Chapter 257

Chapter 257

***

Going to the site of a forest fire mmade one think whether they have come to the boundary of hell. The blood-red flamelight and thick acrid smoke make one instantly lose their sense of direction.

Don't know whether to call it fortunate, but the fierce battleground of the elves and orcs already looked like a site swept once by a forest fire.

Corpses and debris burned pitch-black were laid out all over, and the densely packed forest seemed to have been abruptly blown wide open. The burning smell went without saying.

Nevertheless heat still remained. Lingering embers also remained here and there looking ready to flare up at any time.

Riding a horse of a color as dark as pitch-black ash, Hushike looked around the burned site. Then taking a deep breath of the air that still had hot energy remaining, she put her palm in front of her mouth and exhaled slowly.

"Huu......"

Holding the horse reins Rickart wondered what she was doing, but the ground covered in thick ash was seen heaving a very little bit. Scraping *jikjik* with his foot a green sprout was sticking its head out *ppaekom*.

"Did Hushike do that?"

"No. It rose by itself. I merely called it."

Depending on how one looks at it it's a truly amazing ability, but Rickart just thought 'I guess so'. Though magic was amazing to see in reality there wasn't much to be greatly surprised about.

Anyway where should they go now? Although a wide area had burned, whichever direction they went there was a forest at the end. One side would definitely have elves, and the opposite side would have orcs, but it couldn't be known where to go.

So Rickart merely walked slowly holding the horse reins in a place where only ash remained. Thinking something would catch his eye if he did this.

Sure enough not long after a gaze was felt from the forest on the left. Turning his head although not visible to the naked eye, a certainty arose that he was definitely being watched from somewhere in those bushes.

If it were orcs they would have blatantly revealed their figures and stared, but seeing it secretive and delicate made him think it would be elves. So holding the horse reins he walked towards that side. Footprints were stamped every time he stepped on the pitch-black ash.

Finally reaching the place where the forest began, two elves revealed their figures. It's not that their beauty faded, but due to battle their attire and appearance were messy.

"Human?"

The male elf with his hair tied back said. Fine hairs were sticking out here and there. Judging by his expression, it felt like he was somewhat dumbfounded.

"Correct. I am a human. I was hired as a champion by the high elves. They said if I lead the war to victory I will be officially invited to the kingdom."

Then elves revealed their figures from here and there, blinking their eyes. Setting aside believing it or not they just seemed a bit dumbfounded.

Whether they did or not, Rickart intended to focus on the job he decided to did for now.

"Who is the commander? What is the troop level and what are the numbers of the orcs? Where is the garrison and how is the war situation?"

Rickart asked to grasp the rough situation. However the elves only continued blinking their eyes, just staring blankly was all.

Then one asked the comrade next to him.

"What is he saying......?"

It seemed they couldn't understand the words. Rickart thought it was strange, but since he believed all armies have discipline and commanders, he searched for a commander first of all.

"Who is the person commanding you folks? I would need the commander's approval to be officially incorporated into the unit first of all right."

They were commonsense words. But that common sense was common sense by human standards. The elves seemed to have absolutely no idea what he was saying, and at least the male elf who first spoke to Rickart stepped forward.

His nose was very straight and sharp as if measured with a ruler. The size was also close to perfect, and so when he looked back at his surrounding comrades his side profile left an impression of looking exceptionally handsome.

He looked at Rickart again and said.

"I don't really know what you are saying but, if the high elves hired you they must have hired you. Warriors form groups of at least three to at most five or six people. What we were ordered by the high elves is to keep guard. You decide for yourself which warrior group you will join."

"......What did you say? Are you saying there is no commander commanding the entire force? No operational plans or such either? Like annihilating the enemy, or repelling them."

"What is that? Why should we do that? We were born as warriors, raised as warriors, and are fated to die as warriors. If we receive an order we merely carry it out, nothing else is needed."

Rickart was so dumbfounded he clicked his tongue inwardly. But the fortunate point was that the orcs didn't particularly have a system either. And although elves have no organizational system as a group, individual abilities were on the very outstanding side.

Considering that a few veteran rangers can even block an army if they utilize the topographical characteristics of a forest, having this many elves with abilities superior to that was a sufficiently strong fighting force.

Nevertheless, Rickart couldn't help but feel it somewhat lacking. He thought 'so it's at this level'.

Rickart sighed softly and said to the male elf who spoke to him.

"What is your name?"

"Elline. Elline Elmwood."

"I am Ricky. This is Hushike. I want to join your team."

"Do so."

