Chapter 9: Hat Exchange

Chapter 9: Hat Exchange

On the walls of Malong Fortress, the Beast King gazed down at the regrouped human troops below, his expression grave.

Today’s human formation was slightly different from yesterday’s, with those high-ranking commanders standing right within their ranks.

It was obvious what this meant.

Humans were gearing up for a real attack today.

Those high-ranking commanders would actually join the battle, instead of just watching like yesterday.

“General Mork, you’ll be working hard today.”

The Beast King shifted his gaze to Mork beside him.

“Your Majesty, the humans are numerous and it seems they plan to attack from multiple fronts. It will be difficult for just me to hold them back. Moreover, this battle concerns the safety of Malong Fortress and the entire Orc race. Are you not going to lend a hand, Your Majesty?”

Mork replied, though he was confident in his own strength, he wasn’t foolish.

Dealing with those human high-ranking commanders was beyond him alone.

Not to mention, the humans weren’t focusing on just one location; they’d attack in various spots.

If he had to run back and forth, he’d surely wear himself out before long.

Seeing Mork drag him into this, the Beast King found it awkward to refuse.

“Of course! I will surely lend a hand. I just hope General Mork can take on a bit more responsibility; after all, your strength is the greatest among us.”

Saying this, he also placed a metaphorical hat on Mork.

As the saying goes: “Those who can do more must work harder.”

Though Mork was a Dark Elf and didn’t have much to do with Orcs, having accepted the Orcs’ favorable conditions, he naturally had to bear some responsibility.

“You needn’t remind me, Your Majesty. If the Orcs are wiped out, then all my earlier and future efforts would be in vain.”

Though Mork agreed, he couldn’t resist throwing a jibe at the Beast King.

The destruction of the Orcs was certainly something the Beast King wished to avoid, yet everything was beyond his control now.

It was easy to imagine how much the Beast King didn’t want to hear that.

From that point on, the Beast King said nothing further to Mork.

While he was not pleased with Mork, did he need Mork at this moment?

Thus, the best course of action was to pretend he didn’t hear.

Mork glanced at the silent Beast King and smirked slightly, redirecting his focus to the human army outside.

At that moment, the human army was already prepared for battle.

With a command from Komit, human units began their assault on the Orcs according to their pre-planned strategy.

Tall siege engines led the charge, drawing fire away from the human soldiers behind them.

Airael and Arthur hid behind one of those siege engines.

Clustered around them were a group of guards.

Amidst such a massive battle, Airael was once again reminded of the great war she had experienced hundreds of years ago.

Back then, she felt helpless and her frail self had barely been able to contribute much.

But now, she had grown and was capable of standing on her own.

Thus, even though this battle was for the humans, Airael was determined to show her prowess, treating it as a true test of her abilities.

While she had fought several times with Arthur and had a scuffle with Mork, the former was filled with rehearsed enthusiasm, and the latter ended abruptly.

Due to various concerns, Mork had been convinced to leave.

Today’s battle was different; it was a conflict with widespread implications.

Hearing the creaking of the siege engines advancing and the heavy footsteps of soldiers marching beside him, Arthur felt a sudden weight on his heart.

This battle wouldn’t be easy.

Facing Orcs was one thing, but the real challenge was that they had Dark Elves as reinforcements.

And it was the commander Mork leading the charge.

“Arthur, don’t worry, we’ll win. Those Dark Elves aren’t that terrifying.”

Noticing Arthur’s anxiousness, Airael whispered.

Her words hit the nail on the head regarding Arthur’s current worries.

Humans might despise Orcs, but they still held a certain reverence for Elves.

After all, it was said that the human emperor Alexander had met his end at the hands of the Elven race.

Though the Elves had also suffered, such a result was enough to make humans take the Elven race seriously.

Comparatively speaking, as the Elven Queen, Airael didn’t think there was much to fear from Elves.

Aside from their looks, their power and talent were only somewhat superior to ordinary humans, coupled with rather noticeable pointed ears—Elves didn’t seem much different from humans.

The societal issues faced by humans also existed in Elven society, and certain problems, due to the unique nature of Elven society, could become even more challenging to resolve.

Of course, some issues might become easier to handle.

This required us to recognize that everything has its duality.

Although Airael intentionally lowered her voice, Arthur, with his keen hearing, caught every word she said.

Next, he looked at Airael, remaining silent.

He didn’t know how to respond to her.

“Don’t worry too much; even Dark Elves have their limitations. They are not all-powerful, unbeatable gods. If that’s the case, no matter how strong they are, they can still be defeated.”

Airael continued to work on Arthur’s mindset.

One mustn’t falter before the battle, especially since Arthur was the backbone of this unit.

His every move was closely scrutinized by the troops.

“I understand, Ailia, thank you.”

Arthur smiled at Airael.

Then he composed himself, looking forward with a confident demeanor.

Some things, no matter how difficult, as long as one has the will to achieve them, there’s a chance; if one lacks the courage to even try, success will be impossible.

In response, Airael smiled back, saying nothing more.

At that moment, they had already entered the enemy’s attack range atop the city wall.

The Dark Elves on the wall were using leftover trebuchets from yesterday’s battle to hurl stones at the humans.

This could be seen as a reward for the humans who had fought the whole day yesterday, effectively diminishing the enemy’s defensive capabilities.

Heavy stones fell onto the siege engines, creating significant holes, causing their movements to become erratic.

Fortunately, human craftsmanship was not subpar; the siege engines did not collapse and continued to advance.

Behind the siege engines, Arthur and Airael and others all breathed a sigh of relief.