The border area was in a similar state of war, so there were no carriages available for travel. Reluctantly, I had to ride a horse with Luna, and unfortunately, Luna didn't know how to ride, so she had to be put in front of me.
Luna was petite, so it wasn't uncomfortable, but it was still awkward. Besides, someone who recognized me could potentially report that I was traveling with Luna to the Empire. To prevent this, I covered myself with a black hood, tied my tangled hair into a bun, and tried to hide my identity.
"Bored."
It had been three days since we started riding.
At first, Luna had enjoyed horseback riding, but after a day, she complained that her body was stiff. After two days, she began repeating how bored she was every hour.
"We'll be at the Vayatra Fortress soon. Just wait a little longer."
"I want to get there quickly and kill some orcs."
Due to Luna's ability to manipulate souls, she was even more powerful on the battlefield where multiple souls were present. As we got closer to the battlefield, her aura grew more intense.
'I can definitely sense it.'
I could feel the aura of an unseen war reaching this place. The situation might be worse than I had anticipated.
That means it won't be easy for me to enter the Great Forest.
As I felt the intensifying frenzy in the air, I urged my horse faster. In the middle of the treacherous terrain, I saw the fortress rise before us, and in the distance, a horde of orcs was approaching the fortress, letting out roars.
"Orcs!"
Luna squirmed in my arms, trying to break free. I quickly stopped the horse, worried that she might get hurt.
"Friend! Orcs, orcs!"
"Yes, it's orcs."
The battle in the distance was nerve-wracking. Seeing a large-scale battle in person for the first time, even I, who had experience in combat, was overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
"Ashema, Troghandifusur."
Suddenly, Luna dismounted and muttered gibberish on the ground.
Then I realized that this gibberish was her unique way of casting spells.
"Luna?"
What was she trying to do all of a sudden?
As Luna's incantation grew longer, a powerful magical force could be felt. Suddenly, something translucent began to float around her.
"Let's start with friends."
She gathered something floating around her and handed it to me.
-Ding!
[The spirit of 'Dwaul, the Battle Hound,' seeks communion.]
[Do you permit?]
A message appeared.
'From what I know, there are no side effects.'
Because of this ability, Luna could be seen as a powerful support buffer. Furthermore, she had a powerful soul under her command, making her an exceptional necromancer capable of handling any situation.
In situations requiring magic, Luna Pendragon could freely switch between the souls of a wizard for magic needs and a knight for close combat.
[The soul of the battlefield hound, Dwaul, descends.]
[Stats temporarily increase.]
[The attribute 'Target Tracking' of the battlefield hound, Dwaul, is temporarily acquired.]
Luna isn't famous for no reason.
Although temporary, the soul's arrival brought not only a side-effect-free stat boost but also the accompanying attribute. Characters more charismatic than this were rare.
"Go ahead first! I'll pick after thinking a bit."
Leaving just anything for me and stating that she would choose a good soul herself made me slightly suspicious, but for now, I nodded.
Looking at the current situation, I realized that the orcs had approached near the fortress walls. It was then that I could confirm the presence of a shaman among the orc forces.
-Bloodshed! Battlefield! Slaughter!
The soul of Dwaul that had arrived within me spoke.
I ignored Dwaul's words and first dealt with the overall situation.
'Could the ominous feeling I sensed a while ago be related to the fact that a shaman came all the way here?'
The combat prowess of individual shamans wasn't impressive.
However, considering the characteristic nature of orcs being prolific breeders, having a shaman among their ranks could considerably amplify the strength of their horde. An orc shaman had the potential to turn a mere group into a terrifying force.
Judging from the situation, it seemed that ranged attacks like spells and arrows from the wizards were being weakened by the shaman's defense barrier.
Naturally, a defensive advantage was expected in a siege situation, but with the advantage of ranged attacks, one of the fortress's strengths, being neutralized, they were struggling.
"I should take down the shaman first."
No matter how numerous the orcs were, they weren't frightening.
Of course, I had never faced them during my time in Adrias, but based on my experience in games, I was confident I could handle them with guerrilla tactics.
