kscans

Chapter 196 - The Future That Lies Ahead...

Let's turn our attention elsewhere for a moment.

In the Harg Kingdom, they were busy dealing with the monsters that had appeared out of nowhere.

As Glad was directing the deployment of personnel, a knight rushed up to him.

"S-Sir! A report! The Knight Captain has taken several knights and advanced toward the monsters!"

Glad was stunned. "What?! Why would he—?! No, calm down. Panicking won't help. I have to think. Based on his attitude earlier... is he aiming for glory? That's a strong possibility."

He was rendered speechless by the sheer foolishness of it all.

With no idea what the root cause of the attack was, charging blindly into the fray was suicide.

"What are your orders, sir?" the knight asked. "Should I send a messenger to have them return at once—"

"No," Glad cut him off. "That would only put the messenger in danger. Everyone, to your assigned posts. That is all."

At this, the knight hesitated. "Sir... about the ones who acted on their own..."

"To your posts," Glad repeated firmly. "This conversation is over."

With that, Glad took up his shield and headed for the main gate.

The knights understood. He's telling us to abandon them.

It was a terrible thing to do from a humanitarian perspective, but for a commander, it was the correct decision.

Dispatching soldiers to stop those who had acted recklessly was tantamount to ordering them to their deaths. Besides, the ones who had charged in were at fault. What's more, their attitudes had been so poor that they inspired neither goodwill nor even a shred of pity.

It was a rare feeling—to be so utterly unmotivated to save people, even when that was your job.

Silently, the knights headed to their posts.

Meanwhile, the group led by the Knight Captain galloped toward the monsters.

They were attacked by Goblins along the way, but they cut them down with ease. They felt no fatigue.

And why would they? The knights the Captain had chosen were nobles, but they were also highly skilled and had countless hours of real combat experience. The Captain himself had earned military honors fighting on the front lines in his youth.

They would not be outmatched by monsters of this caliber.

And surely, the high-level monster, the leader that must be ahead, could not possibly defeat humans with their superior intellect and coordination. They couldn't possibly lose.

And when they defeated it, glory and achievement would be theirs. A brilliant future awaited.

Without a single doubt in his mind, the Knight Captain pushed his troops forward, unaware of the despair that lay ahead.

After scattering the monsters, they saw the shadow of a massive figure in the distance. It looked like an Orc, but it was far larger than any they had seen before. It carried an iron club, and the sheer presence it exuded told the whole story.

"Captain, do you feel that?" one of the knights asked.

The Captain replied to the breathless knight, "Yes, there's no mistake. That's an Orc King. A fitting opponent to call the root cause of all this."

A wicked smile spread across his face.

The Orc King. A high-level monster, the leader of the Orcs.

During the Monster Uproar a year ago, one had led a massive horde in an invasion of the city of Alum. It was ultimately slain by the party known as "Beautiful Sword," but not before they sustained heavy injuries.

The knights were slightly afraid.

"Beautiful Sword" was one of the most prominent adventurer parties in the Kingdom. Composed entirely of women, they possessed flawless teamwork and strength. Though they had since disbanded, one of them was now fighting on the Imperial border with her partner, while the other three had come to help defend the royal capital.

They had seen them fight yesterday; not only was their strength impressive, but their coordination was magnificent.

To be honest, they hadn't expected much from the magician, the scout, or the other magician who had once belonged to "Rodel the Flash."

No matter how strong they were, they looked like young girls. It was enough to make one anxious.

But they were strong. The magician's spells were diverse and incredibly versatile. The scout used her speed to fell enemies with a single blow.

Watching them was an awe-inspiring sight.

And this was a monster that even they had struggled against. It was only natural to be afraid.

"Do not falter!" the Knight Captain roared. "No matter how powerful the monster, we have intellect and a noble spirit! A mere brute that just swings its weapon around is no match for us!"

His face was completely serious. It inspired a sense of security and trust.

"H-He's right! We have the Captain with us!"

"With him leading us, there's nothing to fear!"

"To victory!"

The knights let out a battle cry.

The Knight Captain raised his sword. "Alright! We proceed according to plan! Charge!"

He spurred his horse onward.

The knights split off to the left and right, while the Captain and two others charged straight ahead.

The plan was simple. The Knight Captain would act as bait to draw the monster's attention, while the knights would attack from the flanks to gradually weaken it. The Captain would then deliver the finishing blow.

