Chapter 94: Orc Annihilation (2)

Late at night.

The two black mages began to put their plan into action.

“Noctis, did you bring what I asked for?”

In response to Marina’s question, the bald woman spoke confidently.

“Of course! How could I forget when it was Marina’s request?”

When Noctis clapped her hands, the orcs brought several wooden barrels filled with water.

Marina opened a vial of poison and poured it into the barrels. As the poison mixed with the water, it turned into a sticky liquid.

“Wow… amazing. What is this?”

“It’s called the Tears of Sefte. It’s made primarily from Moonmoss. Just a little bit can cause hallucinations, headaches, and nausea.”

Noctis’s voice was filled with strong pride.

“There are stronger poisons, but using them would leave traces. The Tears of Sefte are different. While they are hallucinating, we can kill them with the orcs.”

“Oh… Marina, you’re so smart!”

Marina poured the poison into the other barrels. Then, she used black magic.

The liquid in the barrels turned into solid spheres. Noctis looked at the spheres with amazement.

“What kind of black magic is this? I’ve never seen it before.”

“It’s a black magic that contaminates a certain area of land, poisoning any living things on it.”

“Oh… the black magic of the Poison Mastery School is always amazing.”

“Tell the orcs to throw these spheres over the walls.”

“Got it! Hey, you guys, did you hear that? Pick them up one by one.”

Noctis commanded the orcs, but none of them obeyed.

They just stared at the spheres with eyes full of fear and disgust.

Instinctively, they realized that touching the spheres would be dangerous.

“Noctis, the orcs aren’t listening to you?”

“You’re misunderstanding! Our kids are so well-behaved. Just wait a moment.”

Noctis pointed at the orcs and used black magic. The black magic power flowed into the orcs’ ears.

- Roar!

- Ugh!

The orcs clutched their heads and screamed. After a moment, their eyes became hazy.

“Kids, pick up the spheres one by one.”

The orcs obediently followed Noctis’s command, carrying the spheres with both hands.

As soon as the spheres touched their skin, the orcs’ skin began to rot.

Though it was a hallucinogenic poison, it was so potent that it caused harm upon contact.

But the orcs stood there, dazed, unaware of what was happening.

“Kids, go quickly!”

At Noctis’s command, the orcs started running towards Walnut Castle.

The orcs crossed the forest and entered the grassland. It was late, and the world was quiet.

“Hey? What’s that? It’s an orc?”

“What are orcs doing here so late…?”

Before they could cross the grassland, shouts were heard. Knights were riding towards them.

“Sir Damian was right! The orcs are attempting a night raid!”

“Those muscle-headed fools are using tricks!”

The knights charged at the orcs, slashing them with their weapons.

The orcs, having lost their minds due to the black magic, couldn’t even think to resist.

“What is this? There’s something strange.”

The knights examined the spheres the orcs were carrying. The spheres were still round and solid.

“What is this smell?”

“It smells sweet, like honey.”

While examining the spheres, the knights suddenly began to complain of pain.

“Ugh, my head suddenly hurts.”

“Ugh, my stomach… ugh…”

“What, what is that? A ghost is staring at me!”

As the knights panicked, someone shouted.

“Everyone, calm down! Sir Damian gave us something to eat in case of this!”

The knights took small beads from their pockets and put them in their mouths. The symptoms disappeared instantly.

“Phew… now we can survive.”

“What are these spheres?”

“Could it be poison? The foul smell and the strange symptoms… it must be poison.”

“Orks using such deadly poison?”

The knights looked at the spheres with confusion. Then one of them said,

“What do we do with these?”

“Sir Damian said to burn anything strange.”

“Right. He definitely gave that order.”

The knights poured oil over the spheres and set them on fire using magical tools.

The spheres burned instantly, and the sweet smell became even stronger.

“They’re all burned. We can return now.”

“Let’s report to Sir Damian quickly.”

With that, the knights returned to the castle.

* * *

Noctis and Marina stared at the burning flames in the middle of the grassland.

“M, Marina… what do we do? The poison is burning!”

Noctis looked at Marina with a panicked face. But Marina was not in a state to answer.

“My, my Tears of Sefte! How many Moonmoss plants did I use to make this? And now… they’re burning this precious thing…?”

Marina was so angry that she seemed ready to foam at the mouth.

“M, Marina! Calm down! You can’t collapse here! Marina!”

Noctis quickly calmed Marina down. Fortunately, she didn’t foam at the mouth.

“I swear. I’ll catch those bastards, dissolve them in acid, and kill them!”

Marina’s shout echoed through the forest.

* * *

Despite her words, Marina didn’t move immediately.

“The knights weren’t infected by the poison. Not only that, but they burned it immediately. This means the enemy is prepared for poison.”

“Then, the patrol at that time might not have been a coincidence. They might have been prepared for our use of poison.”

“I agree. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence.”

“Then, could they know about you?”

“That’s impossible. How could they know about my existence?”

Marina dismissed Noctis’s theory. It was just a wild guess.

