The Enemy Who Retreats Without a Fight

Chapter 171 The Enemy Who Retreats Without a Fight (Part 2)

in situ.

Seeing that Richard and Grace, those two unfathomable and formidable "orcs," had left, William immediately withdrew from his exile.

He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and used magic to suppress the orcs in front of him.

Soon after, the teammates down the hillside also dealt with the lower-level orcs and came up to join William. Together, they wiped out the remaining orcs.

However, despite their victory, they suffered significant losses and were no longer able to continue their hunting missions.

Furthermore, due to the unexpected attack by the orcs, some people began to doubt William's command abilities, and consequently, whether he was capable of serving as captain.

Faced with this situation, William had no choice but to abandon his original plan of sacrifice.

He sighed inwardly:

Why am I so unlucky today?

Not only did they gain nothing, but they also wasted their trump card spell for nothing, and afterwards they'll inevitably have to offer more things to that guy—

Fuck!

Meanwhile, the culprits who had brought William misfortune returned safely to the military camp.

Richard eagerly pulled Grace into the tent and made her explain the information about William's backing.

"No problem, but as a reward, you'll have to give me a nice treat tonight~"

Grace poked Richard's cheek with her index finger before explaining with a grin, "That thing hidden in William's dimensional bag is most likely an incarnation of the Lord of Impermanence, Comius—"

Richard frowned. "The Lord of Impermanence? Is that an evil god?"

Grace shook her head.

"Not really. Although the title sounds impressive, he is actually just a demigod."

"He was born in a plane called the Twisted Sea, and over a thousand years ago, he was summoned to Terella by a lich whose name is now unknown—"

"Then he was possessed by the Lord of Radiance, who then led a group of priests and paladins to beat him half to death, and he slunk back to the Twisted Sea."

Ah, this—

That sounds a bit low-class.

"That's why I said he can't be considered a god."

Grace shrugged and continued, "But no matter what, he's still much stronger than ordinary mortals."

"After being driven away, it did not completely disappear, but instead scattered dozens of small clones to roam around, luring talented mages to sign contracts with it and offer them the souls and flesh of Terella's creatures."

"Each of these clones possesses mid-level strength and is particularly adept at manipulating space, such as the self-exile technique you witnessed today. Furthermore, they can combine with individuals who have signed a contract to create even more powerful monsters."

For some reason, she feels like some kind of dark magical girl.

Richard pursed his lips and asked again, "So, how should we deal with him?"

Grace replied, "The best way is to separate him from William and eliminate them."

"If that's not possible, we can use specially made items to limit its strength."

"The reason why Komulsis's clones can manipulate space or create monsters is because they can obtain the power that the main body transmits from the Twisted Sea. Once this transmission chain is broken, they become no different from slimes."

"The Twisted Sea is essentially a bottomless abyss, filled with chaotic energy—"

"In other words, the tools the church makes to strengthen the power of order and expel demons are basically all capable of doing this job."

"The premise is that you need to make a small adjustment, just like when you use a fishing rod originally for tuna to fish for perch and you need to change the hook—coincidentally, I happen to know how to make the adjustment~"

great!

Richard clenched his fist happily.

The church's props and such, that condition is too easy to meet.

After all, there are plenty of priests and paladins in the military camp now, so if all else fails, we can ask Isabella for help.

I believe he will be ready soon.

By then, he could shut down William's trump card and then find another opportunity to eliminate him.

As Richard pondered this, he couldn't sit still any longer and decided to leave the tent now to collect the necessary items.

But as soon as he stood up, Grace's delicate little hand gently rested on his shoulder.

"Don't rush, little poet. This isn't something that can be done in a day or two. Before you get into it, why don't you distribute the reward you promised your lovely companion first?"

"Didn't you say it would be evening? The sun hasn't even set yet!"

"It'll be setting in half an hour. What's the difference between rounding up and it already being set?"

"There are still some differences."

"Because of William's matter, you didn't have a chance to try my Zoya form before, don't you want to try it again soon~"

"Oh, this—"

Richard's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Is it really possible to do this?

A general goes to war but neglects military affairs, spending all his time exploring new ways to have fun with his female companions. Isn't that a bit too sinful?

Wait, I'm not a general, but a poet?

