Chapter 345: Beast Battle
Chapter 345
Beast battle
Though the elves proclaimed isolationism, that meant not venturing outside the Great Forest. It didn’t mean cutting off exchange with other races.
The limits of self-sufficiency were clear, so the elves maintained close cooperative relationships with various species within the forest.
“This village is where gnomes live.”
The elf guide, assigned as an escort, pointed to the map and explained. He had extensive outside-world experience and was a glib character.
“Most of the pottery used in the forest is their work.”
“King Nikolai gave a gift of blue porcelain. Is that also a gnome’s work?”
“Yes. Like dwarves, they’re a race blessed by the earth, but their orientation differs. Dwarves are skilled at using various tools to break, carve, and block nature. Gnomes, on the other hand, always work with their bare hands.”
Gnomes’ attitude toward the forest closely resembled the elves’, and they complemented each other’s deficiencies nicely.
“This is the dryads’ base.”
Valda’s ears perked up at this.
“It’s quite distant not only from the capital but from the other villages as well.”
“The environment they prefer differs from ours. Moreover, they are no longer members of our society.”
The First Era dryads had been friends and allies of the elves, but that was a contract with the royal house. When the royal house fell, the dryads returned to a neutral stance.
“Hasn’t the current usurper family tried to restore relations? Dryads possess many unique abilities that would be of great help in Great Forest life.”
“There have been many attempts, but none at all. They only return the answer, ‘The thread of the contract has been severed.'”
The dryad collective did not recognize Ostir’s family as the royal house.
“Now that’s a loyal bunch, wouldn’t you say?”
“Trees are stubborn.”
Valda murmured softly.
Other residents included centauresses. Unlike the massive centaurs who created storms with their bulk, these were smaller than ponies – closer to large deer.
Though their combat ability on flat terrain was inferior, their guerrilla warfare in forests like this made even elves lose their tongues. Unlike centaurs, their society was matriarchal.
“And that over there is Camp Whiskey.”
The elf guide pointed ahead instead of at the map. Even from a distance, the fortress village had a severe atmosphere. Its outer wall was made of stone.
“How were those stones stacked?”
It wasn’t small bricks laid neatly, but watermelon-sized stones and even larger boulders piled on top of each other.
“Because it’s a druid village. Those who could transform into bulls pulled carts, and those who could become bears or owlbears stacked the boulders. Passed down through generations, this massive outer wall was created.”
“Only a druid village could achieve such construction. With that level of defense, it could serve as everyone’s shield.”
“The earth that acts as adhesive to bind the stones is the gnomes’ work. Many in this forest are grateful to the druids.”
Eugene kept the army on standby to avoid creating unnecessary anxiety. He and Valda alone approached the village under a white flag.
“Halt! Identify yourselves!”
Druids armed with slings, staff slings, and javelin launchers shouted. Though tactically they held overwhelming advantage, they were instead cowed.
None were ordinary warriors – they were half-casters who carried the forest’s power within them. They sensed the intense arcane emanating from the approaching man and woman.
Both Eugene and Valda were great mages, and moreover wore various artifacts obtained throughout their journey.
Grrrr-!
The druids, who could transform into aquatic beastkin, flinched at Might’s growl.
Just as fierce beasts could gauge an opponent’s rank through urine scent, roars, and so on, they instinctively sensed that the warhorse carrying the enormous knight was a higher beast than themselves.
Their pride wasn’t wounded by the fact that humans were inferior to beasts. Druids who had abandoned human law for the forest’s law saw themselves simply as members of the ecosystem.
“I am Eugene Mair Peamore. King of Britannia, and husband of Valda Philiamor, the last of the First Era royal house.”
The elf royal house traditionally bestowed two types of surnames. Philiamor for the woman who would rule the royal house, Peamore for the man who would protect it.
Having reigned as king, Eugene now affixed the second surname as proof of continuing the elf royal house’s legitimacy.
-The weaker house should come as the middle name, and the stronger house last. I’ve already received so much from you, but this isn’t right. Your family name should come last to shine its honor.
Eugene was not a matrilocal husband. Valda was grateful for her husband’s intention but strongly opposed it, though Eugene wouldn’t budge.
-Once these things are decided, they’re hard to change. Considering the halo our descendants will enjoy, this is the way to go.
-But what about your feelings?
Valda knew well the pride nobles felt toward their family. She herself had been like that.
-Mixing emotions with work isn’t my way.
-Oh…
Valda was moved by her husband’s love for their unborn child.
