The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 114

As the distance closed, the composition of the monster horde rushing towards us became clear. Orcs and Ogres, whose presence was expected, were indeed there, and even monsters that usually acted alone, such as Drakes and Cyclops, were occasionally seen.

‘It’s fascinating. I’d like to study it.’

We call all those creatures ‘monsters,’ but they weren’t simple enough to be lumped together under a single classification. Even among wild animals, bears and tigers are different species.

It’s the same here. From their appearance to their habits, they clearly show that they are different species. Yet, despite having potential prey within arm’s reach, these different species are forming a single group and approaching us.

It was a sight that would be difficult to understand unless humans were specifically targeted for eradication from birth, or even from the moment each species was created.

‘By the way… it doesn’t look like I’ll even need to step in?’

The Glory formation, centered around Father-in-Law’s personal Titan, ‘Garder,’ protecting the soldiers from the monsters, was just as impressive as the monster horde of several thousand at first glance.

Nevertheless, the soldiers, who hadn’t fully grasped the Titan’s true value, seemed to have their fear, suppressed by the recent speech, resurface as they faced the monster onslaught.

‘Do not be afraid! Trust your comrades beside you, trust the knights in front, and raise your spears!’

However, I had no doubt that their fear would soon be replaced by confidence. The preparations I had painstakingly made over ten years were not so *shoddy* as to be *blocked* from the very first step.

‘Charge!’

‘Aaaaaah!’

#

The battle… or should I even call it a battle? At least between the soldiers and the ordinary monsters, and between the knights and the higher species, the word ‘battle’ was appropriate. Regardless of the exchange ratio, they posed a threat to each other. However, for the Titans, including Garder, this wasn’t a battle, but a one-sided massacre.

Thud, thud-

The Titans, few enough to count on your fingers and toes, were achieving a one-sided victory against enemies that even veteran knights couldn’t guarantee survival against—like wolves among sheep.

Losses: 0, malfunctions: 0.

It was the first full-scale battle, so a small number of excited *pilots over-operated* [pushed their Titans too hard] and became exhausted, but that could be fixed with a little rest. Considering the number of higher species they eliminated reached three digits, it was a resounding victory.

In particular, the sight of them pushing forward with overwhelming power and speed, indiscriminately tearing apart or trampling the *small fry* [weaker monsters] without even waving a hand or sword, was enough to send shivers down the spines of the soldiers, even though they were on the same side, and make them sweat cold.

‘You fools. You’re tired from facing a scale of this size?’

‘Y-Your Excellency. That is…’

‘You’ve become complacent and neglected your training, so that’s what happens. If I see that *appearance* [weakness] again, I’ll have to pass that ring on to someone else.’

After the battle, while the unit was busy with cleanup, Duke Zieg harshly *drove* [reprimanded] the knights who had been forced to rest due to excessive mana usage.

Among them were not only those who had just arrived from the capital, filled with vigor and intoxicated by the blood and atmosphere of their first large-scale battle, but also knights who had *grown old* [gained experience] at the Terra Barrier.

‘I am sorry. I will be careful not to let this happen again.’

So, as soon as Father-in-Law’s *scolding* [lecture] was over, I went and asked.

‘Why did you make such a mistake?’

Why did you make such a basic mistake? I understand the former group. How excited they must have been, wielding a powerful force impossible with their bare hands, and single-handedly *cutting down* [defeating] higher species, which they would normally have to carefully approach as a party, like cutting straw. It wouldn’t be *strange* [surprising] if they made a mistake because they couldn’t control their own power.

However, these guys were different. The fact that they had survived at the Terra Barrier and continued to be active was enough to prove their skills. Among them, being assigned to Glory meant they possessed the most elite, top-tier experience and skill, so it was hard to understand why they had made such a basic mistake.

‘I’m embarrassed to make excuses after showing you such an *ugly appearance* [poor performance], but honestly, I was excited.’

‘Excited?’

‘Yes. I know you’ve experienced it too, Count, but our position has always been the one getting beaten, hasn’t it? So, I’m so excited about this situation where the offense and defense have been reversed.’

The answer was a bit funny, but also understandable to some extent. From the time the Terra Barrier was completed until now, it had faithfully served as a gateway, strictly as a means of blocking enemy attacks.

Monsters rushed in constantly, and we always had to *receive* [defend against] attacks in tension, without even dreaming of a counterattack. The only expedition, the Autumn Expedition, was only to lessen the impact in winter, so how *powerless* [frustrated] would they have felt?

But now they were *releasing* [unleashing] their hundreds of years of resentment at this moment, so even those who had experienced *everything* [hardship] couldn’t easily maintain their composure.

‘I see.’

