Chapter 120
Chapter 120 – Intense Battle (10)
“My, my arm! My arm…!”
“Hey, you bastard! Tur! Get up!”
Though we were victorious, it didn’t erase all the sacrifices. Once the excitement that had flared up so easily had faded, all that remained was the horror on the battlefield.
This was true for every battlefield. The veterans found it unpleasant, but it was a sight they were used to.
‘This isn’t war.’
But that was a sentiment only applicable to the Arin Tribe veterans. Rihar, the royal mage with actual combat experience, was standing there helplessly, staring at the horrific battlefield like others with less experience.
The soldier who hadn’t looked kindly upon him, yet had protected him solely for the sake of their mission in a crisis, now lay in pieces before Rihar. His eyes trembled violently before the lifeless body of that soldier, cruelly severed by the attack of a newly emerged variant.
This was the first time he experienced a group battle against Bugs. Even when battling thieves or suppressing rebels, or following Luke into war against the Tribe of the Grassland, he had never felt such emotions.
It felt less like war and more like fighting against a massive natural disaster.
The problem was, this wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last.
“No, this can’t be happening!”
“R-Rihar!”
Clenching his teeth, Rihar abruptly stood up and started to run. His startled companion mages tried to grab him but failed.
Rihar ran straight to where Riena was, joining Commander Rakum.
Without giving them a moment to react, Rihar fell to his knees before them.
“What’s going on?”
Rakum flinched at the sight of him. It was clear that something was terribly wrong in Rihar’s eyes, making it look like he had gone insane after experiencing a dreadful war.
“Please, I must report what is happening here to the kingdom!”
Rihar pleaded with them to let him go and report these horrifying events. He didn’t care about the ongoing confusion over the Empire’s expansion, the unification of the Grassland, or the policies of containment; none of that mattered.
What mattered now was stopping the Bugs from spilling out. He insisted that everyone needed to unite their strength immediately for that purpose.
“No, not so suddenly…”
“I understand what you’re saying. But will your king really believe you? Will he trust what you’ve seen and heard here? Even those living in the Grassland right now have no idea what kind of monsters we are fighting against.”
While Rakum scratched his head, Riena quietly spoke up. Rihar flinched at her words but shook his head.
“It doesn’t matter whether he believes it or not. We must inform them to at least raise their awareness. Only then will they reconsider any unnecessary actions.”
Rihar firmly believed in that. Thinking from the perspective that they must stop the Bugs at all costs, he was as determined as any other Arin Tribe member.
He was convinced that the Bugs’ growth signified the end of the world.
“What should we do?”
“This man is a prisoner. I can’t decide on my own.”
Rakum sneakily glanced at Riena, but she responded firmly. If they were to release Rihar, it would definitely lead to political issues.
That was a decision for Balun, the Chieftain, not for her as a warrior.
“That’s not impossible.”
And soon, that news reached Balun.
“It’s fortunate we held them off without significant damage, but we’re not at a point where we can let our guard down.”
“That’s right. Defending alone is meaningless. We need to strike at their nest.”
Balun, along with Kun, the representative of the miners who had joined him for cooperative missions, pondered after receiving Riena’s message.
Rihar’s plea held truth. If the southern kingdom heard this news and decided to aid them, the Arin Tribe would definitely get significant support in the fight against the Bugs.
“But we are too small compared to the Southern Kingdom.”
What worried Balun was that if this fact got out, their meager size would make them vulnerable to outside forces.
Even though he had become a Chieftain with thousands of tribe members under him, it was still at the level of a mere city in the Southern Kingdom. The disparity between the existing powers learned through Rihar’s group and the Arin Tribe was still enormous.
“Wouldn’t there be a problem if we only cooperated with eradicating the Black Monsters?”
“Our duty is not only to stop the Black Monsters but also to uphold the will of the Guardian Deity. Those who overwhelmed us with numbers might take the Guardian Deity away from us.”
“R-right!”
Kun jumped in shock at Balun’s words. To them, the Guardian Deity was truly a sacred existence that could not be done without. Their willingness to fight against the Bugs came from the blessings of the Guardian Deity.
Thus, what the Arin Tribe had to protect first was none other than the Guardian Deity they believed in and followed.
“Then, is it impossible to ally with them?”
“Maybe not. If we could become a grand tribe or even a kingdom that wouldn’t falter against them… it might work.”
Balun’s eyes sparkled with a grin. What he was looking at was this vast expanse of land.
This land, where the tribes of the Grassland lived scattered, was by no means small. In terms of mere area, it might even rival the Southern Kingdom.