It was a strategy designed to make the Captain stand out and hog all the glory, but none of the knights questioned it.

"I am the Captain of the Kingdom's knights!" he declared as he charged. "You who are the root cause of this calamity and an enemy to the Kingdom! Prostrate yourself before my sword of justice!"

The Orc King raised its club overhead and brought it down with tremendous force. The motion was simple. The Captain and his two men, all skilled riders, evaded it with ease. They used the opening to attack its legs.

But it was just a scratch. It didn't even draw blood.

The Captain, having put some distance between them, grinned. "As expected, a light attack won't work. But this is all within my calculations."

Just then, the knights attacked from the flanks. The Orc King glanced left and right. The knights thought it looked surprised, but the Orc King itself didn't seem particularly perturbed.

The Orc King held its club horizontally and began to spin rapidly, like a top.

The knights' horses couldn't stop in time and were struck by the attack. The knights were thrown from their saddles. Their horses bolted, and the fallen knights staggered to their feet. Fortunately, they had jumped off their horses just in time, so they escaped with minor injuries.

They could continue the fight.

"Not bad," the Captain said, dismounting from his horse, his eyes filled with excitement. "This wouldn't be interesting otherwise."

Defeating such a powerful foe would solidify his position.

As he was thinking this, one of the knights cried out, "C-Captain! L-Look... over there..."

The Captain looked in the direction the knight was pointing.

His face went blank. The other knights stared in the same direction, utterly speechless.

For there, two more Orc Kings had appeared.

Including the one they were fighting, that made three. And beyond them stood a monster they had never seen before.

It was a lizard that moved on four legs, its body easily ten meters long. Its skin was red, and it radiated a shimmering heat, as if it were on fire.

The Captain's expression was frozen.

He thought there was only one Orc King, but there were three, and now a massive, unknown monster had appeared.

To defeat something like this, they would need the full might of the Kingdom's army.

"N-No... it's... it's hopeless..." a knight stammered.

He dropped his sword. His horse stood frozen, paralyzed by fear.

The Orc King did not miss the opening. It brought its club down and crushed him.

Seeing the spatter of fresh blood, the other knights screamed.

"""N-Noooooo! Help us!"""

They fled in unison, spurring their horses in a desperate frenzy. But the monsters attacked without mercy. One by one, they were surrounded, beaten to a pulp, and killed.

"Ah... ahahahaha!" the Knight Captain laughed. "This is perfect! If I defeat them, I'll be the king of this kingdom... no, the strongest being on the continent! I can do it!"

He screamed as he charged toward the lizard.

His eyes were bloodshot; he was effectively blind to everything around him.

The lizard—a Salamander—erupted in flames, its extended tongue also ablaze.

The Knight Captain, judging the newly appeared lizard to be the greatest threat, launched his attack.

If I defeat it, the other monsters will fall into disarray. They have to. Such were his delusions.

But his sword never reached its target.

He was unable to react to the attack coming from the side and took the full brunt of it.

After the attack, all that remained on the spot were his two legs. The rest of him was gone.

That alone spoke volumes about the intense heat of the Salamander's flaming tongue.

And so, the future of the Knight Captain, who had envisioned a life of glory, was extinguished.

Back in the Empire, at the border base.

Having returned to the base, Tina and I were being treated by the medical team. They were examining our wounds.

"Are you feeling sick anywhere?" the doctor asked.

"Not particularly," I replied.

"Hmm. It seems you weren't hit by any poison attacks. Your wounds look clean. And what about the beautiful lady over there?"

The female doctor next to her reported, "She has some injuries, but there are no problems."

With our check-up finished, I asked, "More importantly, how is the 'Mad Dog' party?"

"They are injured, but their lives are not in danger," the doctor replied.

I felt a wave of relief at his words. I had only seen them from a distance, but they had looked to be in a very bad state.

"So? What do we do now?" Tina asked. "Do we return to the front?"

A nearby soldier answered, "No, you two are to rest. There might still be high-level monsters out there. Leave the other monsters to the adventurers and soldiers, and conserve your strength."

With that, he walked away.

Tina and I looked at each other.

"No choice, then. Let's get some rest. Honestly, I'm exhausted from being on edge for so long."

I lay down on the hard floor.