Chapter 50: The Ridiculous Trouble of the Subjugation (1)

Raion couldn’t help but smile when he saw Gedwin’s face turn pale.

“What’s with that shocked look? Hah, did you really think I wouldn’t find out that you were connected to Administrator Conrad?”

“Th-That’s nonsense! Why would we ever make such a deal with the Administrator?”

For now, Gedwin had no choice but to deny everything.

However, that kind of empty excuse would never work against someone like Raion.

“Then what about the conversation you had with Administrator Conrad at your house a few days ago? The one where you agreed to split 1,000 gold out of the 3,000 I funded. Was that nonsense too?”

At the precise words, Gedwin couldn’t think of a single excuse to defend himself. In the end, he could only shut his mouth tightly and remain still.

“Then let me ask you this. Will you do your best to assist in this subjugation—or will you die right here?”

“D-Die? What are you—”

“It wouldn’t be so bad to execute a criminal on the spot, don’t you think? So, what’ll it be?”

Gedwin had only one choice.

Because of that, his face contorted into a rotten expression, his eyes darting around restlessly.

“I suggest you don’t try anything clever. This time, I’ll order that man to kill you the moment you try to run.”

As Raion spoke, Gedwin’s eyes darted toward Jade.

And in response, Jade drew his sword without hesitation, the blade gleaming sharply in the light.

Clang—!

“Eek—!”

Just earlier, Gedwin and his subordinates had desperately tried to flee from him.

Even though nine of them had scattered in all directions, Jade had appeared like the wind, captured them one by one, and mercilessly beaten them with his fists and feet.

The wounds still ached so badly that Gedwin could barely make a proper expression.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Then, shall we start the real subjugation now?”

With just a few “conversations,” Raion was able to establish clear control over the group.

Soon after, the forces were divided under Jade, Baron, and Cayman’s lead.

Thanks to the treatment for the wounded and Raion’s firm handling of Gedwin, the other soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers began to follow orders properly.

“From now on, I’ll lure the monsters here. When that happens, form three horizontal lines and prepare for battle.”

“Three lines? What do you mean by that?”

In response to Baron’s question, Raion used a stick to draw on the ground as he explained.

“The first line will be a formation capable of mid-to-long-range attacks. The second line will protect the first. The third line will split to both sides to prevent the monsters from escaping. Any questions?”

Baron, Cayman, and Jade reflected on Raion’s explanation, picturing the formation in their minds.

“Ah! If we can lure the monsters properly, both offense and defense can be perfectly balanced.”

“That does sound good. But isn’t luring the monsters the hard part? Unless they rush at us like the orcs earlier…”

As the two spoke, they recalled the earlier situation.

At that moment, Cayman noticed something strange.

“Come to think of it, about those orcs earlier—it was only about ten of them that were roughly 250 meers away. How did over seventy of them suddenly appear?”

Since Cayman had personally confirmed the orcs’ location, he couldn’t help but find it odd.

“Now that you mention it, that is strange. Don’t you think so, Sir Jade?”

Baron asked, assuming Jade had also heard the earlier monster report.

“I did think it was odd, but…”

At that moment, Jade’s gaze subtly turned toward Raion.

And Raion, furrowing his brows deeply, shot him a sharp glare.

Because of that, Jade had no choice but to avert his gaze awkwardly.

“Well… maybe the orcs multiplied suddenly due to some external factor?”

“Is that so? Still, I’ve done several subjugations in Kanas, and I’ve never seen something like this.”

“Let’s not overthink it. We might bring unnecessary trouble upon ourselves. Let’s just check the formation quickly.”

“Eh? Trouble?”

Pushing the now-suspicious Baron and Cayman forward, Jade urged them toward the area where the troops were on standby.

Meanwhile, Raion called out to him.

“Take this one with you!”

He meant Gedwin, of course.

At that command, Jade dragged Gedwin along and began inspecting the tactical formation with the knights.

Two days had passed since the subjugation force departed from the fortress.

They had split into four directions, two teams in each.

The most dangerous direction, naturally, was the southern front—closest to the Clamen Mountain Range.

There, the commander of the knights, Alkas Derion, personally held command over the soldiers, mercenaries, and adventurers.

“Don’t let a single monster through! Keep pushing! Attack!”

Commander Alkas shouted as he swung his sword fiercely from the front lines.

Orcs, kobolds, and goblins all fought and then desperately fled after realizing they couldn’t withstand the subjugation force.

However, due to their relentless assault, the southern unit also began to suffer increasing casualties.

Slash! Slash!