If there were orc warriors, chieftains, or orc lords, the story might have been different. But from what I observed, there were only shamans and regular orcs.
[Using 'Target Tracking' of the battle hound, Dwaul.]
My senses sharpened.
At the same time, even from this distance, I pinpointed the location of the orc shaman.
'Just one? Well, it's impressive for a shaman to make it to the rear lines like this.'
By now, the front lines must be in chaos.
Vayatra Fortress was fortunately situated at the rear, so there would probably be a fierce battle with only a few hundred orc groups here, while thousands clashed at the front.
With the position determined, I had only one task.
A game-changing card to reverse the situation.
'Assassinate the shaman.'
Passing through hundreds of orcs might seem reckless, but it didn't appear as challenging as one might think.
All the orcs' attention was directed toward the fortress in this situation.
They had no time to watch their backs.
And conveniently, the orc shaman was positioned in the rear, so if I attacked from behind, I could assassinate him by penetrating through just six of them.
'Luna…'
Luna still seemed to be contemplating which soul to use as she observed the spirits.
There was no need to wait.
I decided to go for it lightly, killing only the shaman and then retreating.
'Speed is crucial.'
I had achieved Level 3 with the Selfless Sword technique that my master taught me.
With level 10 being the 'maximum level,' I still had a long way to go.
If I had a higher level in the Selfless Sword technique, I might have been able to perform the peculiar body movement my master had demonstrated. But for now, dashing quickly was my best option.
Stretching my mana throughout my body, I ran at full speed.
Swish!
Racing forward with such intensity that I felt the resistance of the oncoming wind, I followed the 'Target Tracking' activated by Dwaul's soul without stopping.
'There it is.'
The orc shaman was surrounded by orcs that seemed to be acting as his guards. Engaged in the siege, they paid no attention to their rear.
Thanks to that, I was able to charge straight at the shaman without any resistance.
Thud!
In an instant, the orcs surrounding the shaman were slaughtered. The shaman, who belatedly noticed my presence, widened his pupils.
-Haka!
That was the death scream of the shaman.
I didn't know what it meant, but the shaman's totem trembled as he fell to the ground.
-Kreh!
-Kah-anuma!
The shaman's death immediately had an effect.
Orcs who had been frenzied by spells now looked bewildered, causing chaos rather than continuing the siege.
"Now's the time!"
A resounding battle cry echoed from atop the fortress walls as magic and arrows rained down.
With the shaman's protection gone, orcs screamed as they fell from ladders or were blown away by spells.
The frenzy had even worn off, and they no longer displayed the same savagery.
-Krah!
The orcs behind me all turned to face me, wielding crude swords.
But their low skill level allowed me to cut through them effortlessly.
"There are too many."
No matter how low their skill levels were, orcs were still orcs.
Compared to ordinary humans, their strength was remarkable.
Furthermore, their numbers exceeded hundreds, so I focused on evading while dealing with the orcs.
Being surrounded could spell disaster, even if they were just disdainful orcs.
"Open the gates! Open the gates!"
At that moment, the fortress gate swung open, and the troops within the fortress poured out.
As the drawbridge was up, the gate closed again, and the soldiers who had positioned themselves in the small space in front of it clashed with the orcs as the bridge descended.
Most of the troops were skilled in dealing with orcs, and since most of the orcs were in a panicked state, they were systematically taking them out.
'Good.'
Even the orcs who were chasing me began to notice the situation unfolding behind them and started turning around.
"Finish them all!"
The orcs were no match for the troops that had come out of the fortress.
If the shaman had been there, the situation might have been different with the frenzy spell, but ordinary orcs without frenzy were no match against the humans armed against them.
The battle was turning in our favor.
As the momentum shifted, the orcs began to falter, unable to properly utilize their strength, and started yielding helplessly.
Swish―!
Naturally, the orcs facing me lost their lives, bewildered and disorganized.
With the thought that I needed to establish a clear advantage, I continued killing the orcs without pause.
"I'm meeting you for the first time. Thank you for your help."
The troops that had advanced from the fortress had now reached my location.