That's fine.

As the saying goes, "Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to poets, and will first test their minds and wills." Perhaps the guilt I felt in satisfying a dragon was the test that Heaven wanted me to undergo!

Richard smoothly convinced himself and turned to face Grace, who had transformed into Zoya and opened a mental link.

"Hmm... I feel like he's a bit too short."

"Damn poet! What are you saying! My body is perfect—"

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it. Little Zoya just likes this pose. Wait, I've got an idea for a position I can use this against." "Grace! You! You can't—damn it, why does it feel so good again—"

One thousand words are omitted hereafter.

In short, in the blink of an eye, it was already the next day.

This time, Richard had no distractions and got straight to work as soon as he stepped out of the tent.

Yes, the serious kind of business.

In the morning, he and Grace went out to sweep through the area and repelled a small orc squad.

In the afternoon, he informed Isabella of his current needs.

After hearing this, the princess did not help to find church members, but instead took out a blessing incense burner directly from her dimensional bag.

It is made of brass, is spherical in shape, and has a chain at the top, making it look like a small meteor hammer.

Isabella explained that this was a gift given to her by the Earth Goddess Priestess of the Imperial Capital when she became a mid-level paladin. It had the power to stabilize the surrounding space and expel evil energy.

That sounds quite expensive.

Richard's Insightful Eyes confirmed that it was indeed an extremely rare treasure. While it was a pity it couldn't be used for charm, its value was undeniable.

Considering that Grace's minor adjustments might damage him, Richard was somewhat embarrassed to accept them.

Isabella, however, was quite relaxed about it, stating that it didn't matter how Richard used it.

Seeing this, Richard didn't stand on ceremony.

Anyway, the poet and the princess owed each other so many favors that they could almost fill half a book of dwarf hatred, so a little more wouldn't matter.

That evening, he handed the incense burner to Grace, hoping she would achieve good results.

Unexpectedly, before Grace could even produce her results, an unforeseen accident occurred, disrupting Richard's plans.

"The orc army has retreated?!"

The next day at noon, Richard was summoned into the large tent for the meeting. After hearing Marshal Ludwig's words, he couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"It is indeed hard to believe, but it is true."

Above, Ludwig nodded to Richard, then continued addressing all the nobles and officers: "According to reports from the vanguard rangers and griffon riders, the orcs have lifted their siege of Iron Abyss and have voluntarily retreated dozens of kilometers towards the border—"

The crowd below immediately began to murmur amongst themselves.

"Does this mean the war is over before it even started?"

"Could this be a trap?"

"The griffin riders patrol the skies; no trap can escape their notice!"

"Or perhaps the orcs want to find a better location to fight?"

"The southwest of Iron Abyss City is either swamp or plain; what good place is there to defend? If we had to find one, we'd have to retreat all the way back to Lion Fortress!"

"I think you're all overthinking it. It's obvious those wild beasts were scared and ran away because they saw we outnumbered them!"

"It's also possible they've simply had enough and want to retreat to their stronghold to enjoy their spoils; barbarians are all like that—"

"Ahem! Silence."

Half a minute later, Ludwig shouted to quiet everyone down.

He then gave his direct order: "We cannot determine the orcs' intentions at this time, and we cannot rule out the possibility that this is a trap."

"But in any case, the enemy forces around Iron Abyss City have disappeared, and most of the orc squads that were roaming nearby have also retreated."

"We must seize this opportunity, speed up our advance, and reach Iron Abyss City as soon as possible—"

The marshal's order was given, and the nobles and officers responded immediately.

After that, the entire expeditionary force sprang into action.

Because most of the orc elite squads had retreated, most of the human hunting squads had also disbanded.

William never left the military camp again, so he had no chance to carry out the sacrifice, and Richard also couldn't find an opportunity to launch a sneak attack for a while.

Everyone focused on getting to their destination, and after three days of accelerated marching, they finally arrived at Iron Abyss City.

now.

Richard followed Isabella to the city gate.

Looking to the side, one could see destroyed catapults and siege towers everywhere, as well as orc corpses riddled with arrows that had not yet been carried away.

Looking up, one sees the thick city wall, though stained black by fire, largely intact.

Cast-iron city gates, and towering towers gleaming with magical light.

