Never touch Eldmia Egga - Episode 334
Winters are harsh in the fortress city of Kelvast, which faces the steppe..
Since it was adjacent to the steppe, the territory of the fire dragon, the temperature was not harsh. Rather, it is probably the most cozy of the five western kingdoms. The reason why Kelvast's winters were considered harsh was purely because of the orcs who went crazy in winter..
The way orcs spend the year is extremely simple. They fight fiercely among themselves, but when their forces unite, they target human cities. The reason why the offensive was launched in winter, when humans would be reluctant to even be active, was for a very orcish reason..
Because food spoils slowly. A truly absurd reason to fight more and longer..
The kingdoms, which had been troubled for hundreds of years due to a policy of action that had a negative impact on the health of everyone's hair in the Western Kingdom, eventually built a great wall and gathered materials from all kingdoms to build a city to maintain the border against monsters. reached.
The neutral fortress city of Kelvast. A sacrosanct and inviolable territory that all kingdoms not only never touch, but actively support, even if they stab each other in the back. And he was given a status no different from that of a margrave and guaranteed to act autonomously..
In other words, I found someone to shave my head for me..
“Why are these things so quiet?...?”
And the 'honorable' Margrave of Kelvast, who had to fulfill his duties as a lord in a place that boasted a long tradition, was unable to sleep at night and was tearing out his hair again today. His tone and actions did not show his dignity or manners as an aristocrat, but the butler who was silently standing by his side did not impose any restrictions, and the governor of Kelvast did not care either..
That was of no use in maintaining Kelvast, which was right in front of the steppe that could be called a demon cave. What he needed was adventurers who went out to the prairie to hunt profitable monsters and return, troops who could protect the city, and funds and food to support them..
If it weren't for the orcs, he might have reigned as the absolute power of Kelvast, where astronomical amounts of money come and go every year, and enjoyed wealth for generations to come, but his only drawback cancels out all the advantages. He had to repair the walls as if it were an annual event every year, had to pay for the casualties, and yet again prepare for the next year. In the treadmill of daily life, the only blessing he received was strong hair roots..
To be honest, there were many times I prayed to God to keep the orcs quiet for at least a year. Even if you do that, the number of new things you can try with Kelvast's funds increases exponentially. But now that something like this is happening, I'm so anxious that I can't sleep..
Originally, it was thought that this year there would be a terrible offensive unprecedented in history. Because an insane orc appeared who merged most of the orcs within a few decades..
Warchief Kakula.
By the time I fully recognized the threat posed by the presence of the bastard born in that grassland, the water had already been spilled. Even after a short reconnaissance, Orc outposts could be seen sparsely, and the adventurers returned with more Orc heads than demon beasts. While they were left unattended, they went on a rampage as soon as winter began, and it didn't take long for everyone to get nervous that an invasion was imminent..
But suddenly it became quiet. Exactly two weeks ago.
At first, I thought that the fire dragon had woken up from its sleep and set the grassland on fire to kill time, but even the regular scouting party was unable to determine the cause. In the end, Margrave Kelvast attempted a more full-scale reconnaissance, and the only information he heard was shocking..
First there were reports that the number of orcs had decreased, a week later there were reports of orcs being found running away in fear, and this week, there were strange reports from smugglers that orcs were hiding in fear of a demon that had appeared in the plains. I heard.
Yeah, damn smugglers. I wasn't unaware of the fact that traitors to humanity, who personally proved that they would sell weapons to monsters if they could make money, were actually engaging in smuggling with nearby orcs, but I felt a sense of disappointment when I was exposed to it so directly..
It was profitable for the orcs to accumulate a lot of unnecessary goods obtained through hunting and then trade with them for high-quality weapons and food, and for the smugglers, they were able to make huge profits by obtaining by-products that exceeded the supplies they provided. Of course, to Margrave Kelvast, they are all just criminals who should be hanged. In fact, the Margrave was well aware that even the leaking of this information by those parasite-like things was a rip-off designed to give the orcs some breathing room by identifying the cause..
Still, I was angry at the reality that I couldn't ignore that story. A prairie devil? It was originally a term used by the Western Kingdoms to refer to orcs..
The green devil of the prairie, orc..
But those guys run away crying out for the devil? From the orcs' point of view, there is Warchief Kakula, who can be called a hero, and thousands of troops under him.?
Even if something went wrong, it was clear that something was wrong, so even though the reconnaissance team was operated in three shifts to obtain more certain information, it was not easy to obtain it. Recently, however, there have been reports that a mass murder was discovered in a more central orc village. And that was more chilling information than useful..
The place they marked on the map was where Kakula's tribe had recently settled down. The fact that it was devastated meant that something was happening in the plains..
It was a situation where there was absolutely nothing to know, but a knock rang in the office of Margrave Kelvast, who was sorting through and reviewing numerous parchments in hopes of finding a clue..
“Come in.”
What was seen through the quickly opened door upon brief acceptance was not a servant, but a guard breathing heavily. At the same time, his heart sank. Could it be that the Orcs' attack has finally begun? Even the always calm butler took a deep breath when the guard spoke..
“Rice, meet the Margrave! Currently, an adventurer claiming to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Itisel has appeared at the gate, so I would like to report this urgently.!”
However, Margrave Kelvast could not help but tilt his head at the unexpected report..
“Why are you reporting that... in such a hurry??”
The reason he did not scold his subordinates, asking if he should even worry about even an adventurer anymore, was because he was a person of character and lived as a member of the family that maintained and protected Kelvast, and trusted his subjects and subordinates..
“Well, it didn't come from the east, it came from the west...”
West. prairie.
There was no reason for a report like this to come up again in a place where dozens of adventurers came and went every day. As expected, the guard who came in hastily reported important information without the Margrave of Kelvast urging him to do so..
“...He didn't have a pass.”
Even that was not cool.
“...How can an adventurer without a pass come from the west??”
Are you now voluntarily revealing to me that you were negligent in immigration control? If that were the case, I wouldn't have shown such an embarrassed attitude..
“Upon confirmation, it turned out that he was not an adventurer residing in the city! Bo, according to his claim, he was caught up in the gate opened by the orcs....”
Seeing the guard reporting in such a serious and rigid manner, Margrave Kelvast was seriously wondering whether he should be angry or take his words seriously. Instead of asking a question, he thought back to what he had just heard, and eventually asked.
"The orcs opened the gate?"
"Yeah, yep!"
"Did you just believe and report what I said? It feels more credible to say that there is a hole in border security.."
"I'm sorry! Not only was it too detailed to be dismissed as a madman, but the weapon he was holding was..."
Why the weapon? For some reason, the more we talked, the more my doubts began to increase instead of being resolved..
"Was there something wrong with the weapon? Do you have a magic sword??"
"Oh no."
"So, since it is a magic sword with such a great enchantment that it can cut down anything that is taken, is it a threat just to possess it??"
"That too..."
"Then what?..."
Just when I was about to get angry and wonder why he was reacting so procrastinated, the butler, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat..
Only then did Margrave Kelvast realize that the stress he had been under from the orcs was on the verge of being relieved by the faithful guards who rushed to do their duty, and he sighed briefly with belated regret..
"...Phew, sorry. I was a bit sensitive. I had no intention of questioning you. Okay, so what was the problem??"
When he asked the question with his expression as relaxed as possible, the guard gave the correct answer only after slightly looking at the butler's gaze..
"He was holding Warchief Kakula's axe.."
Margrave Kelvast once again had to believe his ears..
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