Illusion Sword Master

＜ Western Front Abnormality (3) ﹥

Green skin. Bald head. Muscles that would require excessive use of steroids. Tusk. A grotesque face that a designer who had been working overtime and suffering from depression might have roughly drawn.

Adding all these terrible elements together, along with an infinite desire for battle, would make an orc.

“I have to see that disgusting green face again.”

I was surrounded by orcs, facing off against them.

There were orcs on the left and on the right.

It was a desperate situation.

“Nineteen, no, twenty. They’re coming at us from both sides, divided in half.”

Bellmont, who had quickly regained his composure like a seasoned commander in the field, said. I took the sword he had drawn and said:

“What are you doing?”

“Looks like they’re stuck somewhere. A guy who can’t even fight is trying to do something.”

Here, Bellmont wasn’t much help. He was a decent commander, but as a warrior, he was useless.

“I guess so.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Bellmont stuck to the carriage, not wanting to lose face. This was a necessary condition for a decent commander.

“I’ll handle the right side. Sara, Roem. You two take care of the left side first and provide cover for me. As quickly as possible.”

Roem and Sara, despite being in their first real battle, calmly nodded and prepared to cast their magic.

“No need to worry.”

Even if they’re rookies, they’re geniuses. With their experience in the Magic Research Society, they understand theoretical and practical combat rules, so they won’t get caught off guard.

The problem was Menka.

In the heat of the moment, she was about to ignite the surroundings. I grabbed Menka’s shoulder and pulled her back.

“What are you doing?”

I asked her sternly in a sharp tone.

“If we start a fire here, we’ll get caught up in it too. Belmont is watching from over there.”

Menka seemed frustrated at being excluded from the real battle, but she didn’t argue further.

“Ma—gician! Catch—him!”

One of the orcs let out a unique battle cry, and the orcs charged simultaneously.

I held up the sword I took from Belmont and readied myself.

As three orcs with axes approached me, I pretended to swing my sword and activated my magic.

Three swords flew out of the carriage and pierced the orcs’ heads.

“That one’s a ma—gician too!”

I threw the sword at another orc who was charging towards me.

The orc swung its axe to deflect the sword, but my magic changed its trajectory, and it ended up stabbing the orc behind it.

“Uh?”

As the orc turned around, I pulled out the Black Thunder sword from my waist and beheaded it.

Swoosh.

The legendary sword, bestowed upon me by the Three Emperors, felt amazing in my hand. The orc’s neck was easily severed, despite its notorious toughness.

The orc with the sword stuck in its shoulder didn’t flinch and attacked me instead.

I quickly reached out.

“Kuaaah!”

Pa-bat. Electricity flowed, and the orc’s body stiffened, its weapon still in hand. I had cast the lightning magic that Sera taught me on the sword stuck in its shoulder.

The power itself was basic, but applying it like this could maximize its efficiency.

Sera and Roem were also effortlessly taking down orcs.

After Roem blocked the approaching orcs with his shield, Sera’s powerful brainwave magic turned them into electrocuted corpses, showcasing a great combination.

Through their battles, they had gained a deeper understanding of each other’s magic.

The situation was quickly resolved.

The orcs attached to Sera and Roem were annihilated, and only one orc remained in front of me.

It was already mortally wounded and waiting for death. I looked down at it and asked.

“Did you guys set the trap? Are there any other comrades nearby?”

Usually, interrogating orcs is pointless. They don’t have strategies or tactics, and even if they did, only high-ranking orcs like chieftains or great chieftains would understand.

But the current situation was unusual.

They had set up an ambush within the 6th Corps’ management area, knowing we were coming. It was an unprecedented behavior pattern, even for someone like me who has fought alongside orcs for ten years.

“Wow, for the king…”

“What’s with the ‘king’?”

An unexpected word burst out of Orc’s mouth. They didn’t even have a concept of a “king” among them.

“The king… is coming. You will die.”

Orc spat out crimson blood and died.

I turned to Belmont. He seemed to have the same thought as me.

Something was changing among the Orcs, and it wasn’t in the Empire’s favor.

I quickly gathered Roem and Sera.

The two had dazed expressions.

I knew exactly how they felt. The aftermath of their first real battle was more severe than expected. I had been through it too.

However, we couldn’t afford to be in shock right now.

“Get your wits together and gather around.”

I gathered my party and asked Belmont, “What do we do now?”

“If the Orcs have made it this far, it means our front line has been breached somewhere. We can’t afford to waste time on practice, but it’s too far to return to Umber now.”

It would take half a day by carriage to get to Umber from here. Since we couldn’t use the carriage, we’d have to walk for hours, which was risky given the current situation.

“If I were to use my flying magic, I could escape easily, but…”

I didn’t know what kind of backlash I’d face if I were to abandon my party and flee alone.

“Let’s head to the 7th Regiment. We can reach it on foot in an hour. We can use their communication crystal to contact Umber.”

I nodded. There was no other choice.

“Let’s hurry and gather our gear.”

We quickly packed our belongings and set off in a hurry.

#

As soon as we arrived at the 7th Regiment’s barracks, the regimental commander rushed out to greet us.