There was no need to deliberately did an initiation ceremony or such. Looking at it one way it was cool and looking at it another way it was sloppy.

Just, since it wasn't a world complicated and dotted with lies like the human world perhaps unnecessary formalities themselves were unneeded.

When Rickart and Hushike's places were decided the other elves scattered as if having lost interest.

As Rickart saw it, the elves all seemed composed and indifferent. Not that he particularly wanted attention of course though.

And since the current Rickart was stopped at the time when he returned from war and slaughtered all the village people, this indifferent and distancing environment rather approached comfortably. It was a truly fascinating thing.

Following Elline there was a small campsite where travelers might stay. Fascinatingly there were no traces of a fire built and baggage necessary for living, fruits, dried meat, those things were all.

And there was one comrade. A male elf like Elline, but he looked somewhat young.

"What, it's a human?"

Maintaining arrows he looked at Rickart and said with his eyes wide open. Then Elline introduced instead.

"Says the high elves hired him as a champion. Name is Ricky. The one riding the horse is Hushike."

Whether because a champion being hired, and a different race being hired at that, was an uncommon occurrence, the boy elf had a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

"Nice to meet you."

Rickart greeted briefly.

"Hello. I am called Edex Codebern. Let's get along well."

Perhaps because Edex was still young, unlike the composed adults he was a bit more expressive with emotions.

"What is the black friend's name?"

"Black Cloud."

"Eek. Isn't that naming it too thoughtlessly?"

"......?"

"How about X-rumo? It means dark clouds. Calling him X would be exactly perfect."

Rickart thought 'what's with this kid' and looked back at Elline, but he was merely just sitting in his seat chewing *jilgeong-jilgeong* on dried meat.

Rickart tried to force a change of topic. He looked at Elline and asked. But this time too the answer was given by Edex.

"By the way did the other comrade go out to scout? You said you form groups of at least three people."

"Salah died during the first fight, and Meliad died during the previous fight. I watched him get torn to shreds and eaten right before my eyes."

"......Are you saying you two continue to fight without replenishing personnel?"

"If we all die or fail to function properly new warriors will take the place right. It's still doable so far."

Whether it's positive, or detached about death. When conversing with elves, while feeling there's no big difference from humans sense of heterogeneity would pop up from time to time.

Rickart thought he should adapt to the current situation first of all. So he roughly took a seat and sat down, and Hushike also got off the horse and sat beside Rickart.

As if captivated Edex seemed interested in the Black Cloud. He didn't seem to separately have skills for handling horses, but treated the horse like an equal personality.

Unlike the military Rickart experienced there was absolutely nothing telling one to did this or that, and Elline and Edex each just did their own tasks.

Maintaining weapons like bows and swords, sewing torn clothes, looking around the surroundings occasionally, eating, drinking, and resting that was all.

Rickart also subtly followed Elline around, and observed how the surrounding elves acted. In the midst of that Hushike started talking with Edex and they got along like friends. On the outside they were a boy and girl of the same age group.

Was this really a battlefield? Rickart was somewhat confused. Because it was too different from what I know, what I experienced. He even had the thought that it was just livable.

But it was definitely a battlefield alright, as an orc's roar began to be heard from the forest on the opposite side of the burned area.

Kuwooooo!

It was a very thick and loud shout, as much as the roar of a fierce beast like a lion or tiger.

And after the roar was heard the first time, it began to be heard intermittently continuously, and gradually its frequency became frequent. It could be known without deliberately seeing with eyes that an attack was imminent.

"Hushike, if the situation becomes urgent ride the horse and run back. Got it?"

"Yeah."

Wearing his armor and donning his war surcoat, Rickart wore his sword and went out to the forest boundary. Then far away, beyond the place full of ash orcs were seen revealing their figures.

At first they began to be seen one by two, then soon began to densely pack the visibly seen area. It couldn't be known how many were behind that, but estimating at least it looked to be thousands.

The roaring sound of orcs continued to be heard. It was a massive tremendous roar. Enough that the ground truly shook *dudeudeu*. Then, the roaring stopped when a certain orc stepped forward. It looked like the leader at a glance.

Wearing a helmet and armor made of crudely patched together iron plates and such, it had leather, skulls, bones and such plastered all over like ornaments. And an ignorant double-edged axe was held in its hand. The molars jutting out from bottom to top looked almost as long as elephant tusks.

That leader orc inhaled deeply. And let out a roar even to the point of trembling its whole body.

Kuwooooo!

The sound being incredibly loud went without saying, and a slightly hoarse tone was its feature.

Anyway, the attack began. Thousands of orcs began to rapidly charge with those massive bodies.

