Chapter 33: (1)
When the sky darkened and night fell, Kaiyan and the support unit, including the 7th Special Unit, boarded the carriage and set off toward the Panielun Grand Canyon.
There was no provision of horses for the soldiers, so they naturally assumed they would walk, but it turned out to be unexpected. While it wasn’t for individual use, they would need quite a few horses to transport this many people.
“It’s really surprising. They provided carriages.”
If Panielun was a place where archers were in high demand, the Gami-an Plain was a place where horses were greatly needed.
It seemed that the assault of the central knights was necessary to shake the monsters, and in order to make a powerful assault, horses were essential. But to use horses just to transport soldiers…
“Heh heh, that’s because the battle in Panielun is urgent.”
“…I see, sir.”
‘Why is he here? It’s uncomfortable.’
Sitting across from him, the old knight had a bright smile on his face.
He had come to their carriage just before departure.
Even if it was a carriage, the one he rode and the one the soldiers rode were of different grades, so Kaiyan didn’t understand why he chose to board this uncomfortable carriage.
“Is that the bow you received from Tarien?”
The old knight spoke, looking at the bow Kaiyan was fiddling with.
“Ah, yes. I received a good one.”
“Heh heh, it’s a very good bow. If I recall correctly… it was something he received as a twelfth birthday gift.”
“…He received something too good.”
When the 7th Special Unit gathered together to depart for Panielun, Tarien asked Kaiyan what he wanted.
It was about the reward he promised when they caught the Orc Lord. So Kaiyan asked Tarien for a bow to use in Panielun.
He considered buying a bow from the player shop, but it would be suspicious to suddenly start carrying a bow he didn’t have before, so he asked Tarien.
Thanks to that, he was able to get such a good bow.
‘I did ask for a bow… but to give me a bow as a gift.’
Roughly speaking, it was said to be a high-quality bow made from Minotaur horns, but Kaiyan wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. What was certain was that the elasticity of the string was excellent, and it looked very impressive externally.
It was different from the bows used by ordinary soldiers. The base of the bow was black and thin white lines were embroidered on top, creating a beautiful appearance.
“But can you actually shoot with the bow?” asked the old knight.
“Yes, I learned a little from my father when I was young. I’m not a good shooter, but I know the basics.”
In response to the old knight’s question, Kaiyan lied perfectly.
When he thought of his deceased father, tears welled up in his eyes, but it was inevitable to say that he knew how to use it to some extent rather than saying it was his first time using a bow, as it would be better for the future.
‘I don’t even know archery skills.’
“I’m looking forward to seeing how well you can use the bow, like your swordsmanship.”
“…It’s better not to expect too much. I’m not confident because it’s been a long time since I used a bow.”
The old knight looked at him with a pleased expression.
It was quite burdensome. After the Orc Lord incident, Kaiyan did have some familial sentiments for the old knight, but the fact was that he was still wary of the “I like you” look in his eyes.
“Cough…! Sir, I have something I’m curious about. May I ask?”
“Heh heh, sure. What are you curious about?”
The old knight smiled as if saying he could ask anything.
This is definitely an advantage of being friendly with a knight. As a knight, he has more information than an ordinary soldier.
“Why are the soldiers from the Gami-an Plain going to the Grand Canyon for support? From what I know, infantry doesn’t provide much help in the canyon.”
Kaiyan had doubts when he saw the composition of the support unit.
For capturing aerial monsters, archers were needed.
However, the support unit was entirely composed of infantry. Why on earth would infantry be needed in Panielun?
“Hmm… that.”
The old knight, who seemed to have important information, hesitated.
“Well, it’s okay to tell you now. That’s what it is.”
‘What could it be?’
“A Harpy Queen has appeared in Panielun.”
“Harpy Queen…?”
Thud.
Before Kaiyan could express his doubts about the old knight’s words, Uncle Max, who had been lying down, suddenly stood up and opened his mouth with a surprised expression.
“…Yes? The Harpy Queen? Is that true?”
“Heh heh, it is. It seems you know about the Harpy Queen. Except for the soldiers living in Panielun, it’s a story that they don’t know well.”
“Ah, yes. I saw that creature in the Panielun Grand Canyon when I participated in the monster wave regular army ten years ago.”
“Oh! Then you know how dangerous that creature is. That’s why we’re going to support in Panielun.”
‘But I don’t know. Can someone explain…’
Perhaps due to his desperation, Uncle Max opened his mouth.
“That creature… is a clever one to the point of using tactics against humans. I remember having a lot of trouble with it in the past.”
“That’s right. It’s smarter than a person. Because of that creature, the Panielun Allied Unit suffered considerable damage.”
Monsters using tactics.
The biggest reason humans could overwhelm monsters in the Gaminian Plain was tactics.
Simple and unintelligent monsters couldn’t properly respond to even simple tactics. But it seemed that the monster called Harpy Queen used tactics like humans.
“Heh heh! Is that… Is the Harpy Queen such a special monster? Monsters using tactics…”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Kaiyan asked the old knight.
He was quite curious about the monster that was said to use tactics.
“Well, yes. Um… think of it as similar to the Orc Lord. It’s also a named monster. The difference is that while the Orc Lord, excluding the presence of shamans, isn’t particularly challenging, the problem with Harpy Queen is that she directly controls the harpies.”
‘Indeed, finding the Orc Lord was difficult, but capturing him wasn’t…’
The Orc Lord is an ignorant brute who knows nothing about commanding.
All he knows is how to blindly order the orcs under him to charge.
“Sir, I heard that harpies are considered small monsters. But is it particularly dangerous because Harpy Queen controls them? Or is it because she’s difficult to find like the Orc Lord?”
It didn’t make much sense to Kaiyan. The fact that the alliance was falling behind just because small monsters used tactics, when they hadn’t received any shaman’s spells, bothered him.
“Heh heh, it is dangerous. But it’s not difficult to find. Harpy Queen is usually larger than ordinary harpies, so you can tell just by looking at her.”
“Then why…?”
“You’re forgetting something. Do you think small monsters are physically weaker than ordinary people?”
“Ah!”
His ignorance stemmed from his lack of experience.
Even goblins considered the weakest among small monsters, had combat power that surpasses that of an ordinary adult male. So what about harpies, which are said to be stronger than goblins?
‘If those creatures use the tactics that the army uses…’
Two reasons allowed the alliance to overwhelm the monster legion: tactics and weapons.
But among them, the advantage of tactics disappears when facing monsters with stronger physical abilities in one-on-one combat.
“Heh heh, now do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand that. But there’s still one thing I don’t understand.”
“What is it?”
“Why on earth do we need to go?”
Hello New Translator Here, Otaku_Hyung!Hope you’re enjoying my new novels!Please consider rating this novel on NovelNexts to help it reach more people!Your comments makes the hard work on this novel worth it, I’m eager to read them.