Chapter 108

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Translated By Arcane Translations

Translator: FusionX

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The Warrior’s Festival.

Even Elder Makenis was hearing about this orcish tradition for the first time. He mentally calculated the potential gains and losses of the current situation.

The Commander of the Royal Knights was a remarkable individual, but…

Could he survive the Warrior’s Festival? The odds were slim.

According to the Dragon Lord, countless renowned heroes had attempted it, and most perished in the forest.

Commander Hans was a distinguished hero, but he wasn’t quite at the level of legend. The heroes who had died participating in the Warrior’s Festival were names even Elder Makenis recognized.

Most of them were heroes who had forged new legends.

Even they had perished.

Could Commander Hans survive? The answer was clearly no.

Elder Makenis spoke.

“That seems rather reckless, Commander Hans.”

Surprisingly, Elder Makenis opposed Hans’s decision. He had several reasons.

If Commander Hans disappeared, the elves might fracture without a common enemy.

But more importantly, he felt it was a waste to throw away the life of such a promising hero.

He acknowledged Hans’s skill and resourcefulness in rebuilding the Royal Knights and repelling the True Demons.

He would prioritize his people’s interests, but he wasn’t foolish enough to jeopardize the bigger picture.

Ambassador Viral added,

“There’s no need to rush, Commander.”

“Why? I like it. It’s a chance to prove his strength, isn’t it?”

“…”

Then, an unexpected voice expressed support, it was Lucy, the Vampire Lord.

There was no better way to prove one’s strength than through direct confrontation.

Besides, she believed the Commander of the Royal Knights was more than capable. But Ambassador Viral disagreed.

While he trusted the Commander, he saw no need to take unnecessary risks.

Lucy, on the other hand, was secretly impressed by the Commander’s bold decision-making.

‘Was he unaware of the difficulty of the Warrior’s Festival? No, that’s impossible. He was the one who suggested it.’

That meant he knew the dangers. And yet, he chose to walk that path of death.

He certainly had guts.

“It’s a troublesome and unnecessarily difficult path, but it’s also necessary to unite the alliance.”

The reason for the alliance’s division was simple there was a lack of respect. They looked down on other races, dismissing their ways as barbaric, and ignored their suffering. ȑ𝘼ℕＯβÊ𝐬

That led to the collapse of the Royal Knights. But this Commander was taking a different approach, uniting the alliance by acknowledging each race’s unique ways.

Orcs were extremely stubborn. But that also meant they were fiercely loyal to those they acknowledged. Schemes and betrayals were unheard of among them.

If they had a complaint?

They voiced it openly.

That was the orcs’ way.

It would be easier to just cut them off, but unfortunately, their strength was necessary. They were too valuable to ignore.

Aside from the inherently powerful dragons and vampires, the orcs were the only race to have successfully repelled True Demons before the Royal Knights’ revival.

And their value hadn’t diminished since. In fact, it had increased after the Royal Knights’ collapse.

The orcs themselves didn’t care about such things, which was typical of them.

However, if they could be properly utilized, they would become powerful allies.

Elder Makenis had considered all of this, which was why he opposed Hans’s participation in the Warrior’s Festival.

Failure was a problem, but success was equally troublesome.

If the orcs supported the Royal Knights, the elves wouldn’t be able to oppose them alone. But they couldn’t wish for Hans’s death either.

The alliance was only able to reunite thanks to the Royal Knights’ revival. If their leader died so soon after their return, they would likely disband again.

‘He’s more cunning than he looks,’

Elder Makenis thought, clicking his tongue.

He was caught in a web, like a butterfly trapped in a spider’s silk. Only Commander Hans, the one who had initiated this whole thing, remained calm.

He had already planned everything, manipulating the leaders of each race. He wasn’t just a swordsman, he was a strategist.

This was going to be troublesome.

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Hans, who had earned the respect of Dezra, the Rusty Tyrant, and the wariness of Elder Makenis, stared blankly at the ceiling.

“When will this meeting end?”

His mind was fried, unable to keep up with the discussion. He was so desperate he was praising Time Stop.

It was a sign he was going crazy.

“Silence. Hans has already made his decision. Do not interfere.”

Dezra’s heavy words silenced everyone.

Hans had remained silent, not out of strategic thinking, but because his mind had overloaded.

Ironically, his frozen expression had fooled the other leaders into thinking he was deep in thought.

As Dezra said, it was the Commander’s choice, not theirs.

Dezra, the Rusty Tyrant, seemed to admire Hans’s courage, his willingness to face danger. He had even started calling Hans by his name.

“Tell me when you’re ready. We’ll go together,” Dezra said.

“I will.”

“Commander Hans, please reconsider.”

The other leaders chose to back down. They lacked the information to forcefully intervene.

Except for one.

Yuyeong remained, trying to persuade him.

“Are you really going to trust the orcs? Give up now.”

“My decision is final.”

“We can manage without those barbarians.”

“But the cost will be great.”

The other races weren’t tolerating the orcs’ arrogance out of kindness. They were doing it because the orcs were the most successful race, aside from the untouchable vampires and dragons.

Moreover, the orcs were holding the northern front line. The reason monsters weren’t pouring down from the north was purely due to their efforts.

If they were ostracized…

A horde of monsters would descend upon them.

Yuyeong knew this all too well, so she couldn’t contradict the Commander.

She sighed.

“I understand the orcs are holding back the monsters in the north, but their attitude is still a problem.”

“The orcs are holding back the monsters in the north?”

The only reason Hans didn’t express his surprise was the mask he had developed from experience. He had very little information about the orcs and vampires.

At least the orcs were better than the vampires, about whom he knew absolutely nothing. But even so, he didn’t know what role orcs played in the overall history of the game.

In this world, commoners and frontline soldiers might be ignorant, but anyone with even a little authority understood the role of each race.

And who was Hans? The brilliant commander who rebuilt the Royal Knights.

So, Yuyeong naturally assumed he knew about the orcs’ role.

‘They’re not just mercenaries? I’m screwed.’

Hans, completely unaware, thought the orcs were just mercenaries who liked to flex their muscles. While they weren’t as powerful as vampires in the game, they were still troublesome.

He had intended to bring them to his side before they sided with the demons, but now his thinking changed.

He had been active in this world for over a year. He had memorized the current state of the front lines.

What if the orcs switched sides and the north was breached?

Hans shuddered.

This can’t fail.

His fried brain finally started to recover.

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[Translator Notes]

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