The only people in the Apple Kingdom who knew about their existence were her sister Leona and Alexander Apple.

There was no way they could know about Marina.

“Maybe they had a bad experience with poison in the past and prepared for it. I just happened to be unlucky.”

“Is that it…?”

“The important thing is that our old methods won’t work. We need to try something different.”

Marina dug a pit and gathered the poison in one place.

The poison was so potent that the grass and trees around the pit withered.

“Marina, what are you going to do this time?”

“I’m going to turn this poison into a gas and release it.”

The Poison Mastery School not only studied the creation of poisons but also their application.

Turning poison into a gas and releasing it was the most effective method.

“Amazing! But why didn’t you use this method from the start?”

“…Because it requires a lot of poison, which means a lot of materials!”

“Sorry for asking.”

Marina’s outburst made Noctis apologize immediately.

“Wait a moment. I’m going to use black magic.”

Marina used black magic on the poison. The liquid in the pit dried up rapidly and turned into a fluffy, cotton-like substance.

“Noctis, tell the orcs to take this to the edge of the forest and burn it.”

It was best to get as close to the castle as possible, but if they did, they would be discovered by the knights. So, the edge of the forest was the best option.

“Got it! Kids, what are you doing? Take it and… where did they all go?”

The orcs had already retreated. They didn’t want to get close.

“Get over here now!”

But Noctis was a black mage from the Monster Mastery School.

When Noctis used black magic, the orcs had no choice but to carry the poison cotton.

The poison gas from the cotton began to corrode the orcs’ skin. Some orcs even vomited blood.

“Come on, move it!”

But Noctis didn’t care. The Monster Mastery School controlled monsters, not loved them.

To the black mages of the Monster Mastery School, monsters were just pawns.

The orcs carried the poison cotton and torches to the edge of the forest.

Noctis followed them, looking pleased.

“When I give the command, burn the poison together. Got it?”

Just then, the castle gates opened, and knights rushed out.

“…What? What are they doing? Why are they rushing out?”

While Noctis was confused, the knights reached the forest.

Noctis quickly hid behind a tree, avoiding detection.

“Sir Damian was right! The orcs are up to something!”

“Torches… and cotton? Is that cotton?”

“It doesn’t look like ordinary cotton. The orc’s skin is completely corroded.”

But the orcs couldn’t hide. The knights attacked them immediately. The orcs were helpless.

“Those bastards… they’re interfering again!”

Noctis was furious. She wanted to go out and deal with them herself.

But her sister Leona had warned her not to reveal their existence.

“Spray the poison on them!”

Instead, Noctis ordered the orcs to throw the poison cotton at the knights.

The orcs crumbled the cotton in their hands and threw it at the knights.

“Gah! What is this!”

“The orcs are spraying poison!”

The knights and their horses screamed as the poison powder hit them. The knights fell to the ground.

“Haha! Good one!”

Noctis was delighted, but her joy was short-lived.

“Phew, almost a disaster.”

The knights managed to get up. Noctis was shocked.

“Why, why are they fine? They were definitely hit by the poison…”

The poison created by Marina, a member of the Poison Mastery School, was incredibly potent.

The poison the orcs had spread was especially strong, as it was meant to be burned and released.

How could they survive being hit by it? Not only survive, but be completely fine?

“We’re glad we applied the oil given by Sir Damian.”

“The oil from the Green Snail is excellent at blocking poison. It’s truly remarkable.”

The knights, now recovered, killed the remaining orcs.

They gathered the remaining poison cotton, buried it, and returned to the castle.

After the knights left, Noctis came out, looking at the gruesome scene.

“…Marina will be furious if she finds out.”

Noctis’s worry was justified.

“What? The orcs are all dead, and the poison cotton is buried? What nonsense!”

After the second plan failed, Marina was furious.

“M, Marina, calm down!”

“@%#$#^%%@.”

Noctis struggled for a while but finally managed to calm Marina down.

“…We need to change our approach completely.”

Marina, now calmer, spoke to Noctis.

“What are you going to do?”

“The orcs will have to enter the forest to eliminate the orc group. So, we’ll set traps in the forest and wait.”

The Poison Mastery School didn’t engage in direct combat.

They set traps and waited to corner their enemies.

“Since the poison has been discovered, we can’t let them live. If it’s known that the orcs used deadly poison, the Church will investigate.”

The Church’s eyes and ears were everywhere. Any trace would prompt immediate action.

“Can we call all our orcs?”

“Of course. Call them all. We’ll kill them all.”

Noctis was delighted at Marina’s words.

“Really? Don’t change your mind? Hehe, I’m excited. I’ve been working hard on a new friend. You’ll be surprised when you see it…”

Just then,

- Scream!

- Scream!

They heard the orcs’ screams from a distance. They were startled and rushed outside.

“The orcs have been found! Kill them all!”

“Don’t leave any alive!”

Sir Damian and the knights were attacking the orc village.

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

Marina and Noctis were stunned by the sudden situation.