Emperor of Steel [EN]: Chapter 42

4. Monster Wave

1

The Duchy of Navarr, a small nation of two million people, was located in the northwest of the Baroque Empire.

It was primarily founded by immigrants from the Baroque Empire or the Volga Kingdom and considered the Baroque Empire its overlord.

There was a reason why the Baroque Empire, despite its strong desire for territorial expansion, left the Duchy of Navarr untouched.

Navarr’s land was barren, and most of its people lived nomadic lives, raising sheep and goats. Its only notable products were leather, cheese, and a small amount of copper mined from the northern mines.

Therefore, there wasn’t much profit to be gained from occupying it.

Additionally, this impoverished country suffered from monster incursions from the western plains every year.

Several times a month, hordes of orcs or groups of goblins would cause trouble. Occasionally, large monsters like trolls or ogres would appear in search of food.

If the Empire were to occupy Navarr, they would have to provide food and the Imperial Army would have to directly subjugate the monsters.

Therefore, the Empire was content with making the Duchy of Navarr a vassal state and exerting influence over it.

Occasionally, they would provide aid as befitting a suzerain state.

They would hand over old, near-obsolete Gigants [large, humanoid war machines] or provide some military funds as a favor, and the Duchy of Navarr was grateful for even this much.

The Duchy of Navarr devoted its national resources to building fortresses to block monsters on the western border and deployed troops, including Gigants.

Marvin was a ranger of the 3rd Fortress among these.

The mission of the ranger unit, considered the most elite in the Duchy of Navarr, was to infiltrate the western plains beyond the border and observe the movements of the monsters.

“We’ll take a break here for a while,” the squad leader said, his voice clear but quiet.

About a dozen soldiers who had been moving stealthily gathered in one place.

They ate the hardtack and drank the water they had brought, surveying their surroundings. They knew a monster could appear at any time, from anywhere.

“Squad leader, is it really necessary to go this deep? The monsters have been quiet for the past few months,” Marvin asked, feeling they were infiltrating too far this time.

The squad leader shrugged and replied, “It’s an order from above.”

“An order from above?”

“Yeah, they say it’s strange that the monsters are quieter than usual, or that it’s ominous… Anyway, we grunts have no choice but to do what they tell us.”

“Damn it, if they’re so uneasy, they should do the scouting themselves.”

The plains were full of wild beasts and monsters.

Even the rangers, who prided themselves on being the elite of the elite, couldn’t guarantee their survival if they went deep into the plains.

“For now, we plan to go as far as Eagle Rock Valley. So, conserve your strength as much as possible.”

At the squad leader’s words, Marvin sighed deeply and nodded.

Eagle Rock Valley was at least two days away. Reaching it while avoiding the eyes of wild beasts and monsters would require considerable stamina.

“Okay, if you’re all done eating, let’s go…”

The squad leader, who had glanced up at the sky, was about to order the departure when a soldier who had been watching the front turned around hastily and shouted.

“Run away! Orcs are approaching from the front…!!”

Thwack!

Just as he finished speaking, an arrow pierced his neck.

Then, dozens of arrows flew in succession.

“Wh-what?! Orcs are shooting arrows?”

“Stop talking and get out of here!”

Orcs, which looked like a mix of humans and pigs, were the dominant species of the western plains.

They were incredibly strong, with more than three times the strength of an adult human. They hunted in groups and even knew how to tame and ride wolves or bison.

In addition to their strength, they possessed a child-like level of intelligence and some skills, so they knew how to use tools and weapons.

However, bows were an exception. Bows were difficult to manage and handle.

Therefore, when attacking enemies at a distance, orcs mainly used throwing axes or spears.

But the ones that appeared today were using bows.

No, looking at the ones that had come closer, they were using crossbows, which required even more skill than bows!

“Everyone, scatter!”

At the squad leader’s command, Marvin and the other rangers scattered in all directions.

They knew that in this situation, scattering was more likely to ensure survival than running away together.

However, before they could all scatter, more arrows flew in and hit several rangers.

“Kweeek! Catch the humans!”

“Don’t let them get away!”

