Something impressive.
He had more or less finished assessing the situation.
Now the real question was how to deal with the problem standing before him.
The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment.
An ancient, fallen being—and the mutated abominations that worshiped it. He needed to calculate how to handle that troublesome pack of monsters.
'The dragon must be weaker than it was in its prime.'
The Dragon of Heavenly Punishment was a creature from beyond the Rift. Its power had once been so immense that the dark-side priests revered it as an Outer God.
But now—
The dragon that had lost its breath had been stripped of its inner core. Having lost the power of its fiery thunder, it must have fallen to a lower state than when it had been alive.
'…Even so, it won't be an easy opponent.'
The reason Woojin had managed to sever the dragon's neck before was because of the cooperation of the Nine Roses.
The dragon-abomination had been powerful enough to wipe out an entire temple of the dark priests with ease. It even seemed to have acquired new powers and abilities after becoming a monster.
I need more information.
How strong was its body? What abilities did it possess? He needed to determine that in advance if he wanted to hunt it without suffering major losses.
As Woojin mulled over the matter, he suddenly yawned. He hadn't slept properly and was exhausted.
'…I'll finish planning tomorrow.'
The most important thing was managing his condition. He had learned that lesson clearly when he fought the dragon before.
For now, he would finish the sleep he had missed.
With that decision, Woojin closed his eyes. Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.
****
The next day, at noon.
After waking and finishing a simple meal, Woojin went to see the gnoll queen, Krnartash.
"Have you ever seen an abomination that looks like a dragon?"
At the question, Krnartash tilted her head with a bone still clenched in her mouth.
"I've never seen a monster like that."
It didn't seem like she knew anything. Thinking about it, that was only natural. If the gnoll tribe had encountered a dragon-abomination, they would have informed Woojin beforehand.
'Then the only option is to confront it directly and gather information?'
As Woojin crossed his arms in thought, Krnartash crunched down on the bone, swallowed, and asked,
"A dragon-abomination… Why bring that up all of a sudden? You're making me uneasy."
How should he explain this?
If he mentioned the dream, it would likely sound unconvincing. So Woojin gave a vague answer.
"When we stirred up the abominations' territory recently, I think I saw something shaped like that from a distance."
"…That's troublesome."
Krnartash let out a heavy sigh.
She reached toward the table to grab another bone, but as if she had lost her appetite, she shoved the bowl aside instead.
"Guardian. What do you think about increasing our allied forces?"
An unexpected suggestion. This time, it was Woojin's turn to ask.
"An alliance? With whom?"
"With the scaled ones."
Woojin frowned slightly.
"…You mean forming an alliance with the naga?"
The naga—
Beings that looked like a mixture of humans and serpents. They were one of the largest factions in the Demon Realm. In sheer numbers, they even outmatched the gnolls.
An alliance with them would certainly help… but honestly, he didn't like the idea.
"They're the kind who could stab us in the back at any time."
The gnolls valued promises and deals. The naga were the exact opposite.
The naga did not make promises.
They constantly weighed profit and loss, choosing only the option that benefited their tribe the most. To them, betrayal—and being betrayed—was simply natural.
When Woojin spoke with clear reluctance, Krnartash nodded in agreement.
"The scaled ones are hard to trust. I dislike them even more than you do."
The gnolls and the naga had always had a particularly bad relationship. Their dispositions were completely opposite, and their territories were close enough that conflicts had broken out many times.
But the situation wasn't comfortable enough to be picky.
The number of mutated abominations continued to increase, and they still had to deal with the dragon-abomination Woojin mentioned.
"To drive away a major threat, perhaps it's better to join hands—even with someone we dislike. At least the naga can be reasoned with."
"…That's true."
There were tribes far more erratic than the naga—creatures little different from magical beasts. Forming an alliance with such beings would be impossible. Compared to them, cooperating with the naga was likely the best option.
As it happened, there had been progress on that front.
"Gar returned yesterday."
The Great Warrior Gar—the tribe's eternal second-in-command and Krnartash's right hand—had completed his mission and returned.
While Braknark and Ulzog held back the abominations descending from the north, Gar had departed for naga territory to discuss a potential alliance.
This had occurred before Duke Edwin's second expeditionary force invaded gnoll territory. At the time, the gnolls hadn't even known of humanity's existence. To secure allies, they had swallowed their pride and sent an envoy to the naga.
"To be honest, I didn't expect the naga to help us, so I wasn't hopeful… but surprisingly, their response was positive."
If the gnolls handed over thirty percent of the reclaimed territory and more than one hundred inner cores of magical beasts, the naga would dispatch troops to assist in hunting the abominations.
Great Warrior Gar had returned with that answer. Woojin tilted his head slightly.
"…Calling that a positive response seems questionable. Aren't the conditions excessive?"
Magical beast inner cores could be obtained if the gnoll warriors hunted diligently. But surrendering thirty percent of their territory was not an easy demand to accept.
Krnartash replied calmly,
"For a proposal from the scaled ones, it's rather generous. We're the ones in need."
It was rare enough that the naga would even make such an offer. Woojin agreed with that much, but—
"The situation now is different from before. Your tribe has formed an alliance with humanity and gained breathing room."
The Order Federation would assist the gnoll tribe.
There was no need to overextend themselves by allying with the naga—especially when the naga demanded so much without shame and treated betrayal as a habit.
Krnartash looked uncertain.
"I do not underestimate humans… but is their faction truly that powerful? That one called Jaka was so dramatic that I find it hard to believe."
