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The orcs roared as they charged forward. Their momentum was fierce, but that was all. Even though they rushed down the steep slope, there was still a considerable distance between them and Boromir’s vanguard.

But then, why had Louis’s army fallen into confusion at the orcs’ sudden attack?

It was because of the roar. The orcs’ roar temporarily triggered a magical effect—that was what had momentarily paralyzed Louis’s troops.

If the orcs had been even slightly smarter, they might have waited for Boromir’s vanguard to draw closer in case of unexpected developments. But the orcs were far too hot-blooded.

Still, it wasn’t a completely reckless move—their roar had worked momentarily on Louis’s army. If Louis hadn’t dispelled it immediately, the charge itself wouldn’t have been such a bad tactic.

The orcs had nearly reached the bottom of the slope, but when Boromir’s vanguard swiftly withdrew, the orcs hesitated for an instant. Yet retreat was unthinkable for them.

Louis’s order was somehow heard clearly by every soldier in the vanguard, who began to withdraw in perfect unison.

Even the new recruits, carrying the trait from the Level 2 Barracks, were as disciplined as regular soldiers.

Had they not possessed that trait, things might have unfolded just as Dekal had warned: the soldiers could have panicked, fled in all directions, or crashed into Kalbang’s unit, which was forming a circular formation at the rear.

As they had drilled in advance, the circular formation loosened just enough to let friendly forces pass through, and the vanguard slipped quickly between the lines.

This was possible for one simple reason: Boromir’s vanguard was an extremely small force. It was called the vanguard, but in truth, it was closer to a reconnaissance team.

Kalbang shouted,

“Form up!!”

As Boromir’s small force moved inward, Kalbang bellowed to his men, and the soldiers raised their spears forward, sealing every gap.

Then, the orcs came crashing down. The collision was immediate.

The orcs’ momentum was impressive—but soon, green blood splattered into the air. They were stopped cold by the dense wall of spears, unable to advance an inch.

With tight ranks and the advantage of the spear’s long reach, the spearmen turned the orcs into pincushions.

Spearmen were already strong against cavalry, so the mindless orcs, charging without thought, were at a severe disadvantage. Against such a solid formation, their assault was like striking a rock with an egg.

Louis’s troops already outnumbered them thanks to the conscription, and above all, their equipment was vastly superior.

These orcs… were not part of the organized Green Skin Federation.

Unlike Louis’s soldiers, who were fully equipped, these orcs were nearly naked, most wielding crude clubs, likely due to a shortage of metal.

At first, it seemed like they might break through—but soon the outnumbered orcs began to collapse.

Unlike swords, spears allowed many soldiers to attack a single enemy, amplifying the impact of superior numbers.

Within mere minutes, the orcs suffered catastrophic losses. Seeing the collapsing horde, Louis shouted,

“Advance!!”

The spearmen who had taken the brunt of the attack now pushed forward instead.

Still, orcs weren’t like werewolves—they didn’t fight with suicidal frenzy.

Once more than half their number fell, the survivors turned and fled in panic.

Watching his soldiers pursue the retreating orcs, Louis smiled. The battle was a clean victory. The difference in cohesion, discipline, and equipment between a human army and an unorganized orc tribe was beyond comparison.

“Almost no losses. As expected, expanding the army boldly was the best way to minimize casualties.”

Louis needed to secure the nearby lands safely and thoroughly.

The city was still in its early stages, and losing soldiers to monsters would be a waste.

It was precisely for that reason that his investment was now paying off.

One of the four monster groups listed in his quest log—the orc tribe—had lost 40% of its members in an instant.

Seeing the orcs, the most troublesome of all, crumble so easily, Louis judged it was only a matter of time before the quest was complete.

If they had been humans, they might have formed an alliance out of desperation—but expecting such cooperation from monsters was unrealistic.

Orcs and goblins could theoretically form a union, but gnolls had poor relations with them, making any alliance impossible.

Considering gnolls often treated goblins as food, it was more likely they viewed them as livestock than allies.

Boromir, astonished by the results, said,

“Whew… I trained them myself, but these recruits are performing far better than I expected.”

“I agree,” Louis said. “In any case, we should rest for now.”

“Not pursue them?”

“No. They’re not worth much anyway. The purpose of this operation isn’t extermination—it’s to occupy the land with minimal losses. Don’t overextend.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Louis allowed his troops a proper rest. It was true that they needed swift results, but haste did not mean carelessness.