#

After the cleanup was finished, we moved forward again. The monster corpses were all burned in a pit. Otherwise, given the *muddy* [soggy] state of the earth, we might have had to withdraw the unit due to *disease* [epidemic] rather than monsters. I fleetingly thought it might have been better in this respect if it had been winter.

‘But the combat consumption would have skyrocketed.’

The constant snowfall and frequent blizzards would have made the battle several times more difficult, and support from *follow-up units* [reinforcements] would have been inevitably difficult. In the first place, this wasn’t a place where humans could spend the winter unless they built a proper base. Therefore, our top priority was to secure a proper base before winter came, and to create safe zones with numerous bases acting as *fences* [barriers].

If we fail to do that, our efforts so far will be *in vain* [for nothing]. While we are *cowering* [hiding], the monsters will *steadily* [relentlessly] enter the area we have barely secured, and we will have to repeat this year’s efforts next year.

‘That can’t happen.’

The expedition to the land of monsters was by no means a problem that could be solved quickly. It was a great undertaking that could only be achieved with constant support. Therefore, creating a safe zone was essential.

The Emperor *repeatedly emphasized* [insisted] several times that, in order to *make the nobles’ eyes turn* [entice the nobles] and lead them, who had been *lukewarm* [unenthusiastic] in their response, to participate in the war, we had to bring the underground resources buried in the land of monsters back to the Empire.

‘We’ll stay here today. Everyone, prepare yourselves.’

‘Yes!’

Fortunately, while I was thinking, no more monsters attacked. It wasn’t that we didn’t encounter them, but compared to before, there were only a few, so they either ran away as soon as they saw us, or the knights, including the Titans, were enough to *take care of* [eliminate] them.

Thump, thump-

Mages turned over the *muddy ground* [wet soil], bringing the dry ground to the surface. Only then did the soldiers take out the prepared tents and begin to build a camp, and the knights *monitored* [guarded] the surroundings with the eyes of a hawk.

‘Raise your hand if you’ve spent the night in this place before.’

Some people, including me, raised their hands, but the number wasn’t very large. This was because the annual Autumn Expedition that used to be held when I was there had been reduced in scale or not attempted at all with the deployment of the Scorpions [unit name].

‘How did you sleep?’

‘We dug *earth caves* [holes] and hid underground to sleep.’

‘What’s the reason?’

‘Because night is the time of monsters.’

‘I’ll say it here. If there’s anyone who’s *careless* [negligent] just because we won a battle, come out right now. What’s scarier than a smart enemy is a stupid ally. I have no intention of keeping such an *idiot* [fool] in my unit.’

Night monsters are scary. In the first place, the environment of night itself isn’t beneficial for humans, but night monsters become even more *ferocious* [aggressive]. There was a theory that the magic of the moon makes monsters *ferocious* [violent], and there was also a theory that monsters with eyesight no less than humans show an excessive reaction to small stimuli when their vision becomes dark.

Aside from these two hypotheses, there were several others, and each had its own supporting data. But whatever hypothesis is correct, the fact that we must remember at this moment is that monsters have become even more *ferocious* [dangerous]. And we have to spend the night in it too.

‘Don’t *be careless* [let your guard down]. The only time you can *be careless* [relax] is when you’ve finished everything and come back inside the Terra Barrier. Do you understand?’

‘Yes!’

Whoa-

When I finished the short meeting and came outside, a chill covered me. Spring has come, but seeing that my breath still fogs up, it seemed it would take quite a while for the true meaning of spring to arrive.

‘Nothing should happen.’

The reason why Father-in-Law gathered not only the commanders but also the knights to reconfirm the importance of not *being careless* [being vigilant] was because it was an easy situation to *become careless* [grow complacent].

Today, we won too easily against the monsters. There were casualties, but considering the scale of the enemy we faced, it was as good as none. In particular, the Titan’s performance was enough to instill excessive confidence, so I wasn’t worried about the existing northern forces, but I was worried about the relatively inexperienced central army.

#

[Second Army, there are no particular problems so far.]

[The same goes for the Third Army.]

[No other problems either?]

[That’s right!]

At that time, Duke Zieg was receiving reports on the situation of each unit through the *communication device* [radio] that Renil and the other wizards had prepared in advance. As it was the first day, there were no major problems in each unit, and he ended the role of the *communication device* [radio] by issuing a directive to thoroughly guard during the night.

‘To think we’d really come this far.’

He muttered to himself, and only then did he lean back and recall the past. To think that what he thought was just a *naive* [inexperienced], *talented but reckless youngster’s* [overconfident youth’s] ambitious goal would already be approaching reality. It was amazing to him as well. At the same time, he was reminded of the contents of the letter that his son-in-law had brought.

A letter saying that after this expedition, he would retire and spend time with his grandchildren in his hometown with the rest of his family. He avoided giving an immediate answer because there was still work to be done.

‘If everything really ends, that wouldn’t be bad either.’

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