Though the envoys had submitted their reports, Queen Krnartash of the gnolls harbored doubts.
The reason was simple. Humanity's second expeditionary force had been utterly crushed by the gnoll tribe.
'Humans are numerous, yes—but few among them are truly strong. Most are worthless chaff.'
The second expeditionary force had numbered eight thousand.
That overwhelming number had intimidated the gnoll warriors at first. But once battle was joined, the expedition turned out to be weak.
Unless one was a seasoned knight, it was impossible to withstand a gnoll warrior's raw strength. Most of the army consisted of frail soldiers, and they fled like startled sheep at the sight of charging gnolls.
The general opinion among the gnolls was that human military strength was unimpressive.
Woojin did not bother with a long explanation.
"See it with your own eyes."
Reinforcements from the Order Federation will be arriving soon.
****
A few days later.
Just as Woojin had foretold… the army of the Order Federation crossed through the gate. Knights and soldiers clad in silver armor, and even lizard-type magical beasts—tarrasques.
Seeing them, Krnartash let out a small note of admiration.
"Certainly… in sheer numbers alone, they are impressive. More than I expected."
Thousands of soldiers clad head to toe in steel marched in disciplined formation, exuding a kind of pressure unlike anything she had seen before. It was the first time Krnartash had witnessed a human army in person, and she could not help but be impressed.
Standing beside her, Woojin gave a faint smirk.
"That's just the vanguard. The Order Federation's true expeditionary force hasn't even set out yet."
They were not the main army, but merely an advance unit sent to establish a forward base.
Their numbers were not particularly large—only about two thousand. They were an engineering corps, dispatched to fortify positions and secure supply lines.
At that, Krnartash asked again,
"What do you mean by fortify?"
"You'll see."
Rather than explaining endlessly, it would be easier to show her. Woojin answered casually and walked toward the arriving reinforcements.
At the head of the force stood two familiar faces.
"Thank you for coming such a long way, Lady Cecilia, Bishop Brandon."
The woman on the left was Saint Cecilia, her face hidden beneath a veil as always. The middle-aged man on the right was Bishop Brandon.
Within the Order, ranks were generally divided into believer, priest, high priest, bishop, archbishop, and cardinal.
A bishop of the Order of Strife, Brandon had been one of the clergy Woojin frequently conversed with during his time serving as an advisor.
After offering courtesy to Queen Krnartash of the gnolls, Brandon turned to Woojin.
"It has been a while. The Cardinal was quite disappointed that you did not return, Lord Jin."
"Well… my time as an advisor is more or less over. I'd like to live a little more comfortably now."
Woojin brushed it off vaguely and shook the bishop's hand. The position of a cardinal's direct advisor came with wealth and prestige—but also a great deal of hardship.
Working under someone excessively ambitious and capable was no easy task.
"Lord Jin still retains the title of advisor. The Cardinal insisted your name remain in that position."
"..."
How should he respond to that?
Unable to think of a convenient excuse, he quickly changed the subject.
"More importantly… did you bring the items I requested?"
"Of course. We brought five for now. They are rather expensive, so bringing more at once would have drawn attention."
That was more than he had expected.
Satisfied, Woojin nodded repeatedly. Since the topic had come up, it seemed best to install them immediately.
"I'll guide you to the wall."
He led the engineering corps to the northern defensive line. Before long, five massive weapons were mounted atop the wall.
They looked like crossbows enlarged dozens of times over.
They were the Order Federation's ballistae.
Krnartash eyed them skeptically.
"Are these things truly that remarkable?"
"I'll show you."
It would be wasteful to fire them at empty ground. Woojin turned to Roland, who had accompanied them.
"Sir Roland. Play something for us."
"Been a while since I've had some fun."
Roland readily accepted. He rummaged through the pack slung over his back and pulled out a pure white violin.
Standing atop the wall, he tucked the violin beneath his chin. Then the strings cried out.
Ziiiing—!
Roland dragged the bow harshly across the strings. A fierce melody burst forth, intense and unrestrained. As though intoxicated by the sound, the holy knight shook his head like a rock star, performing a wild solo.
It was not a particularly beautiful sight. Roland wore no proper clothes, only a strip of beast hide tied around his waist like the gnolls.
As if she had witnessed something indecent, Cecilia slipped her hand beneath her veil and covered her eyes.
'The effect is good.'
The reaction came immediately. Whether drawn by Roland's violin or provoked by its tone, abominations began howling from the distant forest.
"Grrraah, grrraah—!"
A pack of abominations charged toward the wall. Watching them closely, Woojin gave the order.
"Activate."
The soldiers moved to operate the ballistae.
Kiiiing!
A shrill sound reminiscent of an eagle's cry rang out. At the same time, the large amethysts embedded within the weapons began to glow.
The distance closed rapidly. The abominations were soon within range of the wall.
"Fire."
At Woojin's command, the soldiers pulled the triggers with force.
Thud, thud, thud, boom!
The ballistae unleashed bolts in rapid succession. Massive, spear-like projectiles. With each shot, a new bolt automatically loaded itself, the bowstring drawing taut on its own.
Enchanted repeating ballistae.
They were defensive weapons once installed upon the Wall of Yurgis—arms that ancient humanity had used to halt the southward advance of the Demon Realm.
Now they rained arrows upon today's enemy without pause. The bolts were silver arrows consecrated with holy power. Any abomination struck by their tips screamed as its flesh melted away.
Watching this, Krnartash muttered under her breath,
"…Impressive."
The Federation's weaponry had captured the gnoll queen's interest.
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