Chapter 17: Subjugation Battle within the Territory (Part 2)
Finally, the hunt for the remnants of the thieves was over, and soldiers gathered in a small open space near the spring.
In terms of numbers, it seemed that we were the main force instead.
Since the early morning, the vanguard had been eliminating the band of thieves that had been causing havoc within the territory. After securing the rear, Karina and the rest of the delayed troops joined us, and our plan was to surround and strike the orc horde we fought against the day before yesterday.
However, the vanguard had encountered difficulties, causing a delay in the plan. The soldiers around me were talking while nibbling on the bread they were given.
Karina and another person, a priest with a displayed level of 3, were casting healing spells on the wounded soldiers in order.
Thinking about it, it's a really nice workplace where you can receive direct treatment from a beautiful company president. However, it seems that not many talented people have gathered here. I wonder if the salary is really low or if the working conditions are harsh.
The gathered captains and scouts were spreading out a map on the ground and exchanging information.
Casually approaching and eavesdropping.
After all, I am Cecily's slave, so it's only natural for me to stay by her side.
"Couldn't the adventurers from the guild be persuaded?"
"Well, they insist that they fulfilled the agreement by exterminating the thieves."
"The heavy casualties also seemed to have lowered morale."
The adventurers who came from the Adventurer's Guild withdrew from the subsequent operations due to the significant losses.
"But with this, the threat near the town has been eliminated."
"Yes, according to the report, there are currently no orcs remaining apart from those that moved away from the nest we found yesterday."
Apparently, the three riders who separated from our carriage earlier in the morning went to keep watch over the monsters' stronghold.
"In that case, we must hurry. We can't afford to miss the chance to capture them all."
"My lord, what about over there..."
"It's alright, Zagu. ...Emergency treatment has just finished."
After applying "healing" to the last person, Karina stood up.
Cecily wiped the sweat from her forehead with a cloth she took out.
The knight named Zagu, who was referred to as Level 8, seemed to be leading the vanguard, giving instructions to everyone once again.
We gathered in front of the map, and detailed instructions were given on the location of the cave where the orc horde was said to be and how to approach it from which direction to gradually close in on the enemy.
It's on the opposite side of the stream, quite deep into the forest.
It seems that from the city where the labyrinth is said to exist, you ride on a trillium and proceed along a narrow path, then dismount and enter the forest by going around.
We split into three large groups, each with one scout job member.
There seems to be a skill called "Scouting" that allows you to understand the enemy's position and type in more detail than the adventurers' "Perception" skill.
Come to think of it, thieves might have had such skills too.
So maybe we were outmaneuvered. What about the monsters?
Karina and Cecily are in the central group with the highest level, it seems that adventurers at Level 6 are organizing the party.
I'm in the group that enters the forest on foot from nearby from the beginning. Leading us is a stout middle-aged Level 5 warrior named Muharem.
That young wizard girl is here too. She's still as shy as ever, I hope she'll be alright.
Before we set off, Cecily faced me and said:
"I command as your master. Abide by the covenant and subdue the monsters."
As she said that again, I suddenly felt an invisible ring tightening around my neck.
Instinctively, I held my neck and Cecily nodded and went to Karina.
I don't intend to run away alone in a place like this, it's more dangerous.
The eight of us in Muharem's group entered the forest and began to ascend the animal trail, keeping our footsteps quiet.
As we walked, I noticed that besides the wizard, there was another scout guiding us next to Muharem, and she also looked like a woman. Since she was wearing leather armor similar to that of male soldiers and had hardly any breasts, at first glance, I thought she was a thin small man.
She's a Level 5 scout. Surprisingly high level?
While I was at it, I decided to check the other members as well.
Level 4 warrior, Level 3 warrior, Level 2 warrior, Level 8 warrior... Level 8?
Walking in the middle of the line was a sturdy, large man.
Why isn't he the leader?
Thinking that, I focused on my identification skill once again, and the display showed:
So he's a slave, just like me.
And to be safe, I looked closely at the other members, and the skinny Level 2 warrior was also marked as Karina's slave.
It seems that slavery is a common institution in this society.
Nevertheless, why were they made slaves? Just like I was deceived by Cecily, I haven't done anything good for Carena either. It shouldn't be possible.
As I walk, carefully concealing my footsteps, I can't ask anyone for information, and on top of that, we're climbing a steep mountain path, and I'm running out of breath.
While the two girls walk silently, I'm getting quite exhausted.
Even though my HP should have increased with my adventurer skills.
The sadness of a shut-in ronin.
Finally, Muhalim signaled us to stop ahead with his hand.
