Chapter 129

Chapter 129 - Omen (3)

The aftermath of the curse shattering spread to the people nearby.

While Eugene and Marbas were completely unfazed due to their strong resistance against otherworldly auras, the situation was different for the others.

"Keugh!"

"Hiiik!"

Even the mercenaries who possessed enough camaraderie and courage to protest against a knight leading forces numbering in the hundreds felt goosebumps all over their bodies.

While living as mercenaries, they prided themselves on having experienced every flavor of coldness, such as chilling, freezing, and biting cold, but this was a sensation they felt for the first time.

The feeling of ice shards mixing into the blood vessels, cooling the blood and flowing through the body.

Homi's tail fur stood perfectly straight and bristled in all directions like a chestnut bur, resembling a startled cat.

'...'

'...'

Despite the situation, Eugene's subordinates regained their composure a second early at that lovely sight.

"Calm down... I had absolutely no intention of harming him... It was to dispel the curse tormenting this person."

The two mercenaries could not refute Eugene's explanation. Because they knew his words were true, having just experienced it with their own bodies.

Above all, their comrade's complexion visibly improved. Even though he had been suffering as if coiled and squeezed by an invisible python a moment ago.

"W-were you a priest?"

"Idiot... We would have noticed immediately if he were a priest."

There wasn't a single religious symbol commonly worn by ascetics on Eugene's body.

Furthermore, whether they were armed priests or holy knights, similar kinds tended to flock together. The composition of the unit Eugene led looked far removed from faith no matter how one looked at it.

"There is no need to necessarily become an ascetic to carry out the will of God... of the Goddess... If I temper my soul and faith, she will use me as she sees fit."

Eugene tightly clenched the hand that ripped out the curse. Given he was a knight, his large hand wearing a gauntlet sparkled receiving the sunlight.

Coupled with the recent incident, it truly looked like a glorious hand that received God's blessing to the ignorant mercenaries.

"Ooh!"

"You said Goddess? What is her name...?"

Because it was a world where multiple faiths coexisted, there wasn't just one Goddess.

"Vanas... In an incredibly barbaric past, she was the first to birth and spread tolerance... Any forgiveness or consideration you have enjoyed at least once in your lives originated from her."

"Vanas."

"The Goddess of Tolerance."

The two mercenaries mumbled seriously.

To ordinary people, the love of God spoken by massive religious orders felt far away. However, witnessing a miracle(?) right before their eyes, even non-believers like them couldn't help but feel awe.

Moreover, tolerance. To mercenaries who lived with their lives as collateral, it was a much more appealing domain than gods who spoke of honor, crafts, or bountiful harvests.

Who knows? If they ever suffered an unfortunate defeat and were captured as prisoners, they might be released through the grace of the Goddess.

"When did you become a believer?"

Marbas whispered quietly.

"Just now... I couldn't think of an appropriate excuse... And explaining everything about myself to them individually would be awkward."

"...Is it okay to choose a faith so carelessly?"

"Let's just say we formed a short-term contract... It's good for me since I can make an excuse, and it's good for Goddess Vanas since she can make her existence known."

"That is a mindset this old man absolutely cannot follow."

"Before being a god, she is a tenant... There is no need to be that terrified."

Even if she was a faded god, to have such an unhesitating attitude!

'Do you have to be at that level to maintain your sanity even after seeing the abyss of another dimension?'

Marbas could only express admiration beyond bewilderment.

* * *

Eugene's subordinates took a brief rest in the village and procured supplies.

Since meals during operations were provided for free through logistics, their interests lied in luxury goods and snacks. Because they didn't have to spend on food, they could freely spend money on these things.

"Give me 10 eggs."

Eggs were popular snacks in this era. Especially among the mercenaries working under Eugene who learned the concept of protein, their preference was even higher.

'I must become stronger!'

A good job always attracted many competitors. Now, the mercenaries even began placing food on the extension line of training.

"Just give me 200 credits."

"That's quite cheap? Give me a chicken as well."

"That will be 300 credits."

The mercenary, who expected an exorbitant price because there were many guests in the village, felt puzzled.

"I plan to leave for the city today or tomorrow."

"Ah!"

It seemed the farmer wanted to dispose of them quickly since they were fragile and difficult to preserve during an evacuation.

"There's no need to be anxious... As long as we are going, whoever the opponent is will be subjugated."

"You are reliable... I will give you one more egg as a service."

Perhaps feeling goodwill toward the mercenary thumping his chest, the farmer smiled faintly. But he didn't seem to have abandoned the thought of leaving.