At the front they were holding something like torches. Looking like they intended to set fires with that, it couldn't be more simple and ignorant. Anyway it seemed they just intended to push through and trample wildly and set fires.

The orcs only had one single tactic. That was immediately attacking exclusively.

When the orcs began charging all at once the thick trees of the forest trembled, and pinecones fell *ususu*. However not a single elf was frightened and they were calm.

They drew their bowstrings and waited until they came to a certain distance, then accurately aimed and shot at the accurate timing. Not shooting by forming a barrage like a human army, but all were aimed shots.

*Tung! Tududududung! Tung! Tung!*

Arrows stretched straight out drawing low parabolas. It was quite a long distance. And accurately, with almost no missing, lodged between the eyebrows or vitals.

Orcs charging in the front collapsed, and feet getting caught on them caused them to tumble down *wareureu*. Nevertheless the orcs were exclusively one-sided on attacking even while trampling their kin.

The barrage of arrows continued a few more times, and every time hundreds of orcs collapsed *ureureu*. A truly formidable shooting ability, but it couldn't stop the orcs' barbaric offensive.

The orcs who endured the deadly barrage of arrows finally began surging into the forest like a wave. In front of Rickart an orc holding a torch with glaring eyes clashed head-on with full force.

Rickart drew his sword like a spark and struck its neck in a single breath, and rather passed by that orc. And then swung his sword in all directions.

But he couldn't block the entirety, and the ferocious green wave covered the forest. Thumping *kungkung* and cracking *wajjikkeun* sounds echoed throughout the whole forest.

The elves swiftly fell back like an ebb tide and continued the fight. No system, but amazingly organic. With this level of organic movement it even looked like there was no deliberate need for organization like humans.

Anyway Rickart focused only on cleaving the water current, in the middle of the massive and heavy wave. But unable to handle all the attacks wildly crashing with bodies, he quickly fell back when there was a brief gap.

With nothing but orcs all around front, back, left, and right it was at the point of losing direction if careless, but most orcs weren't holding weapons. They looked like they would just tear everything apart if caught in their hands.

Cutting down what to cut down, passing by what to pass by Rickart dashed to the campsite for now. Fortunately Hushike seemed to have evacuated, and Elline and Edex were not seen either.

In the midst of that a sight was seen nearby of an elf getting torn apart alive without even being able to scream whether caught by chance. The orcs ate it on the spot.

Uheuheu, uheuheuheu! Uakhahahahahaha!

Sense of achievement? Sense of conquest? Appetite? Didn't know what it was but the orcs burst into manic laughter with their unique thick voices.

Rickart decided to fall back for now just to grasp what aspect the first battle flowed in.

The elves didn't just run away, but faultlessly fought well even while falling back. Since each and every one was inherently an expert marksman, they continuously aimed at the orcs accurately and that could weaken the offensive.

Multiple elves would rush at an orc staggering from exhaustion and instantly saw its whole body. Getting the body torn or sawed taking apart was the same either way. Therefore, there were no intact corpses in the fight between elves and orcs.

In the midst of that he ran into Elline who he almost failed to recognize being covered in blood all over his face.

"Elline!"

"Ricky? You were alive."

Elline answered wiping his face. He showed no signs of being glad or surprised either.

"What about Hushike and Edex?"

"I saw Hushike riding away on a horse but I didn't see Edex."

"Didn't they go together?"

"I don't know?"

It was then. Edex's shout was heard from somewhat far away, from above.

"Elline!"

Rickart jerked *hwik* his head and looked. Edex was evacuating his body up in a tree, but orcs were gathered *ugeul-ugeul* below it. The problem was that increasingly more orcs were flocking there.

Seeing that Elline said coldly.

"It's over. Ricky you should evacuate yourself at least."

Rickart's eyes widened for a moment and he looked back at him. What was with this bastard. How can he be this heartless? Weren't they comrades? Ddid that mean there's absolutely no personal intimacy or such?

To speak accurately it wasn't being cold-hearted. Isn't there no method? Elline merely thought so. So it was ambiguous to even get angry seeing Elline's expression seemingly asking why.

"I am not."

"What?"

"I am not an elf like you folks."

"I know."

"No. You don't know."

"What do you mean?"

"I do not give up."

Saying that, Rickart ran towards the side where Edex was holding only a single sword.

Elline merely stood blankly and watched. Other elves also watched wondering what that was doing. Rickart's back retreating that was.

Soon, golden flames flared up along the blade. That was not a simple spark but the manifestation of a fiercely blazing soul.