I took a sip from the real water bag I had hidden inside my leather armor, pretending to put the fake leather bag to my mouth, and whispered to Lina.
"There are so many slaves. What do you think is going on?"
After a short pause, the puppet responded.
"Sometimes people become prisoners of war or fall into slavery due to being unable to pay taxes."
The mouth of the leather bag opened slightly as it peeked out. Don't let anyone see.
"What about those people? They don't seem like foreigners, so they're probably not war prisoners. Maybe they're economic slaves. Well, there are also useless men who become slaves after being deceived by women, so who knows?"
Ah? I shouldn't have said that...
While we're at it, let me complain about upsetting Carena and Cecily.
"What were you trying to do with that tone earlier? It's not a joke."
"Wasn't my voice just loud? I was just clearly expressing the blue desires that socially awkward people can't say. Be grateful."
As I glanced around, thinking if anyone heard, Lina mercilessly declared.
"You were unexpectedly clumsy."
I was suddenly pushed.
When I turned around, there was a grinning female scout in front of me.
"Gather up, boy."
She whispered in a husky voice and said it quickly.
I was surprised; I couldn't sense her presence at all.
Maybe she has a skill that hides that kind of aura.
Now that I think about it, the level 11 thief leader also lurked near Carena without anyone noticing, and if monsters had such a skill, it would be dangerous.
We gathered at Muhalim's location and cautiously approached the entrance of the cave we were aiming for, keeping low. The distance was about 300 to 400 meters.
Even with my sensing skill focused, I could only feel that there might be something inside.
Information was shared in a low voice.
"According to Raluc's reconnaissance, there were two creatures outside the nest until a while ago, but the central team encountered them and eliminated them. We'll proceed as planned."
Raluc must be referring to the female scout.
"Spread out at intervals of 50 paces and take cover. Once the encirclement is complete, I will swing my hand widely, and then raise the signal for everyone to attack at once. That will be the signal for the other squads. Then, synchronize your footsteps to tighten the circle of encirclement and charge down. It's time to initiate the attack, don't lag behind. Also, intentionally shout loudly at that moment."
It seems there are about 10 orc creatures. It's a rough plan, but we'll draw their attention and launch an attack from one direction to attract their notice.
Engage them casually as they approach, while the other squad flanks them from behind, without breaking the front line.
If they run, pursue them and drive them towards the squad that's lying in wait.
...That's the gist of it.
How can we know when the encirclement is complete? I wonder if it's some kind of skill the scout uses.
For now, let's be careful not to get injured.
In our squad, Muhalim and the scout girl have bows as weapons, and the magic user girl probably has some kind of magic ability (since she's a magic user), but the rest of us only have swords. Well, it's close combat anyway.
If it comes to it, I'll summon a clay wall to protect myself.
Even though I have a skill called Sword Technique Level 1, I've only been taught how to swing long objects during physical education, like in kendo.
There are eight of us positioned in the middle with Muhalim and Laruc, and slave warriors of Level 8 and Level 4 on both ends.
I'm positioned with a slave warrior on the left and the magic user girl on the right.
The slave warrior taps the shoulder of the timid girl to calm her down. That's nice.
I also gently tap her and pass by, and the girl turns around and softly says, "Thank you." If she didn't have a furrowed brow, she might be quite cute.
I look forward to seeing her grow a little more.
As I move forward, crouching to my assigned position, the slave warrior in front of me turns around and whispers.
"You seem like a slave too. Let's both survive."
Oh, so he knew.
I give him a thumbs-up in silence. Wait, do we have such a custom here?
But he seems to have understood and is grinning. Surprisingly, we seem to get along well.
Crouching in the bushes, I alternate my gaze between Muhalim and the cave below for less than five minutes, when suddenly, two or three orcs emerge from the cave as if cautiously observing the surroundings.
Did they sense something? It doesn't seem like they're concerned about us, though.
At that moment, Muhalim swings his arm wide.
"Warrrgh!"
All eight of us shout simultaneously. We're in sync.
And then, I run down the slope, targeting a relatively good-looking line for footing that I had spotted. I'm not going at full speed. There's no point in falling, and it's important to catch the attention of the orcs.
From inside the cave, a swarm of orcs comes rushing out.
Their control is lacking. There are even some who came out unarmed, as if they went to see what's going on, and they try to go back into the hole. It's causing confusion between those who come out and those who stay inside.
Meanwhile, we dash down the slope, closing the distance to the cave.
When we were about 50 meters away, the orcs with weapons lined up in an organized wedge formation and started approaching. They do have quite some intelligence, or rather, they seem to be much more accustomed to fighting than I am.