-Where else in the world could someone make such a choice?
-There’s no one better suited to the title of Protector than Your Majesty.
The retainers also couldn’t help but marvel.
For Eugene, the name Mair was merely a rank printed on his business card, but others had no way of knowing that.
“I’ve come to honor the dying wish of this village’s druid, Kasey. She entrusted the village’s well-being to me, and I accepted it in accordance with a knight’s pride and the duty of a Peamore.”
The baritone voice pierced the druids’ ears. They intuited that Eugene was speaking the truth.
“I wish to speak with the chief. Is that possible?”
When Valda stepped forward and spoke, the taut leather bindings loosened one by one.
“…Is that person truly…”
Philiamor.
In this forest, no one could dare show hostility to one bearing that surname.
“The chief has taken the warriors to subjugate the orc invaders! He said the gnomes’ village was in danger!”
The guard captain shouted as he opened the heavy gate.
*
“Demons that crawled up from hell. Rot back into the darkness where you belong.”
The druid chief spoke. Before him stood hundreds of green-skinned cannibals.
“Orc warriors don’t listen to the words of beasts made from commoners.”
The orc warrior captain spoke. All were well-armed and so robust they weighed dozens of kilograms more than ordinary orcs. They were a different breed from desert orcs.
But their grotesquely twisted appearances remained. As if someone had sculpted a human face from beeswax and then plunged it into a bonfire.
“Would you dare understand a life united with nature?”
“Those who’ve consorted with beasts are lower than beasts themselves.”
A young druid shouted in anger, but the orc captain responded calmly.
“Those with no confidence in their own muscles borrow beast muscles instead.”
“Kahahaha!”
The orc warriors laughed in agreement. Surprisingly, they were articulate. The difference from ordinary orcs wasn’t just physical ability.
They possessed higher intelligence and the pride of warriors. Unusually for monsters, they were a group that pursued training.
“One final warning. Come no closer, or we will attack.”
The orc warriors, snorting and advancing, received the druid chief’s raised fist.
“Every moment living in this forest is already an attack.”
The orc captain threw his axe. Spinning with tremendous force, the axe flew straight for the druid chief’s face.
Crack!
And it shattered against a paw the size of a human head.
Grrrr-!
The druid chief, transformed into a white lion aquatic beastkin, threatened with terrifying claws raised.
Groo-!
Grrrr-!
The druids waiting behind also transformed into their respective beast forms.
“I’ll make wine from your corpses.”
“Time to eat, friends!”
Not a single orc warrior was afraid. All roared and charged with weapons raised.
*
The elf guide returned to the original village, and a druid took over as new guide. They knew the local terrain well.
“By any chance, is there a snow leopard beastkin clan in the village?”
“Your Majesty. Various beastkin live in our village, but no snow leopards.”
“Truly a rare breed.”
He had asked just in case, but as expected. Snow leopard beastkin were few in number and lived in cold regions, making them hard to find in civilized areas.
“I’ve heard there’s a white-tailed beastkin tribe in the northern part of the Great Forest.”
“How far is it from here?”
“I don’t know the exact distance. I’ve only heard it’s a forest that’s winter all year round, frozen white from root to tip.”
“How do they even live in a place like that?”
“I’ve heard their lifestyle is the opposite of druids. Instead of transforming when needed, they always live in beast form.”
“They wouldn’t be able to farm there. Relying one hundred percent on hunting can’t be easy?”
“It’s a harsh place, but there are large deer, and near the sea, seals are plentiful. Even if the competing predator is just bears, it might be better once you overcome the cold.”
Though initially looking disappointed, Eugene’s interest grew as the story progressed. Homi, oddly, wore an indifferent expression.
“Hey. This concerns you too. Why not listen more carefully?”
“There’s nothing there I need.”
In that instant, Homi’s nose twitched. She had caught a scent that interested her more than the possible kin in the distant north.
“A battle?”
Even from just looking at Homi’s nose, Eugene immediately caught on.
“From here, it’s potentially hostile territory. I won’t forgive individual actions swayed by vanity. Hermann! Lead the infantry and follow while maintaining a guard! Knights, coordinate with them! I’ll go ahead and assess the situation.”
Eugene took Hind and some retainers and galloped forward.
“Indeed, the Shadow Legion’s warhorses.”
“To think they can run like light cavalry even in full armor.”
The knights watched the departing riders with envious eyes.
The Mightbred Chargers captured from the Shadow Legion during Roman’s civil war. Eugene’s knights had been gifted them.