Meanwhile, Eugene went around asking questions to the severely injured mercenaries. Inasmuch as they were close to the enemies, they would have plenty of information they knew.

"This is not a curse."

Of course, since nothing is free, he had to check the condition of the mercenaries who begged him because they caught a curse.

"Th-there is no way... The wound is small, but my stomach hurts so much... This is definitely a curse!"

The mercenary contorted his face showing a wound about the size of a thumb knuckle on his abdomen.

"Did you eat your meal?"

"Yes... Since we work to eat and live even if we might die trying."

"What did you eat?"

"I ate corn porridge with pieces of dried cod mixed in."

"Homi!"

Nod.

At Eugene's call, Homi approached and lowered her knees in front of the mercenary.

If beauty meant the absence of distortion or twisting, Homi's beauty originated from a purity that lies could not invade.

The mercenary, who had lived smearing plenty of filth on his soul, did not dare look into that pure face.

Sniff sniff.

Homi's nose smelled the wound on the mercenary's stomach. A moment later, with a stiff expression, she shook her head.

"It is definitely not caused by a curse... It is regrettable, but the wound is deep and damaged your intestines... The smell of the food you ate is leaking from inside your stomach."

"...!"

"Oh my!"

The mercenary's face contorted in despair, and his comrade who was nursing him also dropped his head with heavy feelings.

The medical technology of this era was limited to manufacturing medicine and surgery. Internal surgery, especially when the intestines were damaged, could not be touched.

"It is a pity."

He couldn't say he would definitely die, but it couldn't be viewed optimistically either.

Although there were many wounded, only two were afflicted by the curse. The person Eugene saved first, and one whose injuries were so severe it was better to grant a comfortable death.

Investigations confirmed that the Lamia who spread the curses was indeed a champion of an evil god.

"Lord... A Lamia using magic is unprecedented to begin with."

Rex, rich in hunting experience, nodded as if he expected as much. The tribal warriors, who showed signs of tension when they first heard of the curse, regained their composure.

"It is a relief everyone seems to have relaxed."

"We have a champion over here too, so what is there to worry about?"

"A champion? Surely you don't mean me?"

"If both sides receive God's protection, the side stronger as a warrior is bound to win."

Everyone knew that Eugene wielded various mysterious powers going simply beyond being a strong knight.

However, the sight of ripping off and destroying a terrifying curse right before their eyes felt even more special. It instilled faith that he would protect them from calamities that could not be fought with swords and bows.

In certain situations, a single monk provides soldiers with a greater sense of security than ten knights.

'If anything goes wrong, the Lord will save us.'

If they had a means to counter it, it was no longer an existence simply to be feared.

"Everyone prepare to sortie... They say Orcs have descended to the vicinity."

Listening to the stories of the mercenaries and refugees, there were practically no villages left intact on the opposite side.

Because the Lamia champion was encroaching on the territories of other native monsters, three-way and four-way battles were breaking out everywhere.

The mercenaries sprawled here had also been entangled in a chaotic battle where friend and foe were indistinguishable before meeting their misfortune.

* * *

Orcs were beings synonymous with monsters.

Although Goblins were more numerous and their combat prowess was only slightly better than peasant conscripts, there were two elements that made them special.

First was that they possessed the most developed technology among monsters.

The weapons and armors they crafted were heavy and crude, but purely in terms of durability, they did not fall behind human equipment.

Second was the fact that Orcs spoke the common language like humans. Scholars had proposed countless hypotheses regarding this, but no one knew the answer.

Not far from the village where Eugene stopped, there were two packs of Orcs. Since everyone seemed to have experienced a hard time, wounds and dust covered their bodies everywhere.

"Damn it! We are going to stop here!"

A small Orc shouted. It was Maglum, the chief of the Disemboweling tribe living in the forest bordering the desert.

"Didn't you swear we would stand against the Snake Queen together?"

Scone, the captain leading the Desert Orcs, glared at Maglum.

"I thought we would win back then!"

"This is not a fight, but a war... In a fight, the one who runs away first loses, but in a war, the side whose heart stops last loses."

"So you can thrust a sword into that snake bitch's heart?"

Scone glared at the sarcastically talking Maglum. Maglum also didn't back down and glared sharply.

However, due to the difference in weight class between the two, Maglum did not even reach near Scone's neck. Contorting his face in humiliation, Maglum spat out phlegm.

"Continuing to fight like this is suicidal... I'm going back to the forest."

"How long do you think it will take for the Snake Queen to chase to your nest?"