He had expanded his army not for reckless assaults, but to occupy this region safely. If brute force had been his plan, he wouldn’t have needed to build the barracks at all.

The barracks alone had cost a staggering 1,200 points—enough to unlock a Tier 3 social policy such as Monarchy in the Tradition branch, or even open the Landlord policy to boost food production.

Campfires rose across the encampment. Having cleared the swamp path earlier, constructing a base camp posed no major problems.

Unlike before, Louis judged that tonight would be the safest night yet.

According to the quest window, only 35% of the orc tribe’s population remained.

Even orcs, dim-witted as they were, wouldn’t attack when outnumbered to this degree.

Their best option now would be to flee—or ally with the goblins.

Louis considered the possibility of a Green Skin alliance, but since he already had archers and mages, he was confident he could suppress them easily.

Boromir, warming his hands by the fire, spoke.

“These must have been freshly gathered orcs. I once fought a much larger tribe before.”

“Did you win?”

Louis asked.

“We suffered heavy losses… but yes, we won.”

Kalbang drew a line in the dirt with a stick.

“My lord, if we bypass the swamp to the front, we’ll reach the orc tribe’s settlement. How long shall we rest?”

“Until tomorrow morning.”

Resting through the entire morning might have been excessive, but even with the benefits from the recruitment bonus, recruits were still recruits.

Their first battle must have been exhausting.

Jerome, who had been sitting quietly, spoke up.

“…Consul, I can’t use fire magic anymore. It’ll take two days to recover.”

Louis turned to him. Jerome’s face was pale—it was clear he had overexerted himself.

“I may command, but I’ve never studied magic, so I can’t gauge your limits. Manage yourself properly as a mage. If you think something’s unreasonable, report it to me. For now, rest until you’ve recovered.”

“Yes, sir.”

After a hearty meal, drowsiness set in. Louis had planned to inspect the camp but left it to Boromir and Kalbang, then turned in for the night.

By the next morning, Louis’s army had rested fully. The only change was that the orc tribe’s remaining numbers had fallen from 35% to 20%.

“Either they killed each other… or some of them fled.”

Given the orcs’ tendency to slaughter one another to satisfy their bloodlust, either explanation seemed plausible.

In any case, the situation now favored Louis.

He checked the fatigue levels of his 1st, 2nd, and 3rd units.

The small vanguard had dropped to 10%, while the 2nd and 3rd units averaged around 20%. Considering fatigue had peaked at 70% during the first battle, recovery overnight was remarkable.

Food supplies were ample and nearby, meaning fatigue could be reduced easily—a geographical advantage.

Without hesitation, Louis’s army began its second advance.

The unit information window revealed much.

Louis wasn’t a strategist, so he needed sound advice before forming plans.

Most of that advice came from Kalbang—but that alone wasn’t enough.

As the city grew, battles between armies were inevitable, and before that day came, Louis needed more capable aides.

Still, even if a brilliant strategist stood against him, Louis was confident he would never lose in one regard—army management.

The Civilization System not only displayed city information but also army data. The military interface provided Louis with a variety of stats.

Among them, two were of utmost importance: Fatigue and Morale.

Both were currently at perfect stability—proof that his army’s condition was at its peak.

Finally, at the first swamp tile, Louis’s army spotted the orc tribe.

It wasn’t large enough to be called a settlement, but it was sufficient to sustain a small village.

The soldiers were eager to charge immediately, but Louis, cautious as ever, ordered reconnaissance first.

After some scouting, the conclusion was clear—the village was empty.

Louis checked his quest window again.

The orc tribe’s survival rate still showed 20%, or to be precise, 21%. That meant the survivors had joined the goblins. For now, Louis’s task was to plunder the abandoned village.

Soon, every trace of the orcs’ dwelling was aflame. Louis had ordered them to take what they needed and burn everything else.

All they gained was a bit of scrap metal and some unidentifiable meat. Louis ordered the meat burned as well, suspecting it might cause food poisoning.

[You have captured 1 of 3 swamp tiles related to the quest.]
System_end

The quest’s overall progress now stood at roughly one-third complete.

Since fatigue and morale were still at their best, Louis pressed on toward the second swamp tile without pause.

“Now what’s left are goblins, gnolls, and one unknown type of monster…”

There were three tiles in total, each controlled by a different species. Louis suspected that the unidentified monster wasn’t a tribe but a single, powerful creature.

What kind of beast could inhabit the swamp’s depths? He would have to go and see for himself.

The second swamp tile didn’t look much different from the first.

The terrain and humidity were much the same.