Dragon Order of Flame
Volume 1
Chapter 4 Part 6
Luke was on a mountain road with Marvin. Originally, a soldier who knew the geography of the surrounding area was to direct them. However, Luke refused the proposal, because it was more than enough to use the map filled with detailed information.
"Hey, Marvin."
Ten minutes after leaving the village, Luke turned to Marvin. In order to follow Luke, Marvin removed his heavy steel armor, and replaced it with a lighter and quieter - leather armor.
"What?"
"Why did you say that you would come along?"
"It was obviously because I could not stand the thought of you making a contribution. It seems that you were hoping to take advantage of father by speaking to him like that, but it will not go the way you want it to."
Luke couldn't hold in his sigh as he saw how pathetic Marvin was. He knew that it would be difficult for Marvin to believe that he was going to quietly leave the family. However, to think that he was suspicious that Luke was trying to take the spot as the heir.
"I do not care to be his successor."
"There's always someone who says such unconvincing words."
"You, do you want to get hit?
Marvin flinched as he saw Luke clench his fist. Luke, who was glaring at him, sighed again.
"Anyways, since this is how it is, guess there's no point in blaming you. But, let me just say this once. This mission can be very dangerous, so do not act on your own."
"Do not be ridiculous. Even if a dangerous situation arises, I will not be an obstruction."
"You are an obstruction, dumbass. You're able to say that, because you do not know how scary Orc Shamans can be."
As soon as Luke retorted back, Marvin flinched again. It was a pretty cute sight to see someone with such fierce eyes, flinch every time Luke got angry.
"Either way, don't get yourself into trouble."
Asked Volkar, who was watching the situation play out. Luke walked a distance away from Marvin, and whispered back.
"What do you mean?"
"It isn't….that I didn't think of such a radical thought." Marvin, who has no experience, and cannot conceal his movements while facing the enemy, is just a burden. However, Luke decided to take Marvin with him. "It'd be a pain if he was to go back and snitch on me, and it would also be a good experience for him if he's to become the Count in the future. I can always grab him and run if anything weird happens."
"If I utilize the power of the 4th level, it should somehow be okay. Besides, you're able to detect that dangerous Orc Shaman." "You do." "…..Do you think it's possible for me to learn magic at that level in the span of a few months? You studied magic for over 8 millenia, and yet you want me to do something like that in a mere months?" As Volkar tried to refute Luke, Marvin asked with suspicion in his tone. "What are you mumbling about by yourself?" Luke startled. Although it was difficult for Marvin to hear what Luke was saying, it was true that his current actions were definitely weird. Luke turned to Marvin with an awkward expression and spoke. "I, I'm just nervous." Marvin stared at Luke with a 'Is this guy crazy?' look. Luke's fist was unknowingly clenched, but he forced out a smile and turned his head. "Let's talk later."
"Shut up." Luke quickly refuted Volkar and moved with immense speed. Because Luke and Marvin both applied Gangchesul to their body, they were able to move up the mountain trail with incredible speed. They ran as fast as they could and were able to arrive at the target point within less than 30 minutes. 'To be out of breath with just this.' Luke grumbled. Although the progress of Gangchesul was abnormally fast, his body had yet to reach the desired state within the 3 months of training he's had. What irritated Luke the most was that, while he was out of breath, Marvin was still looking composed. The target point of the two was a place 1 kilometer away from the Orcs' base. This location was able to oversee the Orcs' base, and was also perfect for inspecting the route the Count and his Knights were going to take. After looking at the Orcs' base, Luke asked Marvin. "It doesn't seem like they're using scouts, right?" "Yeah. I don't see any. But do Orcs even have scouts? It doesn't seem like they would be smart enough to do that." "Depending on the tribe, they do use them. Their organizational ability is normally pretty powerful, but if they were to utilize human military tactics, they would become very fearsome. Fortunately, I don't think these guys are that type…..How many sentries are you able to see?" "Let's see. 1, 2……7. The rear is completely rocky, so it doesn't look like they have any sentries placed there. But you can see this too, can't you??" "There may be somethings that I might miss, or vice versa. It's best to get solid information before you move forward with a plan. Everything is better when it's certain. You're going to become the Count later, so keep this in mind." "That's true……." Marvin nodded as he knew Luke was right. But Luke was grumbling inside. In order to get the most concise information, it was best to place someone at a completely different location, yet 2 people were looking from the same point. This was an excuse that Luke made, because his current weak self could not fully analyze the Orcs from a distance of 600 meters. 'Ah oo, this is so frustrating. I need to raise my abilities quickly. I feel dissatisfied with my current strength, stamina, and sight. ' I need to hurry and earn some money, so I can buy some medicine to consume. I keep feeling that my current self is not enough. No matter how much growth I see in my techniques and Gangchesul, it will be hard if my body isn't up to par. It wouldn't be able to properly utilize my techniques. Volkar once again responded in a detestable way..
"There is a very unconvincing dragon here." Luke dismissed it and asked Marvin. "What if we move some of our troops behind the scenes? I think it would be very effective if we were to send Sir Collin and the archers to confuse them with magic attacks and arrows, and then send the knights to attack them recklessly……" "It seems simple but pretty effective. You, did you study military tactics too?" "Can't say I studied. I just gained some experience, while exploring with my teacher." Luke answered in that way, and decided to give out a proposal. "From this distance, I'm unable to tell if they have a separate group of soldiers placed over at that location. Even if it takes a little longer, let's advance forward and check to see if they placed any sentries over there. If they've placed sentries over there to cover their blind spots, my previous tactic would become useless." "I've been thinking this since earlier but….aren't you being too cautious with the Orcs? They aren't that smart." Luke's face suddenly stiffened. He glared at Marvin with a face filled with anger, and noticing this, Marvin's face quickly changed. With a voice filled with a deep growl, Luke spoke. "Marvin, you are someone who will become the Count in the future, and will have to take command of many people. Are you aware of that fact?" "Of course. However, what does that have to do with……." "The fact that you will be in command of many people, means that depending on your judgment, their lives can change. You are still young and have no experience in the field, so I won't blame you for your ignorant remark about the Orcs. However, if you are conceited and careless while dealing with the enemy, know that many of your people can die or get hurt. This is a reality where everything can change with a single mistake." When Luke used to work as a mercenary in the past, he's seen many of his allies get hurt or killed, because of conceit or carelessness. Marvin's attitude made Luke recall his past, making his body burn with rage. "Ah, alright." Because of Luke's murderous intent, Marvin nodded before he could remonstrate. At those words, Luke settled down a little and spoke. "At least do not take the attitude of knowing when you deal with people you do not know well. If you do not know, learn until you're certain. Orcs have a stronger organizational power than a trained human army, and each Orc is stronger physically and is braver than a human soldier. I'm sure that father is only confident, because of the Knights that are currently with him right now." "However, isn't it pretty distinct that they're unintelligent?" "It's true that Orcs are dumb. However, there are occasions when an Orc is enslaved, and used to fight with humans. If they are released back into the wild, they can teach their tribe how to apply our human military tactics. What's more, these guys aren't from within our domain, and are actually a group that came from the outside. Hence, we should think of all possibilities." "Mmm……" Marvin was surprised to hear what Luke was saying. Looking at Marvin, Luke laughed. In truth, he normally did not act with this much caution when dealing with Orcs. However, remembering the past and the damage that the Count took on through this subjugation, as well as knowing how weak he currently is compared to the past, Luke was trying his best to be prudent. This was also a great way to teach the Count-to-be, Marvin. "Then let's move forward." The 2 began to move towards the rear of the Orcs' base. Chapter 4 Part 6 Completed.