The orcs chasing after them shouted as if they were slaughtering pigs.

They were giving each other hand signals and pursuing them in an orderly manner, just like human soldiers.

However, Marvin and his companions, who were running for their lives, couldn’t see this.

2

“Hah, hah!”

How much time had passed?

Marvin, who had been running with all his might, stopped, feeling a pain as if his heart would burst.

After stopping for a moment to catch his breath, he quickly surveyed his surroundings.

The orcs were nowhere to be seen. Fortunately, it seemed he had shaken off the pursuit.

But now was the problem. In his haste to avoid the orcs’ pursuit, he had run west, not east where the border fortress was located.

He was overwhelmed with despair at the thought of having to return alone, a journey of more than three days.

‘But I’ll make it back alive!’

He had a lover in his hometown.

Her name was Mary, the daughter of a leather craftsman, and she was a pretty young lady who was quite famous in the vicinity of his hometown.

There were more than a few scoundrels who were after her, and he didn’t want to die here and let them have her.

‘I’ll definitely make it back alive and marry her!’

Burning with determination, he decided to go around to the south and return to the fortress.

From now on, it was a journey that required stealth rather than speed, so he was careful with every step he took.

But unfortunately, he didn’t get far.

He suddenly came face to face with an orc that jumped out of the bushes.

The surprised orc raised his axe but was knocked backward by Marvin’s kick.

“Kweeek! There’s a human here!”

The orc, who quickly got up, shouted. Then, other orcs nearby began to gather.

Marvin cursed his bad luck as he ran for his life.

Kweeek! Kweek!

Woof woof! Awoo-!

Orcs were strong but slow, so they could easily be outrun.

However, the problem was the wolves they were using.

It was not easy to shake off the wolves, which had a keen sense of smell and were fast.

‘Damn it! I have to shake them off somehow…!’

In his desperation, he looked around and found a valley with a thin stream of water flowing down.

His eyes lit up, and he immediately went into the water, erased his tracks, and went up the valley.

After some time, he no longer heard the sounds of orcs or wolves, so he must have shaken them off properly.

“Whew, I’m alive now.”

Marvin, who was taking a sigh of relief and turning around a large rock, stopped abruptly at the sight that unfolded before his eyes.

And as if struck by lightning, his body began to tremble.

“Th-this is…!!”

The valley was full of tents made of animal hides.

The problem was that the owners of those tents were group-type monsters such as orcs, goblins, and kobolds.

In addition, large monsters that lived alone, such as trolls and ogres, could be seen crouching here and there.

‘N-no, why are these guys like this…?’

He couldn’t understand why monsters, who were always fighting each other, were gathered together so peacefully.

Moreover, Marvin discovered another strange thing about the monsters.

Besides the orcs, there were quite a few who were wearing weapons and armor, and flags with crude drawings of dragons were fluttering everywhere.

‘This is like an army. How can barbaric monsters…’

Marvin had an expression of utter incomprehension.

And that was the last expression he made in his life.

Thud, thud!

Marvin’s head was cut off and rolled on the ground by an orc warrior who appeared from behind him.

The head that rolled came to rest at the feet of a chieftain orc wearing a mask decorated with feathers and obsidian.

The chieftain orc had a massive body covered in bizarre tattoos and wore a steel breastplate like a human.

The chieftain orc, who smiled through his mask, raised his right foot and crushed the head.

Crack!

Having erased the presence of the uninvited guest, he walked proudly among the orcs with a large sword in his hand.

“Kweeek! Shaikhan!”

“Shaikhan! Shaikhan!”

The orcs chanted his name, Shaikhan. Even the monsters who could not speak made strange noises to match the orcs’ shouts.

Shaikhan.

In the orc language, it meant a god, or an existence as strong as one.

Humans called such orcs with special abilities Orc Heroes.

Orc Heroes.

Orc Heroes, who were said to be born only once every hundred years, began to take over the plains at a terrifying speed as soon as they appeared.

Having unified all the orcs on the western plains of the Duchy of Navarr, he ordered the tribe’s warriors and shamans to gather monsters for combat.

