Chapter 343: Rhine Alliance (2)
Chapter 343
Rhine Alliance (2)
Up close, tragedy; from a distance, comedy. There was no more fitting expression in this world. Sentient races were not at the top of the food chain.
-Ah, another brutal day.
-You worked hard!
-Milly. Bring me a plate of sardines.
A laborer returning from work, spitting out his head over small sardines at a tavern. In that mundane scene, humans could become the sardines’ position at any moment.
Clack! Clack!
Two orcs clutched in the crab’s pincers hung in the air, flailing their filthy feet. Just before capture, they had swung their clubs with all their might, but only managed to scratch the shell.
The crab’s mouth, like a grinding machine, always began suction from the feet.
“Kuaaah!”
Screams came as far as the shins.
“Grrrrrk…”
Once swallowed to the abdomen, even the screams went silent.
“…”
Once it reached the chest, only the head with vacant eyes rolled about.
The giant crab didn’t swallow the orc’s head whole – it snapped cleanly at the neck. Then, like a person putting a plum in their mouth and rolling it around to eat only the flesh, it gnawed the facial meat off.
Given the giant crab’s oral structure, the orc’s head being flayed in real-time was clearly visible even from outside.
“Grue!”
“Devil!”
The orcs thrashed in fury, and more than that, in terror far greater, screaming. Rocks thrown from all sides flew in, but the crab didn’t budge. Only when something flew near its eyes did it blink casually.
Ptoo!
Instantly, it spat out a bare skull and the next orc entered its mouth. At that mechanical consumption, the orcs went berserk trying to scale the palisade.
“If… if it eats all of them, it’ll be full, right? Right?”
“This is no time to relax! Once it’s properly fed, it’ll definitely come back here!”
The elves atop the palisade also prepared Molotov cocktails for what might come.
One of the reasons they traded with the outside was to procure war materials. In a forest with monsters that even excellent archery and guerrilla tactics couldn’t handle, weapons like Molotov cocktails were invaluable.
“One, two, three, four… It has one fewer pair of legs than the one we saw last time?”
“The habitat being the forest, and their appearances vary slightly.”
“But the rest are identical.”
Eugene and Homi were comparing it with the lake crab. Aquatic monsters’ appearances varied wildly, but crustacean monsters became more crab-like as their size increased.
As they grew larger, their movements slowed and the energy spent on movement increased. Therefore, occupying prime hunting spots became crucial. In competition between monsters, the crab shape was advantageous for survival.
This was the phenomenon known as carcinization. There was supposedly a counter-phenomenon called decarcinization, but at least in this world, carcinization held the advantage.
“To survive fights against medium and large monsters, you have to compress your body.”
“Trolls, minotaurs, even cyclopes – they all love dogfighting.”
When the body was long like a crayfish or scorpion, overall durability was proportionally softer. It was difficult to withstand even a bugbear’s club.
Moreover, the longer the body, the more the flanks were exposed and turning ability dropped. When cunning medium monsters chased only the rear and hammered it, there was no answer.
“With the shell, mobility keeps dropping, so the only option is to increase defense. Those who couldn’t do that went extinct.”
The competition between vertebrate monsters and crustacean monsters was truly a battle of sword and shield.
But no matter how compressed and hardened the body, it couldn’t withstand the blunt weapons wielded by cyclopes or ogres. They were the natural enemies of crab-type monsters.
“So the one we caught at the lake was a special individual?”
“There was a reason the monsters in that region worshipped it as a god.”
Flutter flutter!
Homi, her hunter’s instincts triggered, wagged her tail in delight. She loved talking about prey with Eugene.
She had been writing a Monster Encyclopedia with Eugene’s support for two years now. With cute, rounded handwriting, she depicted the ecology of fierce monsters without filter, and the reception was excellent.
“This should be enough. Everyone, prepare to attack.”
At Eugene’s signal, the knights readied their charge.
“That giant crab is ours. The others, wait until the crab falls, then drive back the orcs.”
Eugene pointed out those he had already selected and had them follow. Including Hind, Henri, and the Boundary Knight household’s knights. Jackal’s mercenary cavalry formed the core.
“Your Majesty! We are no less brave!”
“Please grant us this honor!”
The knights assigned to the orcs protested, feeling wronged. They had been content to traverse battlefields with the king, but upon seeing a large monster, their desire for honor surged.
But Eugene refused categorically.
“Against large crustaceans, blunt weapons are needed. The spears and swords you carry can’t deliver significant effective hits.”
“I’m a master of the morningstar! I’ve even killed wargs with it!”
“Look at my mace!”
Immediately, knights wielding blunt weapons raised their appeals, but they were also rejected.
“They’re too short. Getting close enough to swing those would result in heavy casualties.”
Having seen the knights suffer terribly in the lake battle, Eugene knew that against large monsters, especially crustaceans, deploying specialized forces was the only efficient way to fight.
‘Casualties in monster hunting are inevitable.’