Beyond the regions they thought were the end, broader plains unfolded, and hidden for many years were the dwarves, a different race.
‘This land is sufficient.’
Thus, Balun had let go of his greed for land. People were not a big problem either. The tribes of the Grassland would rapidly increase in population if they subdued their neighboring territories, and no one in the area could resist the Arin Tribe right now.
The newborn children, whose survival rates were low, didn’t even die of illness. Thanks to the aid of the Guardian Deity, who had sacrificed their points.
“We have greatly increased in size by absorbing the defeated Garhan’s tribe. But Kun, doesn’t that make you a bit uneasy? What if more enemies come charging in next time, stronger than before?”
“Of course, I’m uneasy. Chieftain, you’re not thinking of…”
“How could we inform outsiders about the Black Monsters when we can’t even unite the will of this Grassland? Those who look down on us as barbarians?”
Balun sought war, or rather, growth by any means necessary. It was common in the Grassland for a tribe to conquer another and gain wealth and people.
“It won’t be easy. Our allies have to stay vigilant of the North as well.”
“We haven’t absorbed all of Garhan’s forces yet, but if we can absorb them too, we might see a little hope. And regardless, we need permission from that individual for such actions.”
Although he took a step back for now, Balun’s thoughts did not change. The next morning, right in the battlefield where those who once followed Garhan were massacred by Luke’s soldiers, Balun turned his gaze to the sky and began to make his desires more openly known.
Whether to wage larger wars or engage in exchanges, he wanted to expand their influence.
As a result, he stayed up all night, knowing that no external entity could miss his intentions.
*
‘Does Balun want expansion too?’
Whether I was ready or not, the time for choice was approaching.
Learning of Balun’s concerns, I sighed.
It might be obvious, but Balun desired expansion. Perhaps he had a greater vision than mine as a leader who had seen and thought much.
That’s why I didn’t oppose him. After all, the most important thing was that the residents could see things I couldn’t.
‘Rihar can be sent.’
I also didn’t want to oppose Rihar’s dispatch, which had been delayed for a moment. If they had an ally in fighting the monsters, it would be better, and more importantly, Rihar had now earned a green border completely.
He had transformed himself into a trustworthy individual in my heart.
If I let him go, it was obvious that Rihar would do everything in his power to explain and prove the reality we were facing.
“We need to attack too. It’s busy.”
Not stopping there, I also needed to build defenses against the Bugs that had just attacked us while assembling troops from the Northern Fortress.
Thinking about this made the need for expansion continually arise in my mind.
My heart had already tilted to one side for quite some time. There was ample potential for growth, so we needed to take proactive steps.
– I also think expansion is the right thing to do.
“Is that so?”
– I believe it’s an advantage that expanding in such a manner is easy.
Just to be sure, I asked Lee So-Yeon for her opinion. Without hesitation, she stated that we should project more power outwardly.
The residents she was nurturing began as those in a small village. She told me that they were actively moving for expansion, even engaging in territorial battles.
‘Alright. If I have to bear it, I will bear it.’
It didn’t take me long to make a solid decision.
I was planning to instruct the residents to push outwards and bring in more land and people.
“–, —!”
Moreover, it wasn’t that difficult a task. After all, the world wasn’t going to leave us alone.
As I was watching them recover from the damages of war and reorganizing, urgent news flew in from the western territories where Balun was.
A large military force was once again moving toward the east where we were located.
“I see them, I see them.”
I could see the enemies who stepped into the area we had breached. Among them was a large man clad in shiny armor and a tiger pelt, who looked extraordinary.
That name was Chieftain Luke.
“—!”
Naturally, the residents were on high alert. Although the distance to the slowly approaching foes was still far, especially the area where the immigrant introductions were not yet complete was feeling the pressure.
‘If they come first, there’s no reason to retreat.’
Luke was the central victor supported by the Southern Kingdom. If we defeated him, we could naturally take control of the center.
“Ah, it’s about time to start making some multis.”
Seeing the people bustle and move to seek refuge in the village, I shook my head.
In this situation, with tens of thousands crammed into a village, it had already reached the level of a city. Furthermore, instead of just accepting more people, I thought it wiser to create another base city that could extend into the Grassland once things stabilized.
Although the entire Grassland hadn’t fully come under our control, this was feasible because I had amassed a significant amount of magic power from the recent war.
Thus, I could utilize this to plaster new defensive towers over a new region.
“–…”
As I began to build defense towers, Balun’s expression changed. He immediately grasped my intentions and halted the residents’ relocation efforts.
Instead, Balun mobilized miners and transporters to start constructing a new village and fortress in the area that had been designated as a stronghold.
