A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

86 – Makjang Tactics

“I am hungry.”

The orcs were always hungry. However, there was always a shortage of food compared to their numbers. The orcs were too many. Even though they possessed a massive source of elixirs, which could sustain them without needing to eat, the orcs still desired to eat.

Why?

“It’s satisfying to chew on fresh meat.”

There was no specific reason.

They were orcs.

Orcs were beings who lived to eat, so even if they were not hungry due to the elixir source, they were instinctively creatures who wanted to chew on something. To them, the human territories in the north were like a delicious buffet.

“Drink when humans die.”

“Drink even the livestock raised by humans.”

“Let’s go to human territory.”

The orcs had a history of invading Karamba hundreds of times, and to stop them, the ancestors had created the Grand Magic Barrier at the cost of time, money, and many lives.

The effect of the Grand Magic Barrier was simple. It was just a massive magical barrier. Other creatures could freely pass through the barrier, but what happened when the orcs tried to cross it?

“Orcs burn! It burns hot! Burn!!!!”

Their bodies burned. After burning for nearly a hundred years, the orcs no longer approached the barrier.

“It hurts if you go there.”

“The body turns black.”

Thus, the orcs became beings who only stayed in the southern wastelands, no longer threatening Karamba. However, the orcs still desired to chew on human flesh and drink the blood of livestock. Therefore, they always gathered near the magic barrier, throwing rocks and wooden clubs, hoping that the barrier would break someday.

Then one day.

“Huh?”

“The burning wall disappeared!!”

The orcs, who were aimlessly throwing rocks as usual, could confirm that the magic barrier had been lifted. However, having learned over the years that touching the barrier would burn their bodies, they could not easily cross it.

What made them cross the barrier was the scent of the Aylam traders kneeling in a row, brought in by Azadi soldiers after destroying the Grand Magic Barrier and making it disappear.

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Shamshir, created by the sorcerers, was extremely sharp.

As the Aylam traders’ veins burst, they collapsed with a gurgling sound, and the overwhelming scent of blood that emanated from them stimulated the orcs’ sensitive olfactory senses like madness.

“aaah! The scent! It’s irresistible!!”

Eventually, one orc flew over the barrier. Although the others were worried that his body would burn, the magic barrier was dismantled.

The orc’s body did not burn.

Seeing Lanju rushing towards the fallen Aylam prisoners, happily tearing them apart and devouring them, the orcs let out joyful cries and began to move over the magic barrier.

“Alright. Now that the orcs have smelled the blood, they will head north. They will clash with the Aylam army.”

The senior commander in charge of the scene waved the flag to rally the soldiers. The soldiers, witnessing the orcs beginning to cross the magic barrier, were filled with fear.

“Senior Commander. Is this… Is this the right thing to do?”

“The orcs are heading north!!”

The orcs were a menace. Creatures that endlessly devoured and grew in size as they ate. Their numbers filled the horizon, and their ferocity and violence were indescribable.

The Karamba people, who had faced the orcs for a long time, were well aware of this fact.

“The die is cast. Move, don’t just make noise.”

The senior commander urged the soldiers in this way.

But there was no avoiding the fact that his expression was also painfully contorted.

It was the moment when the demons who knew nothing but feasting were set free.

“Serik. Chertu. And Krak.”

Returning as Viscount Elond, I handed thick teleport scrolls to the three individuals.

“Do you all know what this is?”

“Isn’t this the scroll you used to save our merfolk?”

Krak reminisced, touching the scroll. Normally, I might have cracked a joke, but unfortunately, there was no room for that now.

“That’s right. It’s a mass teleportation scroll directly connecting from the Karamba to Viscount Elond’s teleport tower. Take this and go to Karamba. Bring back the Ailam people from there.”

As far as I knew, there were no beings more suitable for this task than these three. Chertu, a creature personally cultivated by Sultan Saladin, was well-versed in the structure of each city in Karamba. Krak, a former criminal, knew more about the Crescent Triangle than anyone else, and Serik was… Well.

A being who leads the strongest espionage agents capable of using dark magic to conceal themselves.

“The merchants in Dagamba are being summoned as much as possible by me. The problem lies with those remaining in the Crescent Triangle.”

I clenched my fist.

This damn chaotic mess of a novel.

I barely managed to calm down the Ailam, and now things were unfolding like this in Karamba.

Civilians died.

And not just ordinary civilians.

Most of them were merchants affiliated with the Merchant Guild who had left for business.

The atmosphere in the Merchant Guild was currently tense.

Colleagues who had been close suddenly being arrested and taken to the south, likely to be executed – there was no room for a good atmosphere.

“There may be survivors. Most have probably been taken away, and those who could escape have mostly fled to Dagamba. However, still… There may be survivors. Rescue them. If you need anything, I will support you.”

“We will follow your orders.”

“We must mobilize the Toi people. It’s been a while since I returned to my homeland.”

Krak said in a deliberately cheerful tone. I tightly held the hands of the three of them.

“Do not die. Do not get hurt. Come back alive no matter what happens. Also, if there are any suspicious movements from the Amir tribe, report immediately.”

“Of course, Lord Randor. Do not worry.”

“I trust you. Avoid conflict with the enemies as much as possible. If unavoidable, it’s fine to kill them.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

And so, the three of them departed.

After they left, I grabbed my throbbing neck and slumped back in the chair.

“This damn mess!!!!!!!”

This was all I could do.

During times of peace, Karaya had no presence.

But now, it was my turn to disappear.