The person addressing me was a familiar face I had seen a few times in the game.
'Lord of Vayatra Fortress, Sean Daiker.'
Instead of answering, I nodded in acknowledgement and swept away the orcs around me.
In no time, hundreds of orcs were near total defeat.
A few surviving orcs were belatedly fleeing, only to be struck down by arrows and spells shot from the fortress.
"What's this! Why is it over already?"
Luna arrived late with an impressed expression on her face.
In one hand, she held a translucent scythe, likely the embodiment of the Aura Master's soul, which could be considered her trademark.
By the way, her necromancy was quite helpful in this battle.
Besides the stat boosts, without the 'Target Tracking,' I wouldn't have been able to catch the shaman so easily.
"Luckily, whatever got entangled was pulled favorably."
As Luna grumbled, soldiers and mercenaries who had been fighting outside the fortress approached us, along with the castle's lord.
"Thank you. It was a moment of danger, but thanks to you, we've passed through it unscathed."
The soldiers and mercenaries standing by us were also looking at me with admiration.
Amidst this, one of the mercenaries pointed at Luna in surprise.
"Lu, Luna Pendragon!"
Only now did those who recognized Luna take a step back, their jaws dropping in astonishment.
It was hard not to notice with that scythe.
"As expected, you weren't an ordinary person. To think you're with Luna Pendragon."
"Someone of your caliber teaming up with Luna Pendragon could change the course of the war, couldn't it?"
People's reactions were hard to get used to.
While in the Empire, it was natural to distance oneself from a dark magician, here it was surprising to be welcomed.
"Let's bring you inside the fortress."
Accepting Sean's invitation, I decided to enter the fortress for the time being.
Seeing that the situation seemed more serious than expected, I decided to find out about the overall situation.
Following Sean, who had entrusted the aftermath to the soldiers, I entered the lord's chamber.
Even within the fortress, everyone was busy with war preparations and various tasks. However, due to Luna's striking appearance, all attention naturally turned to her.
"It's Luna Pendragon."
"Is the person next to her the one who killed the shaman?"
"If you're the one who, along with Luna Pendragon, pierced through hundreds of orc groups to kill the shaman, you must be someone famous."
Hearing the murmurs from the surroundings, I thought it was fortunate that my face was concealed.
I could have worn Bloody Dan's mask, but I didn't want to reveal myself to Luna, so I hid my identity this way.
'It's not worth revealing my identity unnecessarily.'
It was an inevitable choice to travel with Luna.
Inside the lord's chamber was no less chaotic. People were bustling about, from administrators dashing around, liaising with front-line forts, to those engaged in administrative tasks for post-battle matters.
"Since the battle has just ended, would it be alright if we handle only the urgent matters and join you? It would be a bit impolite to inconvenience our guests."
"It's okay."
I said nonchalantly.
Turning my head to look at Luna, she was still following with a displeased expression, probably annoyed at not being able to face the orcs.
Seated in the reception room, Luna and I waited for a while, being served tea.
Sean, the lord, seemed busy as well, possibly due to the recent battle.
He soon finished whatever he was attending to and bowed his head to us.
"I should have welcomed you in a more comfortable setting. I apologize."
He offered his apology and sat down across from us. While half-concealing his face, he gazed intently at me before shifting his attention to Luna beside me.
"Thank you once again. Thanks to you quickly disposing of the orc shaman, we suffered no casualties. May I inquire about your name?"
"Barry Sanders."
As I mentioned the alias, I felt Luna's gaze drilling into me.
Pay more attention, will you?
"Mr. Barry Sanders and Ms. Luna Pendragon. Thank you for coming to help like this. Were you perhaps on your way to the front?"
"Yes! I'm going to slice the neck of the Orc Lord!"
Luna's brilliantly colorful eyes sparkled uncomfortably.
Sean also leaned forward slightly and nodded to Luna as she spoke.
"That would certainly be very helpful news. Actually, the recent Orc Lord that emerged is different from the one we encountered last time in various ways."
"Could you please explain in more detail?"
Sean opened his mouth slowly, his expression firm.
"It's an Aura Master Orc Lord."