Chapter: 244
The kingdom of Greenskins soon escalated into a major issue.
An army of goblins pillaging the surrounding areas and obliterating territories through reckless hunting.
A horde of devils devouring anything edible they can find.
If such creatures are left to rampage as they please, the king of that land wouldn’t be worthy of being called a king.
And the Knight King was a person certainly worthy of the title.
“Is the goblin horde acting strangely…?”
Thanks to the immortal crown he wore, the Knight King maintained a youthful appearance despite advancing in age, and he asked the courtier who had brought him the news.
“Yes. According to the cavalryman who went on reconnaissance, their numbers are ridiculous.”
“Just goblins, right? How can that be?”
“There are countless goblins and hobgoblins, and there are also a significant number of monsters called orcs. And… there were even monsters they could only observe from a distance.”
“Monsters?”
“Yes. According to the cavalryman, there’s a huge, starving Drake strong enough to be repelled.”
“A Drake?”
The Knight King’s face hardened. What exactly is a Drake? Isn’t it just a wingless dragon?
While it may not possess the overwhelming power of a dragon, its physical strength and hard scales are undeniable.
The fact that monsters capable of repelling such Drakes are moving alongside goblins is concerning.
“Reconnaissance results show that several villages have already vanished, and even the cities ruled by nearby lords have become ruins, with no survivors left. It seems that proper information hasn’t been coming in for a while.”
At those words, the Knight King sighed deeply and covered his face with his hands. It was news too grim to bear with open eyes.
“Which areas have been affected?”
“The Semer region in the southern plains.”
“Semer? That’s an important place that affects trade not only with Procyon but also with the Lizardmen.”
“Yes. It’s a wealthy region thanks to its substantial tax revenue.”
The Knight King paused for a moment to ponder, then spoke again.
“If I remember correctly, that region had considerable military strength due to its wealth and was often in conflict with neighboring lords. If such a region has collapsed without any noise… it’s truly alarming.”
“Are you calling for the army?”
“Yes. Assemble as many troops as possible. And request aid from other races.”
“Other races? Isn’t that a bit overkill?”
The Knight King shook his head in response to his courtier’s words.
“It’s better to deal with this situation as if it’s a more significant crisis than it seems. The Semer situation will serve as an excellent warning to those who underestimate goblins.”
“A warning…?”
“Exactly.”
The Knight King spoke with a firm expression.
“To be honest, until I heard you talk, I thought goblins were nothing special. They’re just monsters with the strength of a child, so why were they being warned against by the Church of Life? But hearing the news you brought… I can understand now why the Church has continued to issue warnings.”
While the individual strength of goblins might not be impressive, if their numbers continue to grow and evolve to the point where they can take on Drakes, that changes everything.
“But we did not heed the warnings of the Church of Life. If the consequence of that is we face a powerful monster, we must engrave that warning into history with our blood.”
“Your Majesty…”
“And that isn’t just our issue.”
The Knight King spoke in a low voice.
“Other races must also remember this warning.”
“So that’s why you want reinforcements from other races?”
“Exactly. How long the warning our generation etches in blood lasts is uncertain, but if they’re a long-lived race, especially elves who live for a thousand years, they should be able to preserve that warning for a considerable time. If their warning carries on for long enough, the blood we spilled will have been worth it. If their army comes, that’s great, but even if just one messenger arrives to relay this warning, that’s good as well.”
At those words, the courtier nodded, agreeing with the king’s intention that the warning about goblins needs to be engraved in everyone’s minds for a long time.
“Send word to the elves and dwarves, as well as to the Vistia and Ratkinia, Lizardmen, and Procyon. The issues arising from neglecting the goblins and the green-skinned monsters must reach all.”
“Understood. However, the trade route to Procyon and for the Lizardmen runs through the Semer region, so communication may be difficult.”
“We should ask the Church of Life for assistance. They have been warning us about goblins consistently, so they will certainly offer help. And if we have pilgrims from the Church of Life, they’ll know a way to traverse the Southern Plains without going through Semer. And with the potential for many casualties in the conflict with the goblins, having priests lend their hands would be great.”
“Yes. I will also make a request to the Church of Life.”
Thus, news about the infinitely stronger goblins spread quickly.
———
“What on earth is happening?”
“Hmm. Minister.”
Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha gazed in awe at the armies lined up on the plain.
The grand army of Romania. And leading them was the Knight King Lucius Altrius Caesar.
Loyal knights following him, and elite soldiers ready to risk their lives in battle.
The number exceeded 9,000, even if only counting those armed. Combining those supporting the soldiers, the total exceeded 12,000.
But they weren’t the only ones.
Two hundred priests from the Church of Life came to offer their support. People of faith ready to heal the wounded.
One hundred mages from Procyon. Capable of wielding magic and casting flames, they joined the fight on the condition of receiving magic stones from goblins and orcs.
And the two thousand-strong multi-racial coalition army of Bistria.
Five thousand troops from the Ratkinia Shield Corps.
One hundred elf hunters and two hundred dwarf new weapon testing teams.
“New weapon testing team?”
“They have a mobile forge and laboratory, along with experts testing new inventions. They should be reliable.”
Sagarmatha gave a content smile.
“And their numbers are impressive too. More than the elves.”
“Ugh… I thought around 100 would be sufficient….”
Yggdrasil and Sagarmatha engaging in a curious rivalry. The children are rivals, not you.
No, perhaps the rivalry of children was infecting the adults as well.
Anyway, next to the dwarven reinforcements…
“The Creator Dragon has spoken!!! Among those monsters, there will indeed be warriors just as strong as our Lizardmen!”
“Wooooo!!!!”
“The Creator Dragon commands!! Burn all those mushroom-like critters!!! Show them what true strength is!!!”
“Waaaa!!!”
Excited faces among one hundred lizardmen, yelling enthusiastically.
“Mom. Did he really say that?”
“No… I just mentioned that those orcs are strong, if not on par with the Lizardmen… Greenskins are weak to fire…”
“Yeah. Overinterpretation.”
I could only sigh at Sagarmatha’s remark.
Lizardmen… I honestly don’t know. It’s nice that they follow me around, but sometimes it feels a bit overwhelming.
“It’s a battle we cannot lose simply based on troop numbers.”
“Yeah. In war, numbers matter.”
The sight of soldiers gathered across the vast plain was truly magnificent. There had never been such a grand assembly in any previous war.
But the biggest problem still loomed ahead.
“That giant over there is an ogre, right? It’s definitely an unusual creature.”
An ogre sitting arrogantly atop a hastily piled rock throne.
That ogre will play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the war.
But.
“Don’t worry; I’ve made adequate preparations for that monster.”
I raised the small glass orb I was holding.
Inside the bead, smaller than a fist, was a knight of black rock.
“How does that huge Talos fit into something so small… What on earth did you create?”
“I just made it for fun.”
I had initially wanted to make it a red and white ball, but that felt a bit too much!
In the first place, no one would comprehend that anyway.
“But Talos, who was on vacation, took it up eagerly.”
“I told him I’d extend his vacation for that much.”
Who would turn down an opportunity to extend their holidays with just a bit of effort? Is there any golem who would refuse that?
“If the ogre makes a move, I’ll dispatch Talos immediately, so ensure the others won’t get involved in the fight.”
“Won’t humans be more dangerous?”
“I have already communicated with the humans through the priests of the Church of Life.”
One of the best ways to show the ogre’s strength is for them to see, hear, and experience the battle firsthand.
Especially since the foe is a black rock giant straight out of mythology.
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