At that moment, three people on my right stopped and fired arrows and magic.
Fireballs.
That girl must have cast a fire magic. At level 1, a mage can usually shoot fireballs.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have auto-tracking or anything, as the fireball passed between two orcs and disappeared.
However, one arrow hit one of the orcs.
"Gyaah!"
A scream rang out as it staggered, but it didn't seem to be a fatal wound.
The slave warrior at my left, level 8, rushed ahead and attacked the orc at the far end of their side. Shortly after witnessing the result, another orc approached me.
As the identification display appeared, it quickly filled my field of vision and swung its stone axe overhead. Oh no!
I managed to defend myself with my sword, though barely.
With a dull sound, the sword was repelled. I desperately struck with the sword to stop the attack. The orc raised its axe again. To avoid being overwhelmed, I swung my sword and clashed with it, like in a sword fight.
It's not going as smoothly as kendo.
If I get hit, I will undoubtedly suffer severe injuries or worse. It's terrifying.
For now, I'm on the defensive against an orc of the same level.
I don't feel like my sword skills are having any effect, but at least I'm not injured and able to defend myself. Is it better than nothing? At this rate, it'll be a slow grind.
Then, the orc suddenly grimaced and backed away.
Looking closely, the other two squads have finally formed an encirclement and are closing in on the orcs from behind. They have approached near the entrance of the cave.
I can't let our escape route to the hideout be cut off.
The tables have turned.
We, with superior numbers, have surrounded the group of orcs in front of the cave entrance. However, it has reached a stalemate from there.
Due to being crowded, projectile weapons became unusable as there was a risk of hitting allies on the opposite side.
Engaging in close combat with swords, axes, and spears, although we had the advantage in numbers, there were also many low-level warriors on our side, so we couldn't overpower the enemy.
On the other side, they had a well-organized formation centered around an LV8 Orc Leader, with a semi-circular formation around the entrance of the cave to resist us.
It seems our allies have defeated several low-level orcs, but we also have injured members retreating.
Karina is positioned slightly away from the encirclement, treating the injured who have fallen back. Even without directly defeating enemies, she is probably organizing the party formation with the main members, so they are still gaining experience points.
Otherwise, a priest of the same age as me, at level 6, would be too well-developed.
Thanks to Karina healing us, lightly wounded members can return to the front lines. However, the orc side lacks healers, so if their forces are weakened, the numerical difference will widen.
Numerical difference? Did we have such a big numerical difference?
Including the fallen, there are only 7-8 orcs. Weren't there a few more?
Just then, a presence emerged that should not have been there.
It's their allies on the opposite side, behind us!
4, 5 individuals.
However, suddenly, allied soldiers who were attacked from behind were mowed down. Strong.
Damn it, there were two of them.
The highest level in the group identified by reconnaissance was Orc Leader V8. Perhaps, although LV8 individuals had been found multiple times, they mistook them for the same individual.
In reality, there were two LV8 Orc Leaders.
And one of them was either hiding somewhere or went around through another entrance, taking advantage of the moment when we built the encirclement and let our guard down.
I couldn't calmly think about such things.
I desperately clashed swords with the spirited orcs. However, with the collapse of our frontline allies, our orcs also broke through the encirclement, forming a group and running to the other side.
However, as a result, we were in a favorable position where we didn't have to fear friendly fire as we did before.
I summoned a clay wall as large as possible right in front of the orcs with all my strength.
Around 2 meters tall and nearly 7 to 8 meters wide. The first three orcs collided and sank into the clay.
The ones behind slowed down as they tried to dodge left and right. New walls appeared on their left and right. They collided one after another with the walls that formed a U-shape and tried to turn back.
At that moment, arrows from the archers in each squad and fireballs from the magic girls rained down on the orcs. Some arrows hit, while the magic missed again.
At this rate, they'll escape.
To block the final side of the U-shaped clay wall, I created a slightly lower wall, about 1.5 meters tall, than before. My head was spinning from using too much MP.
I squeezed out my remaining strength and "transformed" the clay wall.
I compressed it to seal the movements of the orcs trying to overcome the U-shape enclosure. I solidified more than ten orcs by crushing them with the clay wall.
The headache was severe. I fell to both knees. My consciousness faded.
At that moment, the fireball from the magic girl finally hit the Orc Leader who was the first to try to climb over the wall.
Becoming a fireball, it screamed and fell onto the clustered orcs. Flames spread.
There, another volley of arrows rained down.
People wielding spears and swords also surged around the sluggish orcs.
Finally, the battle came to an end.