens of mid-rank fighters and supporting them, just over 1,000 elite low-rank troops.

It’s not entirely wrong to describe us as a guerrilla unit formed by throwing together difficult-to-control forces, but normally people would add the phrase “but with strong combat power.”

I can’t deny that there was an intention to create a “dumping ground” by pushing hard-to-control powerful individuals into one place, but that doesn’t mean we’re just disposable cards.

In reality, among the guerrilla forces, there are no complete blockheads even if they’re difficult to control. Our guerrilla unit, which headquarters organized with consideration for skill and balance between different military branches, was deliberately created for “rear disruption.”

In addition to being able to produce food and clothing (leather) through magic, we can create materials through transformation magic and have dwarves process them to produce equipment.

Thanks to this, we can be self-sufficient without separate supplies, allowing us to rampage in the enemy’s rear without worrying about supply lines.

With as many as two high-ranks included, we’re not only fully capable in terms of combat power, but we also have the miraculous combination of solid supporting troops backing them up.

Even if one doesn’t want to achieve military merits, they inevitably roll in given the situation, so naturally, our guerrilla unit faithfully fulfills its original purpose by literally rampaging like mad.

We freely roam the vast plains, especially areas considered orc territory, disrupting the rear, and while we’re at it, we don’t forget to sabotage by cutting off supplies we occasionally spot or burning production facilities.

Of course, we also smash wandering warbands we encounter from time to time, and when the opportunity arises, we attack the rear of orc armies assaulting fortresses occupied by the allied forces.

As long as we don’t directly confront the five… now four remaining orc Khans (high-ranks), we can operate without any hindrance, which makes such bold activities possible.

Anyway, while the guerrilla unit was achieving great feats through these frenzied activities.

Paradoxically, Sophia and I, who could be considered their leaders, were being relatively cautious and not participating in combat unless absolutely necessary.

This might seem foolish, but it was actually something I did after careful consideration and calculation.

It was because of the mana problem.

You might not know since I haven’t shown signs of struggling with mana shortage until now, but the inherent mana I possess, excluding high-rank bonuses and such, isn’t particularly high.

I’ve been suffering less only because I store mana in advance in my staff and various equipment, but if I carelessly use druid magic, which has poor mana efficiency, with my not-so-abundant mana, it would easily be depleted.

Moreover, the amount of mana that naturally recovers through breathing or meditation isn’t particularly high either, and mana recovery potions made from Star Berries grown in my territory aren’t a perfect solution.

Since the principle is merely maximizing mana absorption rate and speed rather than instantly recovering spent mana upon consumption, if I keep using magic extravagantly, I might not be able to do anything when I really need to.

While I might manage with soul resonance, Sophia, who is closer to a rear magic user as a druid, would completely cease to function without mana.

And… during an incident that even I couldn’t predict at all, and that Sophia barely sensed as “something coming.”

This behavior of ours would prove its worth.

※ ※ ※

The incident began when we were striking the orcs from behind as they invaded “Slovakin,” a margraviate of the Holy Empire.

As mentioned earlier, Slovakin was a margraviate belonging to the Holy Empire, a territory that had achieved something resembling industrialization based on sufficient minerals and excellent industrial capabilities.

Thanks to this, they boasted enough industrial capacity to equip each conscripted soldier with a “rifle,” but the problem was that the number of orcs pouring in was simply too great.

In particular, the orc warband attacking Slovakin was skilled in creating and training battle slaves, so their forces included a considerable number of ogre slaves and troll slaves.

With metal plates welded into their skin, making them impervious to personal firearms and barely penetrable even with large-caliber direct-fire cannons, the ogre slaves led the charge. Behind them were troll slaves who could regenerate in about 10 minutes even after taking a cannonball to the head.

Meanwhile, the orcs brought ladders and siege towers to climb the walls, so it wouldn’t be strange to say it was a miracle that Slovakin had held out until now.

The various cities of Slovakin were isolated from each other, barely holding out with stockpiled food and supplies, but with dozens of orc warbands pouring in and pounding them, this fierce siege was literally a bloodbath consuming manpower.

Dying, dying, killing, slaughtering… for at least several tens of days.

With both sides killing each other fiercely in repeated battles, there were so many casualties on both the besieging and defending sides that there was no shortage of supplies.

And in the meantime, several orc warbands had disintegrated due to losses or the death of their bosses, and in this process, some cities had fallen and turned into orc dens.

Naturally, Slovakin sent requests for aid in all directions in this desperate situation, but messengers leaving for aid were killed, and remote communication magic was intercepted by shamans, so it seemed hopeless.

That is, if one of the dozens of carrier birds sent from Slovakin with desperate pleas hadn’t happened to reach our guerrilla unit.

As it happened, thanks to our vigorous guerrilla activities, all nearby warbands had completely evaporated, so our unit excitedly mobilized to save Slovakin from crisis.

By the time our guerrilla unit arrived, two of Slovakin’s five fortress cities in the east had fallen, and three were barely holding out, but in that situation, the orcs were preparing for a general offensive, and the remaining cities were on the verge of falling within days.

However, after our guerrilla unit returned, the war situation completely reversed.

“Run! Run!!”

“Kill them! Don’t leave any alive!”

“Everyone, commence firing!”

“For the Bloody Blade! For the Pantheon!!”

Having worked together for several weeks now, the members of the guerrilla unit were perfectly in sync, so there was no need for me, the commander, to give any specific orders as the unit annihilated the orcs.

[■■■■■■■■─!!]

Starting with my casting of “Cry of the Sorrowful Beast,” a crowd control magic that applied wide-area debuffs and induced panic (fear), our forces charged at the orcs who were thrown into confusion, if not panic.

After the dwarves’ mortars provided initial bombardment, the magic tower’s volley rained down, and following these consecutive ranged attacks that shattered the orcs’ formation, our medium cavalry led by bears charged in.

The orc warband, which hadn’t anticipated a rear attack at all, was instantly disintegrated by this surprise assault, and whatever little formation or military discipline they had was completely shattered, reducing them from a collective to individuals.

And when it comes to a fight between a collective and individuals, the collective is typically far more advantageous.

The dwarf warriors and temple priests who rushed into the collapsed formation after the medium cavalry (bears) swept through slaughtered them one-sidedly, and the occasional ranged support that came in during this process was killing orcs in no small numbers.

“—Hup!”

—Slash!

Additionally, whenever enemy mid-ranks showed themselves, the rabbit knight Lancelot and griffin Gretel combo, equipped with specialized armor, hunted them down with pinpoint precision, so at this rate, the liberation of Slovakin seemed just a matter of time…

And indeed, this proved correct.

“Only those with strength to spare, come out!”

“Counterattack, it’s time for counterattack! Kill all the filthy invader orcs!”

After rescuing one fortress and taking available forces from inside to advance to another fortress twice, we found ourselves in the unusual situation of gaining more troops the more battles we fought.

And after liberating Slovakin’s fortress cities this way, our guerrilla unit was supposed to join with Slovakin’s defense forces to deal with the remaining orcs within the margraviate and finish this front with victory…

“…?”

Tragedy struck at a moment no one could have predicted.