The Lamias of Samur could inhabit both forests and deserts. Since their stronghold was in the desert it would take time, but before long, they would attack the forest as well.

But Maglum merely snorted.

"Orcs don't think about tomorrow... That's something only weaklings do."

"You... and you still call yourself a chief?"

"I'm better than a bastard who turned his subordinates into chunks of meat yesterday and the day before while blabbering about the future."

Grrrrrr-.

A threatening sound leaking through Scone's teeth. It implied he would not tolerate further sarcasm.

At that moment, all the Orcs simultaneously twitched their noses.

"Fishy smell!"

"The snake bitches are coming!"

Everyone grabbed their weapons and yelled fiercely.

By the time they hurriedly formed a formation and prepared for battle, an unpleasant breathing sound started being heard from afar.

Hiiiisss-.

Hssssh-.

A sound of something long and thick sweeping the ground, unlike the footsteps of bipedal walking. It was the sound made by forked tongues slipping out of lips.

* * *

"It is the noise of battle!"

Having finished preparations, Eugene's army set off in pursuit based on the information provided by the defeated mercenaries.

"Since coming here, I've had many occasions to jump in when others are fighting."

"Doesn't that signify that Samur is in turbulent times?"

"We welcome it... Because it is comfortable if there are bastards acting as meat shields in front."

Jumping into two warring groups and aiming for the fisherman's profit is a situation mercenaries love the most.

Especially if it's the tribal warriors who prefer swarm tactics keeping their distance over close combat, that joy doubled.

"Gruuuah!"

"Cursed sand snakes! Even if we die today, we will die chewing on your meat!"

When they got close enough, the roars of Orcs reached their ears. There were two types.

One sounded as if mixed with the heavy yet unrefined cries of beasts. Their intonation was also sharp and clipped, just like a soldier's.

The other was a voice that seemed as if it had passed through vocal cords forged from innate evil and cowardice. Even if combining only good words, it absolutely would not evoke favorable feelings and trust to the listener.

Upon climbing over a hill, a fierce battlefield presented itself. Ordinary Orcs, massive muscular Desert Orcs, and Lamias surrounding them were engaged in a life-or-death struggle.

"Kuuahhh!"

A muscular Desert Orc swung a crudely shaped two-handed sword. With a strong wind pressure, part of the Lamia's snake body split open.

A sharp scream echoed, but it was not a fatal wound enough to kill.

When the Lamia, whose face distorted with hatred, threatened with its claws, the Desert Orc also prepared to counterattack.

However, that was a trap. Having concentrated all its focus on the Lamia's grasp and momentum, it missed the snake tail stealthily moving behind its ankles.

Thwack!

"Uuk?"

The Desert Orc's posture crumbled at the strong strike of the snake tail, and the Lamia pounced on it aiming for that gap.

The Lamia's body was as thick as the Desert Orc's torso, and its length was much longer, so the difference in potential muscle power was large.

Crac-crac-crack!

"Guaaaaah!"

As it was coiled and squeezed tightly in an instant, blood rushed to the yellowish-brown face alongside the sound of breaking bones.

The Desert Orc tried to resist somehow, but the moment the Lamia raised its head and buried its sharp venomous fangs into its neck, everything ended.

A warrior of the desert, fierce as could be, dropped to a single trembling mouse.

"Now that I think about it, this is my first time properly seeing an Orc."

"Huh? Really? You've slain so many monsters, though."

"I somehow never had any connection with them."

Eugene was just as fascinated as Rex was surprised.

"They truly possess a hideous appearance."

"There is a reason they are synonymous with monsters, is there not?"

Orcs possessed an exclusively distorted appearance compared to any monster.

Even just different human races look similar, so naturally it is even harder to distinguish if the races themselves are entirely different.

Just like it is difficult for human eyes to distinguish the faces of wolves, foxes, cows, pigs, and deer right away.

However, Orcs were so distorted that one couldn't even find similarities between family members. Eyes, nose, mouth, body type, oral structure, everything acted independently.

Going beyond ugly, each and every individual looked as if they had undergone radioactive mutation.

Monsters. There was a reason they were recognized as the symbol of heterogeneous beings.

"Prepare for battle!"

Everyone raised their weapons at Eugene's command.

The Orcs' formation was beginning to crumble. It was advantageous to strike the backs of the Lamias while they were still holding out.

"What do we do about the Orcs? Do we sweep away both sides?"

"Focus on taking down the Lamias first... Since they are bastards that speak the human tongue, there should be some information we can get out of them... You may kill them if they resist or get in the way."

Meanwhile, the Orcs facing a desperate situation caught a new scent.