But the knights seemed unfamiliar with Eugene’s attitude of minimizing losses.
Clink.
Meanwhile, Eugene’s subordinates were all armed with heavy flanged maces. Their range exceeded spears, and their devastating power far surpassed war hammers.
-If you wish to fight powerful monsters with me, discard your sword and shield. Become a horse archer, or learn to wield lance and flanged mace from horseback.
Archery training took too long and required too many sacrifices. So Eugene’s heavy cavalry had all trained to drop reins and wield long weapons from horseback.
The Britannia knights swallowed their frustration and accepted. Pushing further would be insubordination, and there was nothing wrong with Eugene’s logic.
*
“Rescue!”
“It hasn’t even been a few hours since we sent for help!”
“It must be those who were waiting outside for trade!”
The elves, defending desperately, cheered at the appearance of the human cavalry.
“O Earth. Swallow the guests upon you like sweet rain.”
Alzhar scattered catalysts and activated his summoning spell. The elemental spirits of earth dwelling between soil and gravel absorbed the shock of the horse hooves striking the ground and pulled them underground.
While Marbas in the same situation could only block noise, Alzhar, the earth-specialized summoner, achieved the remarkable feat of erasing the impact itself.
-You want me to erase the vibrations instead of the sound?
-Crabs have no eardrums or ear canals, so they can’t hear airborne sounds. Instead, they sense vibrations in the ground or water through sensory hairs on their legs and bodies.
-Who would have thought…
-As you can see, since it lives on land, most of its sensory hairs are concentrated on its legs. If you block the vibrations, it won’t know it’s being approached until just before the attack.
-Your Majesty’s scholarly curiosity and adaptability are beyond anything I can match! Please leave it to me!
Thanks to the capable flatterer Alzhar, the giant crab didn’t notice Eugene’s ambush until he was nearly upon it.
Crack!
A black flash struck, and one right leg was severed.
‘Clockwise!’
Might, focused on the giant crab’s reactions, turned in the same direction as the creature, granting one more attack opportunity.
Crunch!
Another old-tree-thick right leg fell, and the giant crab tilted to one side. The severed cross-sections writhed grotesquely, and flesh thick as a giant’s snot wobbled.
Even in the heat of battle, perhaps the meat looked appetizing, because Might’s nose twitched.
“When the fight’s over, you can eat all you want.”
Since it had been eating nothing but orcs, there would be no need to worry about the knights’ looks if it tore into the corpse. Might let out a roar of joy.
The giant crab desperately tried to protect its remaining right leg, excluding the pincers. The problem was that in that opening, the cavalry that had circled left began their attack.
“Smash it all!”
“Bring it down! Keep its eyes off His Majesty!”
Flanged maces swung from all directions began shattering the giant crab’s right leg.
Clang clang clang.
Clang.
The noisy chains had either mace or morningstar heads attached according to user preference. Swung with both hands using the horse’s acceleration, their destructive power was terrifying.
“Lord Alzhar! Excellent! I’ll reward you later!”
Eugene shouted with genuine feeling.
The earth spirits controlled by Alzhar were still keeping the giant crab’s surroundings vibration-free. For a creature that relied heavily on vibrations for sensation, it was equivalent to being half-blind.
“!!!”
The giant crab screamed and charged body-first at its most threatening enemy, Eugene. But Might, as if anticipating this, immediately leaped upward.
Crash!
In midair, four horse hooves struck the crab’s shell, creating distance. The impact was so enormous that the massive body toppled.
Seizing the opportunity, Eugene destroyed the claw, and the heavy cavalry pummeled it. Broken shell fragments rained down from all sides.
Whistle!
Homi, holding a powerful bow, blew a wide-wave whistle from the front, disrupting the crab’s sensory organs.
Thwack!
An arrow struck precisely in the crab’s eye, which had been watching intently.
Thwack!
And one more.
With its mobility destroyed and eyes lost, escape was impossible. The struggling movements gradually subsided, then stopped.
“…”
“…”
When the giant crab died, an awkward silence settled over the battlefield. Elves and orcs alike stopped fighting and stared blankly at Eugene and the cavalry battle.
Eugene pointed his axe at the orcs. Pieces of crab shell were stuck to it with blood as adhesive. The red blood flowing with high oxygen-carrying efficiency was also a difference from the lake specimen.
“Drop your weapons.”
“Your Majesty?!”
His subordinates were startled. Though he always offered surrender before fighting, the opponents were orcs. No matter how they spoke the common tongue like humans, weren’t they cannibals beyond reconciliation?
“Drop your weapons, lie down, and stretch your necks out. Then I’ll kill you in one blow without pain.”
“Aha!”
At Eugene’s decree offering mutual convenience, they all nodded. Naturally, the orcs attempted one final desperate struggle.
“Attack!”
“Don’t let a single one escape!”
And the waiting knights charged. When heavily armored knights charged on warhorses, it was akin to a natural disaster.
“Help the rescuers!”