That was how the 50,000-strong monster army was created.

The Orc Hero, who glanced around the valley, raised the large sword in his hand and shouted.

“The time of prophecy has finally come! All troops, advance!”

At the Orc Hero’s command, the monsters that filled the valley began to rush towards the Duchy of Navarr.

3

The 3rd Fortress was located at the forefront of the border fortresses in the west of the Duchy of Navarr. Therefore, it was usually the first to be attacked when monsters appeared.

Baron Caseron was the commander of that 3rd Fortress.

He had a bad feeling when the monsters, who had appeared several times a month, had been quiet for a while.

So, he ordered his ranger unit to scout deep into the plains.

“Is there still no contact from the County of Coke?” he asked after patrolling the fortress.

His adjutant replied, “Actually, we just received a message. They say they can’t provide support because they lack knight forces.”

“Tch, damn it!”

The County of Coke was the largest territory in the western part of the Duchy of Ava and was responsible for supporting the border fortresses.

However, Count Coke was negligent in his support duties. This year was particularly bad, and he had not provided any troop support yet.

“Don’t they know that they won’t be safe either if we are breached!”

At Caseron’s anger, the adjutant replied with a sorry face.

“The Count seems to think that there will be no monster invasion this year. Rather, he thinks it’s a scheme to weaken the power of the noble faction under the pretext of supporting the military by creating a sense of fear…”

“Hahahaha!”

At the adjutant’s explanation, Caseron made a hollow expression.

The small and poor country of the Duchy of Navarr was divided into the Royalist faction and the Noble faction, and they were engaged in a power struggle like the Baroque Empire.

It was fine for them to have a power struggle among themselves.

The problem was that they were not providing the support they should have in preparation for a monster invasion.

‘Is he trying to keep me in check because I’m a distant relative of His Royal Highness?’

Caseron didn’t really care about the Royalist or Noble factions.

What he wanted was to keep his country safe from the threat of monsters, and he believed that everyone should do their best beyond factional lines for this purpose.

However, those who were blinded by power did not seem to think so.

“Foolish fools! How can they shake the pillars of their own house without knowing that it will collapse!”

It was when Baron Caseron was venting his anger.

Clang clang clang!

Suddenly, the bell installed on the fortress’s watchtower rang loudly, and a shout was heard.

“Monsters! A large group of monsters is rushing towards the fortress!”

“Damn it!”

After cursing once, he quickly ran to the watchtower. And when he saw the monster army filling the plains, he was so surprised that his mouth dropped open.

“H-how did this happen…”

He thought there would be at most a few hundred to a few thousand. That was the largest monster group he had ever encountered.

However, his expectations were completely wrong.

The number of monsters filling the plains easily exceeded tens of thousands, and large monsters such as ogres and trolls were also visible.

“Baron! Prepare for battle quickly!” the adjutant urged him from the side.

Caseron, who had regained his senses, quickly ordered preparations for battle, but he was not confident that he could hold them back with only 1,000 troops.

There were about five Warrior-class Gigants, but they were old and their output was low, so it was questionable whether they could properly withstand large monsters.

‘Damn it, I asked for support because I thought something like this might happen…!’

But he couldn’t run away from here either.

If he ran away, one axis of the western defense of the Duchy would collapse. If only two or three fortresses behind him were destroyed, the western part of the Duchy of Navarr would be completely exposed.

‘Damn it, it’s either die or faint!’

Baron Caseron steeled himself. The monsters that had approached the fortress began to roar ferociously.

“Kroooo! Attack!”

A thunderous shout erupted from behind the monsters, and ogres and trolls charged to the forefront.

Covered in rusty iron plates, they wielded large axes and iron clubs, their momentum like that of a Gigant [a large, powerful humanoid war machine].

Kwaaaang!

Kiaaaaak!

The soldiers loading cannons on the ramparts, startled by the ferocity of the charging monsters, scrambled away or wet their pants.

“What are you doing!”

“Load the cannons and fire immediately!”

Driven by the nagging of knights and officers, the soldiers stepped forward again, but their morale was already broken.

Puh-pung! Puh-puh-pung!

