Chapter 54: The Crimson Tide and the Shaman’s Omen

The battlefield had fallen into a heavy silence.

The Red Orcs, without a word, made way, as if showing respect to the victor.

They didn’t pursue us as the Gray Orcs and I passed through, merely staring blankly at the corpse of their shaman leader.

With the Gray Orcs in tow, I rode onward.

“Hack… cough…”

Seated atop Nightmare, I let out a series of dry coughs.

Having unleashed a torrent of searing flames, my throat and mouth felt as though they had been burned, a fiery sting coursing through them.

At times, blood mixed with the coughs, a clear sign of internal damage.

On top of that, I had depleted all my mana, leaving my body utterly drained.

Though I desperately needed rest, there was no way to stop—not with the looming threat of another ambush from the Red Orcs.

Sensing my condition, Nightmare slowed its pace.

On the horizon, where the earth met the sky, plumes of black smoke rose endlessly.

In every direction, clouds of soot spiraled upward, swiftly shrouding the clear sky and casting a bleak pall over the land.

This was the true beginning of war.

The black smoke served as a signal, foretelling the chaos yet to come and igniting a vague sense of dread.

I glanced back silently.

The Orcs who had escaped from Kaum City were following me.

Though we couldn’t communicate through words, I could tell they were relying on me.

What should I do?

Returning to Storm Hill was no longer an option.

Ultimately, I resolved to lead the Orcs to Greenfall, the largest city in the region.

It was a destination I would have to pass through eventually if I intended to leave this country, so it wasn’t much of a detour.

As time passed, the ashen clouds overhead blurred the line between day and night.

In this state of perpetual twilight, the Orcs and I had to press forward without rest.

Every settlement we passed bore the scars of the Red Orcs’ rampages.

The remains of cities we encountered were nothing but charred ruins, the air heavy with the stench of burned flesh and death.

Blackened ash and shriveled Orc corpses painted a grim picture of their end.

The sight enraged the surviving Gray Orcs, but there was little they could do at the moment.

They swallowed their emotions, pressing onward toward Greenfall.

A week passed since we departed from Kaum. Along the way, we encountered a few Red Orc patrols.

However, their small numbers—ranging from five to ten—made it manageable to deal with them without significant losses.

The Red Orcs’ equipment was stripped and distributed among the Gray Orcs.

With weapons once again in their hands, even the aged Orcs, whose physical strength had long since waned, rekindled their fighting spirit.

Though their bodies were frail, they carried with them the battle-hardened wisdom of years of survival.

These older Orcs positioned themselves at the vanguard, helping me carve a path forward.

The journey to Greenfall was a relentless trail of smoke and blood.

Proper food was nonexistent, and even with my magic, there wasn’t enough clean water to go around. Exhausted Orcs began collapsing, one after another.

As much as I pitied their fate, this was a march of survival, with no room for stragglers.

The Orcs bid their fallen comrades farewell with nothing more than a fleeting glance before moving on.

Two weeks passed in this grim fashion before we finally reached Greenfall, the largest city in the region.

The atmosphere of the city was tense, the signs of war apparent.

Dozens of guards stood watch at the gates, exuding an air of vigilance and readiness.

I approached them, the Orc survivors trailing behind me.

At first, the gate guards regarded me with suspicion.

But upon seeing the group of survivors at my back, their expressions softened, and they welcomed us in.

“Re ka se tsoge re.”

I still couldn’t understand their language.

With a weary smile, I led the Orcs into Greenfall.

It seemed we weren’t the only ones seeking refuge here.

The city was bustling with an overwhelming number of Orcs.

The survivors and I were immediately provided with food and temporary shelter.

Though the accommodations were simple tents set up in an open field, the Orcs visibly relaxed, finally able to rest after their harrowing journey.

Watching them, I couldn’t help but smile faintly.

Our time together had been short, but the bonds forged through battle ran deep.

Perhaps it was the shared experience of risking our lives side by side.

But this was where our paths diverged.

With my business here concluded, I couldn’t afford to linger in such a dangerous region any longer.

Packing a small amount of provisions, I mounted Nightmare and headed toward the city’s gate, determined to leave this land.

However, the gate guards refused to let me through.

It wasn’t just me—no one, Orc or otherwise, was allowed to leave.

Though the Orcs seemed to understand whatever the guards were explaining and reluctantly stepped back, I couldn’t grasp the reason behind their actions.

“How frustrating…”

“Aka set?wa.”

Judging by their expressions, the guards seemed concerned for me.