“Stab them in the back!”
The elves atop the palisade also poured precise supporting fire, and the orcs melted as blood flowed from front and rear.
Since the enemies were extremely concentrated, some knights occasionally found themselves in trouble when their charge momentum ran out.
Shoooo!
At those moments, Eugene charged and swung his great axe. It was like reaping wheat with a giant scythe.
Whoooosh!
Every time the axe blade swept past, two or three separated orc torsos launched upward. At that bloody sight, everyone was too terrified to think of attacking.
“What is that knight?!”
“A monster?”
The outside world’s people had at least heard rumors of Eugene, but these elves had lived in isolation. Before a power that seemed to embody storm and blade, they looked at Eugene with a mixture of horror and respect.
Even the proud elves were fighters competing for survival in the Great Forest. They had a custom of showing deference to true strongholds regardless of race or status. It was a trait identical to the dark elves.
“How many orcs escaped?”
“Not a single one. Shall we send scouts, just in case?”
“No. The sun will set soon. Further operations are forbidden. Let’s tend to the infantry following behind.”
Eugene handed Blackout to Homi and stood before the palisade.
‘Is this why it’s called Mushroom Village?’
The palisade accounted for only about forty percent of the village’s defensive wall. On both sides, thick, tall mycelium formed walls.
Thanks to this, the central palisade could be built much thicker and taller. If everything had been made of wood, it would have been difficult to repel the orc invasion.
“We came after hearing your call for help!”
Eugene held up the letter the dead elf messenger had carried.
But the elves’ eyes were no longer on Eugene. Those who had been marveling at the wondrous display of force moments ago were now completely frozen.
“Open the gate!”
An elf who appeared to be the guard captain shouted.
“You! Run and fetch the chief immediately!”
All eyes were fixed on Valda. A woman with golden hair streaming, gazing at the village with golden eyes. Instinct whispered her identity to the elves.
*
Lantzheim’s infantry filed into Mushroom Village.
“I heard it was just a village, but there’s enough room for all of us and more.”
Hermann marveled as he toured the village interior.
“In this forest, you can’t separate farmland and settlements like in the outside world. No matter how hard you plant and tend, others would eat it all – farmers included.”
“Having the entire community’s farmland within the village for easy defense. How did you find such a place?”
“We didn’t find it. We made it.”
If the dark elves had maximized their offensive power as nomads, the elves had focused on defensive power as settlers.
Beyond simply construction with shovels and picks, they possessed the power to make the natural environment itself cooperate with elven survival.
This was the secret behind dwellings with impossibly favorable conditions in the fiercely competitive ecosystem.
“All of them are sneaking peeks, but not one says a word.”
Even if it was a rescue force, a heavily armed foreign army had entered the village. Yet the elves only whispered among themselves, all eyes on Valda.
“It’s awkward to say this myself, but elves live and die by bloodline.”
“Why are you being shy? Isn’t this something to be proud of?”
Valda’s face was flushed. Having hugged and rolled around countless times, Eugene sensed it wasn’t from joy or anticipation.
“Living and dying by bloodline applied to me as well.”
When Grace had told young Valda of her identity as a child, Valda had been filled with dreams.
Grace, too, had been satisfied seeing her beloved princess filled with pride, striving harder to become someone worthy of the royal house.
-Grace! Let’s go north!
-???
When Valda suddenly packed for a journey, she had been confused.
-Right now, a traitor reigns as king in that forest. If you set foot there, who knows what terrible things they might do.
-But the people are waiting for me, aren’t they? When I arrive, surely…
-You’ll receive a momentary surprise, admiration, and hospitality from the people. But soon after, the traitor’s royal guard will arrive. Not only is your safety a concern, but wouldn’t you feel sorry for those who treated you kindly?
Only after being thoroughly educated on the cruelty of power did the little princess unpack with a somber expression.
“The princess who once was has now returned with the power to protect her people.”
“If not for you, I could never have set foot in this forest in my lifetime.”
Valda held her joking husband’s hand, genuinely grateful.
The outside world’s dynasties claimed the divinity of bloodline, asserting that the people offered unconditional love. When the king fell ill, they said, the entire populace prayed for his recovery.
But that was a lie. The people prayed for sweet rain soaking the earth, for a cow carrying calf, for peaceful days.
Only the elves had offered unconditional love and loyalty to their true leader. Valda was grateful that she could not only receive this miraculous devotion but also repay it.
“There’s the chief coming out.”
An aged, gaunt elf came before Valda and prostrated.
“My father, and his grandfather, and his grandfather’s grandfather. Whenever our ancestors passed, they always spoke of you.”
The chief, raising his head, had tears in his eyes.
“To humbly receive the precious guest who would one day visit. The one who would hide from the usurper with magic, walking between the shadows of trees to visit the noble patron.”
But the ancestors’ prediction had been wrong. The last descendant of the royal house had come not as a mage, but as a queen. Together with her powerful husband, she had come to save them in broad daylight.