Chapter 19: Tension in the North

Chapter 19: Tension in the North

Of course, the Orcs were itching to conquer Mark Fortress.

If that happened, they wouldn’t just be pillaging southward—they’d be claiming land!

However, while the Orcs were stronger in close combat than humans, they couldn’t compete with humans in other aspects.

For instance, humans had tall city walls protecting them.

And the Orcs lacked effective siege weapons.

Most Orcs were the type with big brains and simple limbs.

They trusted in their own strength rather than relying on outside tools.

In short, it’s all about size! The bigger I am, the stronger I am!

A few wise Orcs felt powerless against their brainless comrades, wishing they could do something.

Truly, it’s not the god-like enemy you fear—it’s the pig-like friends you dread.

Thus, when the Orcs laid siege, they were forced to improvise very simple siege weapons.

Without good siege weapons, even the towering Orcs couldn’t match humans’ high city walls.

Moreover, Mark Fortress was the most important military stronghold in the northern region of Nick Kingdom.

Each year, Nick Kingdom allocated massive military funding to keep it running smoothly.

This is why the Orcs hadn’t captured Mark Fortress these past years.

Each time they marched south, they would attack Mark Fortress, but only as a formality.

Their real goal was to encircle the fortress and the human troops inside, allowing their scattered small squads to sneak into human territory to raid for food and then return.

Otherwise, they could be completely surrounded and turned into dumplings by the human forces inside, aided by the kingdom’s internal troops.

Small squads facing large ones? Add in their unfamiliarity with human lands, and it’s a recipe for total annihilation.

For situations like this, human kingdoms like Nick, which were raided by Orcs every year, obviously wouldn’t just sit back and watch.

However, during the autumn harvest, they were too busy gathering crops to send many soldiers to the army, as that would disrupt the harvest.

In such circumstances, kings had no choice but to send those who weren’t involved in the harvest to the north.

Mercenaries naturally fell into this category.

The task given to them by the king was to block those small Orc squads invading the kingdom’s depths.

Speaking of which, mercenaries were way more efficient at dealing with small Orc units than the soldiers.

Soldiers had to follow orders, and with multiple levels of command, many opportunities could easily be missed.

In contrast, mercenaries acted much more flexibly.

Their task was simply to kill Orcs—bring back their heads for a nice payout from the king.

So, every year, the mercenary guild received commissions from the king, and many mercenaries would charge northward to combat the Orc armies.

It was a golden opportunity for both profit and fame.

However, on the flip side, mercenaries also faced tremendous risks.

As previously mentioned, the Orcs were strong foes.

They didn’t care much about sieges, but they excelled in open combat.

And no matter what kind of creature it was, their existence in a war was often insignificant.

Take Axi, for example; even someone as powerful as him could very well lose his life in battle.

The three hundred-year-old Alexander and Krul were also prime examples.

Two of the world’s most powerful beings fell together in a single war.

Having said that, let’s refocus on Axi and Airael.

Both knew this northern journey was incredibly dangerous.

But since they had accepted the task, they wouldn’t back down.

Pride burned in their hearts.

Three days later.

After three days of swift travel, Airael and Axi had yet to reach the northern border, but they were not far off.

This area would also be affected if the Orcs decided to march south.

Airael and Axi stopped by some fields along the road.

The golden wheat fields looked incredibly enchanting.

Moreover, a faint fragrance wafted from the crops.

Due to limited productivity and seasonal reasons, the fields here had a single harvest each year, sowing in spring and reaping in autumn.

By winter, the fields lay barren.

This meant that if the farmers couldn’t finish the autumn harvest smoothly or if the harvested grain couldn’t be preserved, next year’s survival would be tough.

Every year, after paying their dues and setting aside enough for their household’s consumption for the coming year, there wasn’t much grain left.

And that was assuming they had a good harvest! If the yield was poor, there might not be enough to get through the year.

At this moment, the local farmers were racing against time to gather crops from the fields.

Clearly, this was a bountiful year.

But the farmers didn’t seem particularly happy about it.

What they needed to do was quickly harvest the grain and hide it, making sure those southbound Orcs wouldn’t steal their hard-earned food.

Feeling the farmers’ anxious energy, Axi let out a soft sigh.

Harvest time should be a joyful occasion.

But unfortunately, war destroys everything.

Even though Airael was no longer human and had significant grievances with the human race, she was still moved by the scene before her.

It was evident that these farmers had no grand ambitions; they only wished for a good harvest that would see their families through the year without fear of hunger.

However, achieving such a modest wish was incredibly difficult for them.

In the name of survival, the northern Orcs were eyeing both them and their crops with greed.

The duo’s presence caught the farmers’ attention.

But the farmers dared not approach the two outsiders freely.

Soon enough, someone came to inquire about Airael and Axi.

The person was a knight riding a tall horse, clad in shining plate armor.

Behind him followed four knights in chainmail, also mounted.

“You two! Who are you, and where do you come from?” the knight demanded, standing at the ready.

Their enemies weren’t just the incoming Orcs; there were also scoundrels among humans to beware of.

Facing the knight’s unfriendly stance, Airael replied, “We are mercenaries heading north to help you fight the Orcs.”

“Since you’re mercenaries, do you have identification proof and a mission order?”

Upon hearing this, the knight relaxed a bit but remained on guard.