NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: (3)
“…I’ve heard about them by chance. But why are shamans dangerous? We have many wizards on our side, don’t we?”
Although Kaiyan had never actually seen a shaman, Uncle Jeff had told him that they weren’t particularly formidable.
‘Uncle said that shamanism is a lower form of magic…’
He heard that they always lose in battles against wizards. If that’s the case, the combat wizards in the alliance should be more than capable of dealing with them. He couldn’t understand why they were considered dangerous.
“Hehe, if it’s just subduing an orc tribe, it doesn’t matter how many shamans there are. We can easily wipe them out in an instant.”
“…Is that so? But why…”
“But in a monster wave, it’s different. Unlike magic, shamans can cast their spells without expending much power, regardless of the numbers.”
“What does that mean?”
“If it were a legion of tens of thousands of orcs instead of just an orc tribe, they would display considerable power. Take a look.”
Calming his surprised mind, Kaiyan looked in the direction the old knight was pointing, and he saw that the orc legion and the central army were clashing right now.
“…Huh?”
However, the situation took an unexpected turn.
Contrary to what he had anticipated, that the orcs would be swiftly dealt with, the central army was struggling and unable to gain the upper hand, just as the old knight had said.
“Why?”
Even if they were bolstered by the power of shamanism, orcs were merely small-sized monsters.
It was astonishing to see the central army, which had overwhelmed even large-sized monsters, being pushed back by orcs.
“Hmm, it’s dangerous. We suffered heavy losses while facing the Basilisk yesterday. If we take any more damage… we might have to retreat to the secondary position.”
As Kaiyan observed the situation, he realized that the number of soldiers in the central army had significantly decreased due to the battle the previous day.
If the main army had any ideas, they would naturally have requested reinforcements. But the problem was that the monster wave was not happening only in one place.
‘It takes at least a week for soldiers to march from the central army training camp to here…’
From his recollection, it took a minimum of one week to walk from there to here.
That meant the current soldiers had to somehow hold back the monster wave for at least a week.
‘…We have to stop it here, no matter what.’
There was a method to retreat as the knight suggested, but that was an option to be avoided at all costs.
If the secondary position referred to the area behind the Louis Plains, there were several villages where people lived.
If the alliance forces retreated, their villages would be destroyed by the monsters, and many people would die, just like what happened to his village.
‘…I can’t let that happen.’
“Sir Knight, is there any way we can help the central army?”
With a heartfelt sentiment, Kaiyan asked the old knight, hoping for an answer.
“Well… one way is to continue hunting monsters as we’ve been doing.”
“….”
This wasn’t a helpful solution at the moment.
No matter how hard the 7th Special Unit hunted monsters, their actual impact on the battlefield was less than one percent.
“And… capturing the Orc Lord. However, the Orc Lord is deeply hidden among the orcs. Finding it is truly a difficult task.”
“Ah! What if the elite units come forward? With them, wouldn’t it be possible to locate and hunt down the Orc Lord and the shamans?”
With a half-expectant tone, Kaiyan asked the old knight.
The alliance still had cards left— the elite units. If they stepped in, it could potentially turn the situation around.
“Hehe, they would be a great help, but they can’t be deployed.”
However, the words that came out of the old knight’s mouth were negative.
“Why would you say that? Even now, soldiers are dying.”
His emotions flared up, and without realizing it, Kaiyan interrogated the old knight.
It was truly frustrating. The central army was suffering significant losses as the enemy slowly broke through the ranks, yet those who could resolve the situation were unable to intervene.
“First, calm down.”
Rather than getting angry, the old knight patted Kaiyan’s shoulder, speaking in a gentle voice.
“They are literally participating in the war to hunt down giant-sized monsters. If they were to find and capture the Orc Lord, and then the giant-sized monsters appeared while they were exhausted, what do you think would happen?”
“…Giant-sized monsters.”
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes…”
After hearing the old knight’s kind explanation, Kaiyan realized that he had been hasty.
‘The elite units were created to hunt down giant-sized monsters.’
Even though the central army was currently suffering from orc attacks, it was nothing compared to the damage they had suffered briefly against the Basilisk.
But if they exerted themselves hunting down the Orc Lord and depleted their strength, what would happen when the giant-sized monsters appeared…
‘Then the central army would truly be annihilated.’
“I’m sorry… I just wanted to help…”
“No, I understand your intentions. But at the moment, there’s no way we can help them unless we know the location of the Orc Lord.”
The old knight’s words sparked a momentary realization in Kaiyan.
‘The location of the Orc Lord…’
Conversely, if they knew only the location of the Orc Lord, they could assist the central army.
“Sir Knight! Just for a moment… Could you please watch over me? I know it’s an unreasonable request… but please.”
“Hmm? I don’t know what it is, but alright.”
“Thank you!”
The old knight readily granted Kaiyan’s unreasonable request.
It was a strange request to ask a knight to guard a mere soldier on the battlefield. But at the moment, Kaiyan desperately needed the assistance of the old knight.
‘Shop Window!’
Quietly, he called forth the all-purpose treasure chest-like shop.
…If it was the shop, he should find something that could help!