Alkas cut down an orc and flicked off the splattered green blood. His armor was smeared with the blood of countless orcs and beasts.

The same went for the other soldiers and mercenaries.

Moreover, there were many instances where the wounded couldn’t retreat in time, turning into fatalities.

“Is it finally over here?”

Once the situation settled, Alkas reorganized the troops and faced the returning knight.

Kanas’ only female knight was Nesia.

Alkas, who had been watching them, let out a brief sigh of relief and said,

“Good to see you’re all unharmed. Any injuries?”

“No.”

“No, sir. Are you all right, Commander?”

At Nesia’s question, Alkas roughly wiped the blood off his armor.

“No problem. At this rate, it should be over soon.”

The southern front had already closed in to the foot of the Clamen Mountain Range.

They couldn’t overturn the entire mountain range, so they could only subjugate as close as possible.

At that moment, Dier, having received a report from a soldier, spoke.

“The scouting party has returned.”

They were the ones who had gone out to recon where other monsters might be.

“What’s the situation?”

“Well…”

Dier hesitated for a moment over the report written on parchment.

Seeing that, Alkas felt impatient.

“Is there some kind of problem?”

“They discovered an orc lair.”

“A lair? Where is it?”

A monster lair differed from an ordinary encampment.

Because it was the stronghold where that monster proliferated, if they could perfectly take that location, the surrounding area could become relatively safe.

“The location is to the southwest. But… that area is already completely devastated.”

“What? Someone’s already been there? Who was assigned to the west?”

At that question, Dier recalled the commanders of the western subjugation force and replied,

“Baron and Cayman.”

“Isn’t the west mostly filled with C-rank mercenaries and adventurers?”

“That’s correct.”

Unlike soldiers, mercenaries and adventurers could choose which direction to join.

Naturally, valuing their lives, they picked directions that seemed the safest while still allowing participation in the subjugation.

Because the north and west were on the side opposite the Clamen Range, weaker ranks had gathered there.

It would have been impossible to take an orc lair with those people.

“How long ago do you think they rampaged through there?”

“Judging by how dry the orc blood was, it looked like about a day had passed.”

“Were there any signs of human casualties?”

If the western force had attacked recklessly, it would have been a reckless move and the number of casualties might not be negligible.

“No! Let’s go see for ourselves right now. Move out the formation!”

In any case, Alkas, as commander of the knights, needed to confirm the lair’s condition and outcome personally.

So Alkas led the southern force toward the orc lair the scouts had found.

The southern unit moved quickly and reached the orc lair.

It was a sunken low valley on the plains near the end of the Clamen Mountain Range.

It looked as if many orcs had once lived within it.

But now only orc corpses lay scattered in every direction.

“Who on earth cleared them out like this?”

Normally, a subjugation ended with the bodies collected or burned.

Otherwise, nearby monsters would smell the blood and rot and come swarming.

“It seems they were dealt with by a group with considerable skill.”

Dier examined the orc corpses.

All the orcs bore wounds from blades.

Since it didn’t look like bows or magic had been used, the attackers must have been exceptionally skilled.

“This wasn’t a group.”

“Eh? What do you mean by that?”

Alkas inspected the state of the orcs just like Dier had.

“The sword wounds are uniform. And the footprints stamped into the ground are not from a group.”

At his explanation, Dier and Nesia turned their gaze to the ground.

Indeed, there was only a single type of footprint.

“Are you saying a single person subjugated this place?”

The visible number of orcs exceeded a hundred. If the inside of the cave were checked, there would be even more.

Facing that number alone would mean the person was terrifyingly skilled.

“Could it be a Swordmaster?”

“I don’t know. But it’s clear that an extraordinary warrior has appeared in the Kanas territory. For now, gather the orc corpses and burn them—other monsters might catch the scent and come.”

At the order, soldiers hurriedly moved under Dier and Nesia’s direction.

Meanwhile, Alkas climbed back up from the valley and looked toward the plains.

He followed the footprints on the ground as he moved.

“Did they head northeast from here?”

The orcs had been slaughtered brutally.

Someone of that caliber could indeed be a swordsman who had reached the Swordmaster’s level, as Dier had suggested.

But Swordmasters on the continent were generally treated at least as highly as knight commanders, so there was little reason for them to roam such dangerous areas alone.

“What on earth is their identity?”

Alkas’s gaze turned toward the eastern forest of Kanas that spread at the edge of the plains.

That area, adjacent to the Clamen Range, was equally dangerous.

For now, since the southern unit had confirmed the orc lair was finished, they planned to move north and join the western force.

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