The stage was now set for Karaya’s one-man show.

A total of 300,000 Imperial soldiers were deployed for the operation.

Infantry clad in magical armor made of adamantium steel alloy inscribed with defensive and strength-enhancing spells, armed with large shields and swords that emitted fiery blades.

Machine gunners. Magicians responsible for ground bombardment in the legion. And not just ordinary infantry, but also the otherworldly merfolk forces, similarly equipped, were all mobilized. This was the ground force known as the Iron Blood Legion.

The seas were traversed by the warships of Admiral Barasillo, who had recently turned the lawless port into an uninhabited one, provoking the wrath of the Sessis. With the command of the Blue Dragon and the protection of the Red Dragon aboard the aircraft carrier, the navy was moving steadily.

The air force?

The spell restricting the use of breath by the 2,100 dragon deliverymen under Ranfang had been lifted. The dragon control skills of the Ranfang deliverymen were directly trained by the dragon knights.

When the Dragon Knights of the 100th cohort, led by Knight Commander William, began their formation, the Dragon Couriers of Ranpang were reborn into a formidable Dragon Knights force of 2200, capable of all-around bombardment.

Land, sea, and air.

There was nothing reassuring about any of it. While Amir had a legion of war elephants and battle sorcerers, that was about it. Even with the best sorcerers executed by my own hands, there seemed to be no hope for Prince Amir.

And Prince Amir was well aware of that fact.

“The dragons will come first! There’s no way to fight and win anyway! Bring the civilians into the palace! Use the citizens of the Crescent Triangle as shields!!”

Anticipating that Karia would send dragons, Prince Amir brought the civilians into the palace. He dressed the Sultan’s army in civilian attire instead of uniforms, dispersing them throughout the Crescent Triangle, erasing the line between the military and civilians altogether.

Empowered by the Red Dragon’s enchanting magic to move unscathed through the scorching heat of Karamba, the dragons came soaring through the sky in broad daylight to bomb the capital.

“General, Prince Amir has hidden among the civilians. The palace is filled with civilians. We can’t differentiate between civilians and the army. Shall we proceed with the bombing as planned?”

Karia had to halt the dragon-breath bombing upon hearing this.

“Hey! The evacuation of the Ailam civilians still hiding in the Crescent Triangle is not complete yet! Khrak and Seoric are doing their best!”

Not only could they not bomb civilians, but they also received word through Randoor that there were still Ailam civilians remaining in the Crescent Triangle.

“Nothing we can do now. Halt the bombing of the Crescent Triangle.”

Yet, Karia had no intention of sitting idly by.

“Prince Rashid, we need the names of the generals who participated in the rebellion and their hometowns.”

Within three days of the war, the ground forces crossed the Golden Plains and entered Dagamba. Upon arrival, Karia, who was receiving treatment, demanded a list of the generals from Prince Rashid.

And upon receiving the list, Karia showed the names and hometowns of those generals to the Dragon Couriers, who were formerly part of the current Air Force and the former Ranpang forces.

Why?

Because the majority of them were from the Western Great Plains.

Just a few days ago, they were tribesmen delivering groceries.

“Are you saying we should bomb these tribes?”

The Dragon Couriers, who had jovially traded with the Karamba people, now found themselves in a grim situation, lowering their heads in sadness as they asked, but Karia had different plans in mind.

“We have no intention of mass slaughtering civilians. Just take the dragons and create a sense of fear among the locals. Spread the word that Prince Amir has rebelled, attempted to kill Prince Rashid, and massacred the Ailam people, leading to war. If things continue this way, you’ll have no choice but to bomb this place.”

The eyes of the Dragon Couriers widened at Karia’s words.

“What will happen if we do that?”

“The soldiers of the rebellion are in a forced war right now. There’s no justification. It’s all just a situation manipulated by the high and mighty for their political games. But in such a situation, families in their hometowns are facing unwanted deaths due to this war.”

Karia coldly smirked.

“A farce is about to unfold. The conflict between the soldiers and the officers will escalate to the extreme.”

She was a woman who knew well how to handle a war.

Thus was devised the plan to threaten the Western Great Plains.

It was a good strategy, and if executed, the rebellion of Prince Amir would have been shaken to its core and disintegrated, but Prince Amir was no fool. He, too, was anticipating what the Ailam army could do with the dragons.

Just as the dragons were about to fly towards the Western Great Plains, urgent news came from the Ailam Empire citizens on the Golden Plains and the people near the Molta Oil Factory.

“Commander!”

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s a magical communication! Now is not the time to bomb Prince Amir and the Western Great Plains!! It’s the Orcs! The Orcs are advancing!! At this rate, all civilians in the Golden Plains and near the Molta Oil Factory will be massacred!”

“Orcs?!”

Rashid, who was strategizing alongside Karia, expressed shock at the news.

“N-No way! Must be a mistake! Are they really Orcs?”

In response to Rashid’s words, the messenger displayed a vivid image stored in the crystal of a Dragon Scout who had captured the scene.

In the image captured by the Dragon Scout, a staggering number of Orc warriors were marching in formation, filling the horizon.

Rashid felt dizzy at the sight.

“Amir…..Amir!!!!!!! Where on earth are you going!!!!!!!!”

He let out a beastly scream.

The fact that the orcs were advancing meant only one thing.

Amir releasing the Grand Magic Seal to block one of the Aylam armies was a sound decision.

Naturally.

Not only the Aylamians, but also all the Karamba people along the northern route were facing an obvious massacre.