“Glory to the Empire! Why are you so late? We were worried. Welcome to the 7th Regiment…”

The commander’s words were filled with concern, but we had experienced something beyond their imagination.

“Save the welcome,” Belmont said, using the joint technique to respond to the commander’s greeting.

“What’s going on? Why are you acting like this?”

“Don’t you know? That’s your fault. Do you know what happened an hour’s walk from here? This is an emergency. Get the troops ready and contact headquarters immediately.”

“Ah, yes, sir!”

The commander scrambled to prepare after Belmont used the joint technique again.

“Edan, is the front line usually this chaotic? I thought Belmont was a gentle person…”

Roem asked an innocent question. If he had any romantic notions about the military, it was better to crush them now. I answered honestly.

“This is mild compared to what you’re seeing. If it were any other time, that regimental commander would be torn apart.”

Belmont’s devilish face hastened the communication preparations. Someone’s image was projected onto the connected crystal ball.

[Trainees! Have the trainees arrived?]

It was the commander-in-chief.

“Glory to the Empire! Commander-in-Chief, it’s Belmont from the General Staff Office. I’m escorting the trainees to the 7th Regiment as instructed…”

[Skip the small talk! Are you all okay? What’s the status of the trainees? Is the daughter of the Zefer family unharmed?]

But something was off. The commander was armed to the teeth, looking like he had just been through a fierce battle.

“Yes, everyone is safe.”

At Belmont’s words, the commander looked around, finding Sera. He let out a sigh of relief and continued.

[At least it’s fortunate. Hasn’t your side been attacked yet?]

“Yes, that’s right. But what do you mean by attack? Are there orcs there too?”

[The current situation is strange. The frontline has been breached. Some units at the forefront have lost communication, and Umbra is under attack. It’s unprecedented in scale. I’ve managed to rescue some students, but it’s bad.]

The situation was terrible.

No, it was worse than terrible.

It was unfolding into the worst-case scenario imaginable.

[Yes, Sera. Normally, I would send knights to escort you, but our current military situation doesn’t allow for it. I’ve requested support from your father, so even if it’s inconvenient, please bear with it for a little while.]

I could read the commander’s mind.

He wasn’t protecting Sera because of her family background, but because he needed her to get support from her father.

The situation was becoming increasingly urgent.

I heard the sounds of explosions and something collapsing from beyond the city walls.

[You people there, do your best to protect Sera Jeffer! No matter what!]

The communication signal worsened, and with a “tzzt” sound, it cut off.

I tried to reconnect, but it didn’t work.

Belmont and I exchanged serious glances.

“It’s over.”

A massive rift had opened on the western front, and an unprecedented orc army was attacking the 6th Army’s headquarters.

And no one had noticed this was happening until it was too late.

Especially since the magic academy students were on a practical training exercise at this time.

A dangerous thought suddenly occurred to me.

Maybe this wasn’t just bad luck, but part of a grand plan.

No, now wasn’t the time to get caught up in suspicions and confusion.

We needed to take action immediately.

“Hmm, why are you all so serious?”

Sera asked with an air of nonchalance, as if she had regained her composure.

“Didn’t the commander ask for support from our family? And that’s directly from my father, Duke Jeffer.”

It wasn’t just a simple boast. Her eyes showed genuine trust in her family and father.

“Coincidentally, our family’s magic division is preparing for its inauguration ceremony. My father will personally bring skilled magicians he’s selected.”

Come to think of it, Duke Jeffer was a renowned magician, one of the closest to becoming a Grand Mage in decades.

I’d also heard that the Jeffer family had a private army rivaling those of the princes.

I regained my composure too.

“Maybe being isolated here isn’t so bad after all.”

We had clashed with orcs on our way here, but if we were in Umbra, the situation would be even worse. They must be in the midst of a fierce siege.

“We just need to wait until Sera’s father arrives. As long as nothing else goes wrong, we’ll be fine.”

And if we could get on Duke Jeffer’s good side, we might even be able to ride the wave of the imperial family’s favor.

“So, everyone should be grateful to be with me. Under the Jeffer family’s umbrella, we’ll have the best safety guarantee.”

Sera said, looking around her. Even in this situation, she was thinking about building her own network. She had an incredible work ethic.

Roem didn’t say anything unusual this time. It was a fact that Sara’s backing was solid.

“But, don’t you serve a cup of tea to your guests? Even if you’re at the forefront of the battle, you should offer it to your esteemed guests… Tsk!”

“What a big deal!”

Sara was speaking in a leisurely and showy tone, but a soldier rushed in, startling her, and she bit her tongue.

“Orcs! The orcs are coming!”

“What, how many?”

Belmont asked, and the soldier replied with a pale face.

“I-I couldn’t count them all… There are many!”

“How many, exactly?”

“I don’t know, but there are a ton of them!”

I was searching for the tea leaves I had brought to please Sara, but I froze in a bent posture.

They say that when people are too surprised, they can’t get angry and can only laugh. That’s exactly what I did right now.

“Heh.”

This was a real mess.

＜ Western Front Abnormality (3) ﹥ End