Chapter 71

“What, what are you talking about!”

Baren opened his eyes in disbelief.

“I mean exactly what I said.”

Raon stepped forward and met the eyes of all the trainees.

“The mission isn’t over yet.”

“What do you mean by that! We’ve killed all the monsters and finished the cleanup, so why isn’t the mission over!”

“What was our mission?”

“Huh? That was….”

Baren frowned and then spoke again.

“To exterminate the monsters and protect the village.”

“Right. Our mission wasn’t just to exterminate the monsters, but also to protect the village.”

“But that’s done! We’ve killed all the monsters, so it’s over!”

“No.”

Raon shook his head and looked towards the small village they had just left.

“We were being watched until just a moment ago. The watching eyes disappeared an hour ago.”

“Huh?”

“What, what do you mean!”

“Is that true?”

The trainees, who were shocked, jumped to their feet.

“It must be the instructors.”

Baren twisted his lips, seemingly unable to believe that they were being watched.

“They must have come to watch us….”

“I would know if it was the instructors. That presence was not just watching us, but the entire village. Moreover….”

Raon pointed to the path they had taken.

“The presence disappeared as soon as we were half a day’s distance from the village, and it went in the direction of the village.”

“Then it’s another enemy?”

Baren’s mouth dropped open. He looked at the village with trembling eyes.

“Is that true?”

Marta, who had been quiet until now, frowned and stood up.

“It’s certain.”

“Then when did you notice that presence?”

“From the moment we reached the hill where we could see the village.”

“Wait! So giving Baren command….”

“That’s right. I hid my presence to better understand that presence.”

“Huh….”

Marta swallowed hard.

‘What is this guy….’

Her hair stood on end when she heard Raon’s words.

He had sensed a presence and aura that even she couldn’t feel, and after making Baren the leader, he had hidden among the trainees to understand that presence. His senses and mind were so astonishing that she couldn’t even speak.

“Is that why you gave me command?”

“I thought you would handle the trainees better than me if you had command.”

“I, I….”

“You showed a better leader than I expected. As a result, they thought you were the leader and didn’t even notice my presence. You were truly a leader in the style of Sieghart. If we return, I’ll suggest that you be appointed as the deputy leader.”

“That’s not it.”

Baren bowed his head, his lips trembling.

‘Damn it!’

He couldn’t raise his face in embarrassment.

‘I thought I did well….’

He had thought that his perfect command had left Raon speechless, but it wasn’t the case. The guy had been hiding to counter the unseen watcher.

While he was preoccupied with the small matter of being the leader, Raon had been looking at something much farther and higher.

Grinding his teeth, he felt a strange mix of embarrassment and pride when he heard Raon’s praise.

“You don’t know this, but orcs, goblins, and kobolds are monsters that cannot cooperate. The ones who were watching us must have used some trick.”

Raon didn’t mention Eden and only spoke about what they could see and feel.

“Our first mission is to protect the village. As long as we don’t know what the watcher is thinking, our mission isn’t over.”

He gathered his belongings and stood up.

“From now on, we’re returning to the small village. We won’t announce it like before; we’ll move quietly so no one notices.”

He scanned everyone and continued.

“It would be good if we had camouflage tools, but since we don’t, at least try to….”

“I, I have them.”

Dorian, who was half in a daze, raised his hand.

“What do you have?”

“I have screens to hide our gear and bands to attach foliage to our clothes.”

“A few won’t do. They might draw more attention….”

“I have plenty.”

Dorian pulled out screens and bands from his bag. It was hard to understand why he carried so much.

“How did you….”

“I brought them just in case.”

“Just in case, you carried 40 camouflage tools?”

“Preparation must be thorough.”

“Well, good job.”

“Sure!”

Dorian was the only one who smiled at Raon’s praise. Of course, his face darkened quickly at the thought of fighting again in the village.

“We have enough. Start camouflaging as you learned in the training ground. Meet back here in 10 minutes. And….”