Several cannons fired shells, spewing white smoke.

Most missed due to poor aiming, and even those that hit did little damage against the iron plates.

“Damn it! Shoot arrows!”

At Baron Caseron’s command, the archers fired arrows.

An ogre, approaching the gate while piercing through the rain of arrows, swung a large iron club.

Crack!

The gate shattered in a single blow. The ramparts also collapsed or cracked from the melee attacks.

Through the gaps, orcs and goblins poured in like a tide.

“Kuh! Reorganize the ranks and drive out the invaders!”

Unfortunately, few soldiers responded to Baron Caseron’s cry. The Warrior-class Gigant, their only hope, was rendered useless, reduced to scrap metal as ogres and trolls swarmed it.

In the end, Baron Caseron, who fought to the end with some knights, was trampled to death by an ogre’s foot.

After the battle, the monster army’s flag was raised over the fortress.

Orc Hero Shaikhan watched with a bitter smile, then his expression turned serious.

‘It’s not time to celebrate yet. This is just the first step. If I am to prove that I am a true descendant of the Divine Dragon, I must go further and achieve more victories.’

Shaikhan’s eyes, looking towards the eastern horizon, flickered like flames.

4

‘They say a man should rise in the world…’

Luke, having arrived at the Northern Army Headquarters, could feel his changed status.

When he reported for duty last year, no one paid him any attention, but now the knights and soldiers of the headquarters lined the road in full regalia to greet him.

The eyes of the headquarters soldiers were filled with respect and envy.

Though he didn’t show it, Luke couldn’t help but feel his shoulders stiffen.

He was escorted to the commander’s office amidst such a warm welcome.

“Welcome, Marquis.”

As he entered, a middle-aged man with a gentle demeanor rose from his seat and greeted him.

‘Is this Count Omar, the new commander of the Northern Army?’

He had heard from Alex that he was a capable administrator and manager.

He was quickly restoring the city of Krom and the Northern Army, which had been devastated by the Volga Republic forces.

Count Omar was Luke’s direct superior, but he showed a respectful attitude, perhaps because Luke’s title was higher. Luke also found it awkward to speak down to him, so he raised his tone appropriately.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. But why have you called me here?”

At Luke’s question, Count Omar, who had offered him a seat, took out an appointment letter stamped with the Emperor’s seal and handed it to him.

Luke’s eyebrows twitched as he read the letter.

“Appointed as commander of the unit supporting the Duchy of Navarr, which is in crisis due to the monster invasion, lead the support troops and depart?”

“Haha, there will be a need for further explanation. Let me tell you in detail.”

Count Omar, with a hearty laugh, began to tell Luke about the recent events.

In short, tens of thousands of monsters had simultaneously invaded the western part of the Duchy of Navarr, causing chaos.

The fortresses guarding the border had fallen one after another, and the western territories were being devastated.

“Even if there are many, shouldn’t they be defeated by mobilizing Gigants?”

Even if the Duchy of Navarr was poor and weak, it should have about 200 to 300 Gigants.

Cheaper cannons and gunpowder were also very useful weapons for defeating monsters.

It wasn’t like 500 years ago when they fought only with spears and swords, and Luke couldn’t believe they were struggling to stop the monsters even with such power.

“Of course, that would be the case under normal circumstances. However, this monster invasion is quite unusual. Large monsters are sometimes seen traveling with small monsters that they would normally eat, and when attacking fortresses, they move in an orderly manner as if they were well-trained soldiers.”

“Huh, what is this…!”

Luke looked dumbfounded.

If you only consider the combat power and reproductive power of individuals, humans could never defeat monsters.

However, humans had intelligence that monsters did not. Some monsters had intelligence, but it was at the level of a child.

With that intelligence and the technology passed down from the fairies in ancient times, humans created superior weapons and developed their civilization by uniting into nations and territories.

Thanks to that, humans became the dominant race of the middle world, following the fairies, and monsters were pushed into forests, deep valleys, and desolate deserts or grasslands.

But monsters, with no or low intelligence, using military tactics?