What a well-defended city!

No wonder his name has the character for "iron" in it.

One can imagine that the orcs must have launched a very fierce attack on this place, but failed. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the orcs chose to retreat.

Just as Richard was pondering this, the soldiers and civilians on the city wall saw the arrival of reinforcements and burst into enthusiastic cheers.

Immediately, the city gates opened, and the garrison troops lined up and led the expeditionary force into the city.

That afternoon, the expeditionary force set up camp in Tieyuan City.

Ludwig, Jonas, and Isabella, along with all the nobles and officers, including Richard, were invited to the palace in the inner city for a meeting.

Here, Richard encountered the sixth prince, whom Isabella had mentioned earlier, as well as the original master of Iron Abyss, the Grand Duke of equal rank to Aissa, the pillar of the southwest empire, Quiran Gunther—

Wait, something's not right.

Why is Gareth Fonser's name displayed by the Eye of Insight?

Richard asked Isabella with a puzzled look, and she explained, "I only found out yesterday. During the defense of the city, Quelan faced off against the red dragon head-on. Although he successfully severed one of the dragon's claws, he was unfortunately defeated and killed. Now, his son Gareth has inherited the position of Grand Duke."

I see, no wonder.

However, this guy looks at least forty years old, but his level is only 2, and all his attributes are terrible. He has no special skills, and his talent is—

Binge eating and lust?

Ah, never mind, there's nothing to see here.

Richard pursed his lips, but continued to focus on the Sixth Prince.

The sixth prince's full name is Marcus Friedrich.

Although she is two years younger than Isabella, she is already a level 6 warrior, which can be called a little genius.

Moreover, its charm is as high as 16 points.

He was handsome and dignified, and looked like a promising young prince.

He seems even more competitive than the Second Prince Jonas.

While Richard was secretly observing...

"I am late, and I apologize for keeping Your Highness and the Grand Duke waiting—"

"The marshal has arrived at the perfect time. If it weren't for your army's steady advance, how could the orcs have been scared away?"

Ludwig had finished exchanging pleasantries with Gareth and Marcus.

Then everyone started talking about serious matters.

Ludwig asked the garrison if they had any further information about the orcs in order to determine their intention to retreat.

Unfortunately, the Grand Duke and the Sixth Prince knew no more than the expeditionary force.

Nevertheless, Ludwig made a decision after discussing it with everyone.

He will leave a small group of people to help guard Iron Abyss City, while sweeping away the remaining orcs and bandits who have emerged in the chaos.

Then he led the main force to catch up with the orcs and seek an opportunity to fight in the field.

As for how to find opportunities, carefully lay ambushes, and how to hurt the orcs, that's a question that Master Yuan needs to think about himself. No one present is more professional than him.

Also.

In the ensuing battle, Ludwig did not intend to bring Isabella and Jonas along.

Now that troops and supplies have been gathered and the siege of Iron Abyss City has been lifted, most of Charles VII's original orders have been fulfilled. Therefore, the old marshal felt that the princes and princesses no longer needed to accompany the army.

In particular, Ludwig advised the sixth prince, Marcus, to return to the capital and meet with the emperor, whom he was worried about.

However, Marku rejected the old marshal's suggestion.

He said to everyone, "Gentlemen, during the defense of the city, in order to guard against the orcs digging tunnels, we built a defensive line underground in Iron Abyss City in advance. During the process, we unexpectedly discovered an interesting site."

"I want to explore this ruin first before returning to the capital—"

Upon hearing Marcus say this, everyone present became curious.

Marku didn't try to keep them in suspense. Instead, he invited them into the underground passage, eventually leading them to a spacious stone hall.

The floor of the stone hall was covered with mysterious engravings, and in the middle, a black and red longsword was half-inserted into the ground. At the end was a ten-meter-high cast iron gate that was firmly closed.

Good heavens, is this some kind of otherworldly version of Sword in the Stone?

Richard followed the crowd, scanning his surroundings, and finally fixed his gaze on the sword, the back half of which was visible.

【Name: Sword that Slays Angels (Can Be Charmed)】

Level: Legendary Description: Simply pulling out this sword won't make you king, but if you can also pull out the boulder stuck in the ground and carry it on your shoulder, you'll definitely become king.

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