“Aren’t we going to be late again?”
“No dwarves or dark elves, and they said we’d operate independently – we were happy, but in reality…”
“Quiet and follow orders. Whether there’s a battle or not, the infantry must always follow for the knights to display their full power.”
Hermann cut off the Lantzheim hundred captains’ complaints. As he said, cavalry absolutely needed infantry support.
Because they couldn’t remain mounted throughout an operation. They had to release the horses here and there, taking continuous breaks for meals and maintenance.
And those were the moments when cavalry became more vulnerable than infantry. Historically, most battles where infantry ambushed cavalry and won large victories were of this type.
Hurriedly gathering warhorses, catching panicked fleeing horses, rushing to repair damaged saddles, putting on horse armor, reinserting lost horseshoes, and only then forming ranks.
During this time, if infantry charged, being crushed in a state worse than militia was inevitable.
If a cavalry commander’s virtue was bravery, a cavalry commander’s virtue was suspicion – the saying didn’t come from nowhere. Especially here, where ambush was possible from all sides in the forest.
“Already a fight in progress?”
“It seems to be the druids.”
Eugene and the knights, following Homi at the front, also caught the distant sounds of battle.
“Awooooo!”
“Grraaah!”
“Rooooaaarr!”
There weren’t many sounds of weapons clashing, but a mixture of various beast roars came through. It was characteristic of a battlefield where druid units had joined.
‘Good thing we left right away.’
A bloody battle was unfolding between the druids guarding the forest path and the orc warriors trying to break through.
“Create a breach! If we break through at one point, we can tear into those beasts’ flanks!”
The orc warriors were far more numerous, but they couldn’t fully utilize that numerical advantage. The druids had seized the defensible chokepoint first, dragging the fight into a war of attrition.
Individual combat power exceeded that of humans, but orc warriors couldn’t compare to aquatic beastkin who had unleashed their wildness.
Crunch!
A fire bear’s slap tore off an orc’s jaw.
“Grraaah!”
“Kuek!”
The fire bear’s other hand, roaring, smashed into another orc’s face.
The massive impact sent the orc’s eyes popping out and its neck bone snapping, yet its motor energy didn’t diminish. Its head spun about three times like a pretzel.
Crash!
The bear pressed its palms together, and the mystery of thunder exploded. Though lacking physical destructive power, the fierce explosion itself disrupted the enemy’s attack flow.
“My earsssss!”
The orc warriors at the forefront, hit directly by the sonic blast, clutched their ears in agony.
The bear beastkin plunged both hands under their lower bodies and sent them flying backward. The screaming orcs were shredded by countless claws and kicks.
“Awooooooo!”
Those transformed into wolf beastkin repeatedly charged in and out of formation, disrupting the enemy omnidirectionally.
They lacked the bear’s strength, but compensated with speed, and their insufficient attack power was supplemented by human intelligence. All wore claws with three blades on each hand.
“Those mosquito-like creatures! If you’re warriors, fight honorably! Stop pestering us!”
“Grue! Watch the left!”
An orc warrior cursing the wolf beastkin let his guard down for a moment. He had underestimated the enemy who only annoyingly harassed without attempting any real strikes.
“What? Left?”
Thud!
“Kuahk!”
The price was death.
The wolf beastkin, closing the distance in an instant on all fours, drove its claw blade into the orc’s instep.
The orc swung his sword reflexively, but it cleaved only air. The wolf beastkin had pressed its body flat against the ground.
“Ow! Kyahaaak!”
The wolf beastkin dragged the orc along, then hurled it aside and pounced from above.
“Groo!”
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Three blades alternated crossing six times. What had been an orc warrior was transformed into a lump of meat without even time to resist.
“Eljin! Fall back! The wound is too deep!”
A gorilla-transformed druid shouted.
Those who could maintain speech during aquatic beastkin transformation served as battlefield observers and commanders. Of course, they didn’t just move their mouths – they fought in their own way too.
“Rock rolling!”
A gorilla beastkin holding a massive boulder hurled it with all its strength. Anatomically, it couldn’t take a stable throwing stance like a human, but its raw power was so great it compensated for every other weakness.
Thud! Thud! Whack!
The throw was so powerful it hit three orcs before losing its destructive force. An orc with a shattered head, an orc with a dislocated shoulder, and an orc with broken ribs rolled on the ground.
Of course, the orc warriors weren’t just taking it.
“Shoot! Shoot! Hunt the beasts!”