Raon wrapped himself in a screen and looked up.

“Crane.”

“Huh? Oh!”

“You run to the Sieghart branch and relay exactly what I said.”

“Me?”

“You’re fast.”

Dorian might be faster, but he might be needed for something else.

“Got it!”

Crane nodded eagerly and ran in the opposite direction of the village.

Raon watched Crane run and then turned back.

“From now on, follow my orders without question. No objections.”

* * *

“They’re all gone.”

A man wearing a mask with an eye carved on it knelt down.

“Are you sure?”

A young man holding a green helmet turned his head.

“Yes. I confirmed they were returning in a half-day’s time, intoxicated by their victory. I also checked the opposite direction, but there were no issues.”

“Then we can start.”

The young man smiled and put on the plain helmet.

“Revert.”

As the man spoke, green metal flowed out from inside the orc helmet.

Whoosh!

The metal clung to the man’s body like a living creature, forming an armor-like shape.

Squeak!

His arms and chest swelled with massive muscles, his fingers hardened like stones, and his legs thickened like tree roots.

This was not the armor of an ordinary knight.

It was a bizarre armor resembling an orc, specifically an orc warrior who stands at the forefront of the orc assault team.

Flash!

Red eyes, full of malice, flashed inside the orc warrior helmet.

“Kraaara!”

A strange roar erupted from the man’s throat, a sound more fitting for a monster than a human.

“Uoooh!”

As if responding to the roar, orcs poured out from behind him.

Roar!

The man pointed to the small village with a hand glowing red.

“Kraaara!”

“Gyaaah!”

The orcs roared and charged down the hill. Their movements were far more ferocious than when they were defeated by the trainees.

“Krrr.”

The man, now wearing the orc warrior armor, smiled savagely as he watched the monsters surge like a wave.

* * *

Raon and the trainees arrived at a hill where they could see the small village.

“Nothing has happened yet?”

Baren frowned as he looked at the village, where only peaceful smoke rose.

“Wait and see. Lower your voice and crouch down.”

“Hmm….”

Baren tightly closed his mouth and bent his waist at Raon’s command.

“Be careful not to make any breathing sounds. If we’re discovered, we could all be wiped out.”

“Hmm….”

“Huh!”

The trainees covered their mouths and their eyes trembled.

“What do you mean, wiped out….”

“It doesn’t matter what comes. We’re Sieghart….”

Some of the side-line trainees pouted, not believing Raon’s words. They were drunk on their first victory and full of confidence.

“Be quiet. You can complain after everything is clear.”

Only after Baren spoke did the side-line trainees close their mouths and sit down.

“Eat some jerky to fill your stomach and put on your cold-weather gear. We can’t make a fire because it’s cold at night.”

The trainees followed Raon’s orders, albeit with small complaints.

As the sun set over the small mountain and the dark night fell, hundreds of red lights flickered in the dark below. Green monsters poured out, their eyes glowing like rubies.

“Huh!”

“Oh, orcs! They’re monsters!”

“Is it really true?”

The trainees swallowed hard at the sight of the orcs’ ferocious eyes.

“Hmm….”

Baren bit his dry lips. They had thoroughly searched the small mountain and its surroundings and found no monsters. It was impossible for so many monsters to appear so quickly.

‘He was right.’

Just as Raon said, monsters, more ferocious and stronger than those they had exterminated, were pouring out.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of the village’s alarm bell rang out as the people on guard at the stockade sounded the alarm. Lights turned on in the village, which had seemed to be in darkness, and the sound of commotion reached them.

“Damn it!”

Baren clenched his teeth and stood up. He drew his sword and exhaled heavily.

“Let’s go. This time, we’ll finish it….”

“Sit down.”

Raon gestured with a cold look.

“What?”

“I told you. There was a presence watching us. It wasn’t a monster but a human. Their identity is still unknown.”

“But the small village’s forces can’t stop that many orcs!”