“Then, perhaps they…”

“Yes, the Imperial Family has determined that there is a being acting as their brain.”

Luke remembered a story.

Occasionally, heroes or chieftains are born among monsters, taking control of the group with great power and leadership.

Looking at past history, every time such beings were born, wars called Monster Waves broke out, and human kingdoms suffered great damage.

“At first, the Imperial Family was going to end it by just supporting with weapons, including Gigants. However, after seeing the information obtained later, they decided it was not something they could ignore.”

According to Count Omar, the monsters were becoming more cunning as they continued to fight.

They were not only using weapons seized from the Duchy’s soldiers but also arming large monsters such as ogres and trolls with Gigant armor, greatswords, and shields.

“In addition, they are said to be advancing very rapidly. When the Duchy’s army went to support with Gigants, they often found the place already reduced to ashes.”

“Are they emphasizing mobility?”

“Not only that, but they are also using traps and luring tactics, and even using captured humans to operate cannons or maintain weapons.”

At this level, it was difficult to underestimate them as monsters.

They had to be recognized as a group with equal military capabilities and tactical skills.

“The biggest problem is that their numbers are increasing daily. What was initially reported as 50,000 is now close to 70,000.”

They didn’t increase their numbers by giving birth to offspring. The time was too short for that.

It seemed they had gathered the monsters scattered throughout the Duchy of Navarr.

Monsters also had the habit of gathering under a strong chieftain or leader, so they would have followed orders willingly.

“If we leave them like this, it is highly likely that it will become a big problem. There are also a considerable number of monsters living on the borders of the Empire.”

If those guys ride on the Orc Hero and run wild, the Empire would also suffer considerable damage.

No, the monsters themselves were not a big problem. However, while moving the army to suppress the monsters, the Volga Republic might launch a surprise attack again.

After hearing this, Luke nodded and said,

“I understand the situation… but why me?”

“Yes?”

“There are many other generals in the Empire, so why do I have to go as the commander of the support troops?”

Count Omar, who did not expect Luke to openly object, looked flustered.

“T-that is not what I decided, but…”

‘Of course, it wasn’t you, but that damn Emperor who decided it.’

They had to suppress the monster army that would become troublesome if left alone, but they didn’t want to send a loyal general under their command. They also had to keep the aristocratic faction in check and keep an eye on the Volga Republic.

So, they would have chosen the descendant of a hero who was not missed.

“Well, as a soldier, I have to go if it’s His Majesty’s order. Instead, I will take my subordinates with me.”

Luke’s earlier nervous reaction was to take the knights of the Tolude Fortress with him.

Originally, a commander from a noble family could not arbitrarily take troops except for the retainers they brought when they enlisted. This was to prevent the privatization of the central army.

However, in addition to Caper, Anna, Hobart, and Alex, who had mastered the Gold Sword, the other knights of the Tolude Fortress had also mastered the Silver Sword.

It was a huge loss to leave them behind, as they were obedient and highly skilled.

‘If I want to recruit as many as possible, I have to keep them for a long time. Yes, that’s right.’

While Luke was thinking that, Count Omar looked troubled.

“That’s difficult. According to the Imperial Military Law…”

“The Imperial Military Law states that high-ranking nobles with the title of Marquis or higher must have a suitable escort unit. Is that correct?”

Luke’s point was correct.

A Marquis was usually in charge of commanding a headquarters or holding a position equivalent to it.

Naturally, they had to be careful about security, so they were required to have a dedicated escort unit.

However, that escort unit was also selected and assigned by the headquarters, and it was not possible for the person in question, like Luke, to request a specific target.

Count Omar was about to point that out, but he shut his mouth when Luke subtly pulled up his aura and applied pressure.

“There’s no need to think too hard. I didn’t request it separately, and the headquarters can just appoint my subordinates as escort knights and transfer them, right?”

When Luke suggested a compromise, Count Omar, who was sweating profusely, reluctantly nodded.

“Ah, I understand. I can do that much…”

Having reached an agreement and decided on the expedition, Luke hurriedly returned to the fortress and informed his subordinates that they would be dispatched to the Duchy of Navarr with him.

