Chapter 320: "Foolish" Orcs
"Aah…!"
"Charge!"
"Go!"
"They can only shoot twice; catch up to them and crush them!"
"Aah…"
"..."
Amid the cacophony of screams, over twenty orcs were instantly cut down.
Even the unlucky ones who weren't killed were trampled into pulp by their charging comrades.
Another volley of arrows rained down.
The orcs hit by the arrows fell to the ground, howling in pain.
Some orcs, even those with arrows lodged in their arms, simply snapped off the shafts and continued to roar as they charged forward.
A swelling fireball surged toward them, and the orcs, unable to dodge in time, were blasted into a chaotic mess with a deafening explosion.
Matthew lowered his staff, signaling the cavalry to retreat quickly.
The soldiers spurred their horses, turning around to flee.
The enraged orcs shouted in fury at such cowardice.
But before they could get within range,
The "fleeing" cavalry reloaded their crossbows.
Pulling the trigger!
A hail of bolts flew out, taking down orc after orc, who roared as they fell.
Yet the orcs gritted their teeth and kept charging, convinced they could catch up with the cavalry.
Occasionally, the cavalry slowed deliberately, as if afraid the orcs might stop chasing.
With this back-and-forth, hundreds of orcs fell along the pursuit route.
Then, to the orcs' frustration, they found themselves right back where they started.
The orc warchief, seeing this, was furious.
With a furious roar, he drove his direwolf mount forward, leading over 3,000 orcs to surround the handful of cavalry.
Matthew made a retreat gesture, casting Haste on his group and leading them to turn and flee.
The orcs surged forward, trying to encircle them from both sides.
Under the constant assault of bolts and fireballs, the orc formation and speed were disrupted, allowing the cavalry to gain distance once more.
Gradually, in their growing rage, the orcs failed to notice.
They had followed the cavalry into a reed-filled marshland.
To their surprise, the cavalry, who had been toying with them, soon disappeared entirely.
Just as the orcs were grumbling in frustration, a faint sense of danger rose in the warchief's mind.
And then, that feeling of danger intensified rapidly.
Without hesitation, the orc warchief roared a command: "Retreat!"
But it was too late. Raging flames surged toward them like a beast.
The dry, autumn-brittle reeds became perfect kindling.
The orcs howled in fury, trying to escape.
But as they stumbled, half-burned, they collided with a real wall of fire.
The alchemical fire surrounding them showed no mercy to flesh and bone!
Aside from a few archers picking off the stragglers, Matthew kept his distance from the foul-smelling area.
He simply gestured to the group to head back toward the orcs' previous battleground.
When they arrived, they found the castle, though heavily damaged, still standing.
Leon rode up and called out to them:
"If you wish to retreat, now's the time to come down and leave with us."
Leon's words caused a stir, and an elderly knight in armor stepped up onto the wall, taking in the sight of the distant smoke and responding in a somber tone:
"It is our duty to defend this land. We cannot leave. Even if we die here, there are successors."
Although he had expected this, Leon couldn't help but feel moved. He nodded before speaking again:
"In that case, perhaps we could make a deal."
The old knight quietly observed Leon approaching, then glanced at Matthew, dressed in his arcanist's robe. Suppressing his excitement, he nodded:
"Let's hear what kind of deal."
Leon produced an Adventurer's Portable Cabin, speaking clearly:
"I imagine you're short on weapons, armor, healing potions, and spell scrolls."
The mention of these items made everyone on the wall brighten, and while the old knight sighed inwardly, he gritted his teeth and called out:
"Indeed, we lack all of those!"
"How much do you have? We're willing to pay double the market price!"
Fearing Leon might be dissatisfied with the offer, the old knight hesitated before adding:
"If that's not enough, we can negotiate further!"
But Leon's response left them all wide-eyed.
"We're from Bay Territory, not merchants. A 20% premium over market price is sufficient."
Bay Territory?
The old knight and those around him exchanged confused looks; they had never heard of Bay Territory.
However, one of the hired adventurers raised his hand, speaking excitedly:
"Do you mean the Bay Territory east of the Misty Swamp?"
Hearing that someone recognized it, the old knight relaxed a bit, knowing he'd owe them a favor, and called out decisively:
"If we survive this crisis, I'll personally visit Bay Territory to express my thanks."
Leon smiled faintly, tossing up the Portable Cabin and saying with a hearty tone:
"No problem; Bay Territory is very welcoming."
"The total value of the supplies here is 15,000 gold coins, but if you pay in books or food, only 10,000 gold coins' worth is needed."
Books and food?
The old knight gave Leon a long look, committing Bay Territory to memory. He immediately had his steward gather supplies, thanking them:
"Understood. Many thanks to Bay Territory for the aid!"
A few minutes later, Leon received his payment and turned to leave.
Just as he was about to disappear from sight, he turned back and called to the old knight:
"Do you remember which nearby castles can still hold off the orc attacks?"
"If you can, let us know. We're very good at taking care of these orcs."
The old knight understood Leon's implication. After a moment's thought, he nodded and said:
"The Hare family to the east has a well-fortified town."
"To the south, there's a castle belonging to a distant relative of the Haller family that should hold out for a while."
With this information, Leon waved to him and headed to the next destination.
Watching them leave, the old knight squinted and opened the Portable Cabin to see many battle supplies inside. He turned to the adventurer and asked:
"Tell me more about this Bay Territory; when did it appear?"
...
"Did you see that?"
"There are quite a few orcs over there."
"Around 3,400 of them—it won't be easy to take them down."
"Then we'll avoid direct combat. We need to use our wits."
"Wits? Are you saying orcs don't have brains?"
"Not quite; they're just… not very clever."
"Got it. I'll go set up the traps."
"…"