Sniff sniff!

"The smell of flesh!"

"Human flesh!"

The scent Orcs reacted to most sensitively entered their nasal mucosa.

In an ordinary situation they would have cheered drooling, but they lacked that luxury right now fighting Lamias. Above all, there were other scents mixed within the smell of human flesh.

"It's a large army! Knights are here!"

The smells of iron armor and horse sweat were wafting thickly.

Dudududu!

The horse archers deploying to both sides and surrounding the area simultaneously aimed their bows at the sky.

Thwip thwip thwip!

And the sound of releasing bowstrings simultaneously, which was pleasant whenever heard.

The arrows flying while cleaving the sky stuck onto the Lamias' upper bodies and snake torsos.

Along with tearing screams, the Lamias turned around with faces like demons. Thereupon, the reactions of the Orcs split into two.

"Run away!"

The small Orcs began fleeing, thinking this was the moment.

"Die! Cowards!"

"Where are you looking!"

The Desert Orcs splitting the backs of the heads of those small Orcs, and attacking the Lamias who showed them their backs.

"Damn it... This is why I hate Lamias!"

The tribal warriors cursed as they shot their arrows, but over half embedded into the bare ground.

Despite being expert marksmen, the Lamias moving their muscle-dense snake bodies dazzlingly were a bothersome type to hit.

The fact that they were fighting in a sunken terrain, and the fact that the Desert Orcs were holding them down.

Thanks to these two factors, they could minimize their approach and pour down one-sided fire.

The Lamias that crawled up to the outer perimeter were knocked down by rushing knights.

"Th-this bastard?!"

They were so agile they even dodged the knights' spears.

"Leave it to me."

However, there was no evading or anything in front of a flail flying in an irregular trajectory.

Baaang!

Along with the sound of leather bursting, the bundle of maces tore apart the snake body. Flesh and blood splattered explosively, and intestines spilled out next to the bursted snake body.

While its movements dulled, Hind's javelin pierced the Lamia's weak point, its human-shaped chest.

Screaming desperately, the Lamia rolled down the hill just like that.

"What's this?"

Valda, observing the battlefield from the rear, identified a special plant growing wild in this region. That was beggar-ticks (burs).

Although beggar-ticks required autumn to fully bloom, forest magic could hasten the season. Actually, it could grow them even more violently beyond that.

"Right now, this place is full of hosts to spread your seeds."

Valda's complexion paled as she sprayed reagents and chanted a spell. Proportionally, blackish fruits grew rapidly from the ground.

Kiyaaaaah-!

The Lamias crawling on the ground halted all at once screaming.

Countless black fruits clung to their snake bodies. Although not entrapping vines, the pain itself harbored the power to hinder mobility.

Conversely, the horseshoes nailed with iron trampled over the beggar-ticks and ran around without any problem.

'Amazing as always... Regarding assisting an army, could there be a more terrifying mage than this?'

Eugene looked at his close friend with eyes filled with respect and affection.

The creation of a perfect battlefield environment that constrained enemies without hindering allies, unlike thorn vines. It was an application capability that drew admiration as always.

Normally beggar-ticks were fruits the size of fingernails, but those accelerated by magic were larger and sharper than fishhooks.

"Kuaaah!"

When an Orc kicked by a Lamia rolled on the ground, beggar-ticks dug into its entire body.

"Everyone be careful! If you fall off your horse right now, you will end up looking like that!"

That sight cooled the knights' boiling blood. While they wanted to charge valiantly in their hearts, this was the time to keep their distance and check the enemy.

Thwack!

Thump!

Lamias pierced with dozens of arrows began collapsing on all sides.

"Gruuah!"

"Die!"

Desert Orcs continuously struck their axes and swords down onto the Lamias.

Pull.

Since there were no more Lamias to shoot, the tribal warriors also aimed their bowstrings at them.

"Wait."

Eugene raised a fist, stopping the shooting.

"Are we allying with them?"

For a moment, Rex thought of the 'enemy of my enemy' logic and looked at Eugene. Because bizarre alliances did sometimes sprout while fighting a common enemy on battlefields.

"What kind of nonsense is that? Those bastards are Orcs... We're just trying to save some money on arrows."

"Ahaha!"

Around the time the sweating Orcs had eagerly torn apart all the injured Lamias.

"Fire! You only need to keep a few alive to extract information."

Eugene's command to fire fell.

The Desert Orcs looking satisfactorily at the Lamia corpses while breathing heavily. Arrows showered down upon the hideous faces smiling with the heat of victory.