Unintentionally, most of the knights showed a positive reaction to the dispatch.

“The Duchy of Navarr… isn’t it quite far from here?”

“It’ll be better than here anyway. It’ll be easier to suppress monsters than the Volga Republic forces, who could attack again at any time.”

“Above all, it’s good that we can continue to learn the Silver Sword. I’ve only mastered half of it.”

Ten days later, Luke and 30 knights left the Tolude Fortress, where they had grown fond of each other, and headed west.

After receiving 30,000 support troops sent by the Imperial Family along the way, they began their march towards the Duchy of Navarr, where a great battle awaited them.

5

Philip’s expression was not as bright as expected.

When he first left the Tolude Fortress, he was full of anticipation, but as he got closer to the western border, his face became more and more frowned.

Finally, after arriving at the border village, he openly expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Lord. Isn’t this too much?”

“What is?”

“The number of Gigants is smaller than I thought. And they’re all Warrior-class that were produced a long time ago. Can we stop the Monster Wave with this?”

When he first joined the support troops, Philip was the first to assess the strength of the dispatched knight order.

And he couldn’t help but be disappointed.

The knights were a motley crew gathered from all over the place, and the level of Gigant power and the accompanying mages was also terrible.

The problem was not just that.

The troops were mostly new recruits who had just finished training.

‘This can’t be all, right? There must be more troops joining along the way.’

He endured while thinking that, but there were no more additional troops until he arrived at the border.

The opponent was the army of the Orc Hero who had swept away the Duchy’s army, who were used to suppressing monsters. Could these amateurs and ragtag groups really compete?

“Damn it, this is definitely a scheme to trick the Lord. There’s no other way this could happen!”

From the perspective of the Imperial Family, who had a bad relationship with the Rakan family, they had no choice but to try to keep them in check.

In the immediate aftermath of the war with the Volga Republic, the Emperor had promoted Luke as a war hero to appease the criticism of the aristocratic faction, but things were different now that the conflict had been resolved.

Perhaps it would be best if Luke died fighting the monsters, and even if he didn’t die, if he failed to provide support and returned, they would use that as an excuse to punish him.

“Well, there’s a high possibility of that. They’ll want to get rid of me somehow.”

Luke agreed with Philip’s claim.

Although the Northern Army had suffered great damage in the last war, considering the national power of the Empire, they could have organized at least 30,000 elite troops, if not Gigants.

However, the fact that they were all filled with young new recruits was clearly intended to make things difficult for him.

Of course, Luke was not one to be easily defeated.

He had a plan prepared for this time.

“Sebastian.”

“Did you call, Master?”

When Luke called out in a low voice, Sebastian slyly poked his head out from under the shadow of the horse.

“Go ahead and find out the situation in the Duchy of Navarr.”

The most important thing on the battlefield is information.

The first chapter of the Southern Continent’s tactics book states, ‘If you know the enemy and know yourself, you will not be in danger in a hundred battles.’

To this end, Luke sent Sebastian.

And he didn’t intend to end it there, so he called out another subordinate.

“Belpar.”

“Yes, Master! Do you have something for me to do?”

Belpar, who had transformed into a bat and was hiding nearby, responded.

“Go to the western prairie and scout the movements of the monsters. If there is anything unusual, investigate it without missing a single thing.”

“I obey your command.”

Luke had a power that the world did not know.

Luke was determined to use the powers that formed the basis of the Demon King Seymon to his heart’s content in this war.

‘It’s good that the opponent is a monster. If I’m just a little careful, there’s no fear of being discovered.’

The Emperor would be happy that he had cornered him, but that was not the case at all. Rather, he was glad that he could use the powers he had not been able to use because he had been watching the world’s eyes.

Moreover, it would not end with just showing off his skills.

Among the black magic, there was also a method of absorbing the power of others, like Black Bind.

‘They said there are tens of thousands of monsters? I’m looking forward to how much power I’ll be able to gather.’

He smiled inwardly and gave a loud command to the soldiers following behind him.

“Everyone, increase the marching speed! We must arrive in Avignon within five days!”