But without a common language, their intentions couldn’t be fully conveyed.

I tugged on Nightmare’s reins, arguing with the guards in vain.

And then, a familiar voice called out from near the city’s main gate.

“Seris!”

Turning toward the voice, I saw a towering man with dusky skin sprinting toward me.

It was Agul, the half-Orc, half-human.

Finally, someone I could communicate with appeared.

I let out a sigh of relief and waved to him.

“Agul.”

Agul quickly ran over and began talking with the guards blocking my path.

Naturally, fluent Orcish flowed from his mouth.

As the conversation continued, Agul’s expression darkened.

How much time had passed?

After finishing his conversation with the Orc guards, Agul turned to me and said,

“You’re planning to leave this country, right?”

“Yes.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible right now.”

With a firm expression, Agul began explaining why leaving the country wasn’t an option.

With the outbreak of war, a mysterious veil had descended over the border between Greenfall and the Holy Kingdom.

He explained that this veil drained the life out of anything alive.

“So, you’re saying it’s impossible to leave?”

“Yes. Everyone who tried to force their way through died.”

I furrowed my brow. His words seemed absurd.

It was one thing to have a magical veil covering a wide border area, but believing in magic that killed upon touch was hard.

Still, there was no reason for him to lie to me.

“What if I still want to leave?”

“Hmm… I could let you go, but…”

Agul questioned me in return.

Was I really thinking of leaving? Was I prepared to walk to my death?

He even warned that if I tried to return, they might not open the gates for me again.

I stroked the mane of Nightmare in silence.

“What do you think?”

Prrrrrk.

Nightmare shook its head as if answering my question.

Then, it began to trot in the opposite direction from the entrance.

Watching its movement, I let out a bitter laugh and said to Agul,

“It seems this one thinks staying here is safer.”

“You made the right decision. Until the war is over, it’s best to stay somewhere…”

“Is there even a safe place?”

Agul clamped his mouth shut at my question.

Judging by his hardened face and the way he gazed at the sky, it seemed this city wasn’t particularly safe either.

As time passed, the number of Orcs gathering in this city increased exponentially.

Seeing the growing number of Orcs gave me the distinct feeling that the war was inching closer.

My pounding heart refused to settle down, and I often found myself biting my lips unconsciously.

Psychological unease made it nearly impossible to rest properly.

Because of that, I swung my sword.

Day and night, I swung my sword without rest, drawing starlight and moonlight with its blade and meditating on the world within myself.

The countless sparkling stars in my inner world continued to inspire me endlessly.

By the dawn of the fifth day in Greenfall, the sound of war horns echoed through the air.

The thick clouds that had blanketed the sky obscured even the starlight, marking the official start of the war.

The crisp air of dawn dissipated under the hot breath of the Orcs, and the vague sense of unease I had felt was drowned out by the overwhelming sound of war horns and drums.

Standing atop the city wall, I watched the crimson tide of an army approaching from the distance.

Hundreds—no, thousands.

It was an army so vast I couldn’t take it all in at a glance.

Amidst the crimson tide, one Orc emerged.

Clad in a crimson robe, the Orc looked like a shaman.

Behind the Orc shaman, ominous mana streamed down like a cloak.

He struck his staff against the ground.

Boom!

The sound reverberated loudly, even from a distance.

At the tip of the staff held by the Orc shaman, a magic stone glowed brightly, similar to the one embedded in my sword.

[Bula Mojako!]

The voice that came from the Orc shaman carried a strange vibration, amplified by mana.

Though not loud, the voice reached everyone in the city due to the mana it carried.

At that moment, a massive Orc emerged at the center of the city wall.

Unlike the others, this Orc knight was clad in full plate armor.

Drawing his sword, the Orc knight unleashed a brilliant flash of lightning as the blade came into view.

Kraaaack!

“Iwa!!!”

A short but fierce roar.

As soon as the Orc knight’s roar ended, gray-hued Orc shamans on the city wall unleashed their spells.

Burning spheres of fire and frozen spears flew towards the crimson Orcs, marking the beginning of their retaliation.

But at that moment, the Orc knight leapt off the city wall.

The massive figure landed on the ground and immediately charged toward the enemy.

It was a brave act, but to me, it seemed reckless.

Abandoning the advantage of defending the city and charging into the fray—had the pressure of war driven him mad?

As I worried about his seemingly irrational decision, the tightly shut city gates opened, and a horde of excited Orcs rushed out.

There was no hesitation among those who followed the Orc knight at the forefront.