“Even so, we wait. If we act rashly, we could all be wiped out.”

This was a precise judgment, not swayed by emotion. They shouldn’t move until the enemy’s numbers and strength were properly assessed.

“You said it! Our mission is to protect the village! We should act now!”

“The instructor said that giving up or retreating is also a choice in the mission. Now is not the time to move.”

“I can’t stand it.”

Baren’s hand, gripping his sword, trembled.

“Letting them die like this isn’t what a Sieghart knight would do!”

The image of the orcs’ charge was vivid in his green eyes.

“You’re right.”

“We are Sieghart. We can’t retreat when we see the crisis of the weak….”

“What if they are Eden?”

Raon’s calm voice cut through the trainees, who were burning with strong will.

“Eden? Eden of Oma?”

“Are those the crazy ones?”

“It’s well-known that Eden can control monsters. It’s unlikely that so many monsters would suddenly appear unless they are involved.”

“Hmm….”

“Oma….”

At the mention of Eden of Oma, the trainees’ eyes dimmed. Everyone knew how strong and terrifying the force of Eden was.

“I know Eden is strong. But they haven’t attacked us. They fear the name of Sieghart.”

Baren clenched his fists until they bled.

“I can’t turn my back and run from such enemies. Raising my sword for them is what I believe a Sieghart knight should do.”

“It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help at all. If we understand the situation and can fight….”

“It will be too late. By then, half the village will be dead.”

He looked at Raon with a wavering gaze.

“I’m telling you. I recognize you. After confirming your efforts, I admitted in my heart that you are more worthy of the name of Sieghart than I am! But this is wrong! If you block me, I’ll fight my way to the village.”

Baren drew his sword. The polished blade reflected the moonlight, highlighting his resolute face.

“You don’t have to follow me. Only those who think like me should come!”

He ran down the hill, enveloped in a deep green aura and a firm resolve.

“Let’s go. Show the Oma bastards the sword of Sieghart!”

The side-line trainees stood up, not even drawing their swords, and followed Baren.

Tsk.

As Raon clicked his tongue, someone stood up beside him.

“I’m going too.”

Lunan ran down the hill, her sword wrapped in a cold blue aura.

“I’ll go with you!”

The Fengshen family trainees drew their swords and followed her.

“Let’s go, too!”

“Right. We are Sieghart trainees!”

The commoner trainees, influenced by Baren and Lunan’s resolve, drew their swords and ran towards the village’s flames.

“……”

Raon turned around silently. Only the trainees who had followed him since the temporary training with Dorian remained, and everyone else had gone to the village.

More than half had left, but Raon was not flustered.

‘I expected this.’

He knew the trainees were like this. Their departure was part of his plan.

He had even sent an aura message to Lunan, telling her to go down and help Baren.

The only unexpected person was still there.

“Why didn’t you go?”

Raon turned to Marta, who was leaning against a tree.

“I said I would follow your orders in this mission, no matter what.”

Her black eyes shone with sincerity. It seemed she had established her own beliefs.

“I see.”

Raon smiled.

“So, what will you do? Just watch from here?”

“No. We’re going too.”

Raon shook his head and stood up. The orcs had already reached the village’s stockade.

The fear of the people and the madness of the orcs seemed to rise like a red mist.

“Of course, we won’t go openly like them. We’ll suppress our presence and stay ready to move at any time.”

He gave his orders and looked not at the small village but at the middle of the small mountain. A strong and thick aura of malice was surging from there.

‘They’re there.’

He could have stopped the trainees, but he let them go for one reason.

He knew who was there.

A monster, borrowing the strength and fighting spirit of an orc warrior, was looking down at the village from the middle of the mountain.

It would be a tough opponent in a direct fight, but an assassination would be different.

‘If they just draw attention, I can take them down.’

Raon’s red eyes, like the moon, glowed as he turned his wrist.

‘It’s going to be a long night.’