Crude but powerful crossbows twanged. The sound of bolts piercing flesh and the druids’ screams echoed.
“Send in the troll!”
The orc warrior captain raised his fist.
“A troll?!”
“A troll?!”
The druids’ confusion was soon buried by the fierce roar that followed.
“It’s an underground troll!”
“They tamed that?!”
Behind the orc warriors, an underground troll burst forth on an iron chain leash.
A species far older than the trolls currently inhabiting the Old Continent. Due to the trait of petrifying in sunlight, it lived only underground as its name suggested.
It lacked a troll’s regeneration, but its strength and toughness were even greater, making it a monster that dwarf miners despised.
The underground troll, excited by the heat of battle, let out a joyous roar. It charged, swinging a club thick as a grown man’s body with both hands.
“Keh!”
“Kuahk!”
Two orc warriors were reduced to pulp in the process, but neither the underground troll nor the orc captain cared.
“Uwaaah!”
A moment later, the screams belonged to the enemy. The beastkin fought bravely, but they couldn’t match it. The underground troll was as powerful as all the original beasts they borrowed strength from combined.
“Everyone fall back! Hengi! Throw the beehives!”
The druid chief pulled back his warriors and used his reserved weapon.
“Time to earn back the food you’ve been eating!”
“Taste some venom!”
Two beehives sailed through the air. One missed, but the other struck the underground troll’s chest.
And the terrifying fury of wings was activated.
“■■■. ■■.”
“■■■■.”
Druids who maintained human form chanted taming spells with hand seals.
Specializing in support rather than direct combat, they could direct the wasps’ aggression away from their allies.
“Owww!”
“Despicable creatures!”
The orc warriors went berserk, but the underground troll took little damage. Its skin was too tough for the wasps’ stingers to penetrate.
“Keep targeting its eyes!”
But the druid chief knew that too. Blocking the underground troll’s vision and halting its attacks was valuable in itself.
The problem was that the orcs also had a shaman.
“Kuaaah!”
Killing an orc on the spot, extracting its heart, the shaman chanted a spell to disrupt the enemy’s magic.
Like war and mercenary work, magic also had no limit to the power that could be wielded once morality was abandoned. He alone was enough to handle multiple druids.
Buzz! Buzz!
The wasps seemed momentarily confused by the conflicting commands. And that alone was enough for the underground troll – the attacks targeting its eyes stopped.
Groo-?
But the druids couldn’t be punished.
“Follow me!”
“Crush the filthy orcs!”
“We are the sword that protects the innocent.”
A group of knights appeared, charging from the rear.
“Who are those?!”
“Righteous knights! Fall back!”
“There’s an underground troll here!”
Veterans among the confused druids shouted. Rescue was welcome, but their number was barely ten.
Dudududu!
But as they drew closer, it became clear this was no ordinary knightly order. The warhorses were much larger than ordinary horses, and though horse and rider alike were wrapped in armor, they moved swift as arrows.
A synchronized charge with ten leveled lances toppled the rear orcs like dominoes. When the lances broke, the knights drew their primary weapons and swung them.
“Maintain wedge formation! Henri! Stay close!”
At its forefront was Eugene, swinging his great axe. Before the explosive slaughter that burst like black lightning, the orc warriors’ formation was swept away like rotten straw.
“Don’t stop! Keep the charge momentum!”
Eugene created a breach at the front, and the knights tore it wider. Simple but with guaranteed overwhelming destructive power, there was no more beautiful tactic – both in effect and aesthetics.
“Your Majesty! A troll ahead!”
The underground troll turned as if the druids were beneath its notice. Tapping its club against its palm, it prepared to swing at Eugene.
“Pull left! Turn the horses!”
Naturally, Eugene had no intention of fighting at a disadvantage surrounded by orcs.
Crack!
Crunch!
Splinter!
It took hardly any time for Eugene’s knights to sweep through the orcs’ rear, pierce their flank, and break through.
“Uuugh.”
“Waek!”
But what remained after the overwhelming charge were orc warriors beaten, slashed, trampled, and reduced to pulp. Their numbers appeared to exceed sixty.
“This is insane…”
The orc captain was dumbfounded by this absurd situation.
But even he couldn’t afford to be dazed. There was a being covertly approaching, exploiting the sudden chaos.
A white lion wrapped in foliage for camouflage. The druid chief was leaping toward the orc captain.
“Rooooaaarr!”
The last thing the orc captain saw was a hook-shaped claw lunging at him.