Chapter 111: For the Empire (Part Seven)
As he spoke, Henry’s voice grew quieter because his slow-witted mind finally realized that fleeing was against military discipline, and he immediately began to regret it.
“Fleeing? Oh right, right! It’s a retreat,” the soldier said, increasingly moved. “You even remembered to draw the enemy’s attention to cover everyone’s retreat. You saved our lives, and not only that, but you also bravely—”
The knight impatiently pushed the soldier aside and said:
“Bravely rode my war horse, charging at the unseen despicable ambushers’ flank! By Sigma, they tried to sneak attack our side, and your reckless attack left them dazed. Good heavens! You also led the furious giant spider and the orc war pigs, trampling a large number of despicable ambushers!”
“Uh, right, right, right.” Henry decided to cover up his act of fleeing, struggling to maintain a heroic smile as he nodded, saying, “This is all thanks to… everyone’s bravery.”
“You even cleverly ran to the edge of the lava, stood on the rock, pretending to be at your wit’s end—”
The soldier pushed the knight aside and continued:
“Then you burst into tears, which made the greenskins smug, thinking the giant spider would come close and eat you, but instead, it crushed the rock beneath it. At that moment, you valiantly rode your war horse, charging past the giant spider, which slipped into the lava and burned to death!”
Henry’s face grew even redder. He struggled to recall how the bards depicted a hero’s reaction, straightening his chest as he said:
“This is my duty.”
They loudly announced Henry’s achievements, and those soldiers saved by him, who narrowly escaped being devoured by the giant spider and stomped by war pigs, cheered and shouted:
“Long live Henry! Long live Henry!”
Before long, the elite guard Rick rode in and said, “The Emperor wants to meet the special combat hero Henry. Who is Henry?”
“That’s him, it’s him.”
“The Empire’s hero Henry!”
The soldiers pushed Henry forward.
The elite guard Rick dismounted and said, “Well done, you have created a legendary feat; the Emperor will surely promote you and allow you to lead the army.”
Henry’s mind went blank, as if in a dream.
The Empire placed great importance on military merit, and veterans with outstanding achievements had a high chance of being promoted to nobility.
He was just a rookie who had fought in one battle, yet he was to be promoted to lead the army? The lofty Emperor wanted to meet him in person.
As he remained dazed, he was taken away. By the time the Sword Saint Henry of Scali regained his senses, he found himself in a spacious tent, luxuriously decorated with exquisite tapestries featuring Sigma wielding a golden hammer against orcs.
Nearby knelt a suit of full armor, richly adorned. Henry had heard that nobles liked to display full armor as decoration in their homes, so he didn’t think much of it.
The tent was empty; the Emperor must be very busy, meaning there was only him in the large tent.
The thought of the Emperor coming to promote him to lead the army made him extremely tense. Was this some kind of joke?
Of course, it was fair; anyone who could achieve such feats would be promoted. But he was merely a coward who couldn’t ride a horse and had bawled on the battlefield. His so-called merit was nothing but the boast of a group of soldiers.
Henry’s face turned red, his heart was in turmoil. He covered his face, crying out:
“I almost died, almost died, so many monsters, and the giant spider nearly bit me to death like a fly. I don’t want to fight anymore, I don’t want to be a Sword Saint; I want to go home.”
“By Sigma, why am I still alive? That crooked-mouthed guy died unjustly; he was braver than I…”
He recalled the squad leader crying as he was stomped to death by the colossal statue, with no burial place, while ironically, he, the coward, had not suffered a scratch and had achieved a great merit.
“Retreat? Clever? You mean clinging to the horse’s neck like a coward and running into a dead end? I didn’t think of any counterattack; I was so scared I couldn’t move. I just cried in place. If the horse’s backside hadn’t been burned, I would have been swallowed by the spider already.”
“That group of idiots thinks I did it on purpose!” Henry dropped his hands and anxiously paced back and forth. “No, I must admit it. I will eventually get everyone killed; I’m just a coward who fled in battle.”
“Ding ding ding.”
The copper bell by the tent door rang, indicating someone was coming in.
Henry quickly straightened his back and put on a heroic smile.
Rick, the elite guard, opened the tent flap and smiled at Henry, saying, “Hero Henry, we have verified your military achievements. All eyewitnesses are praising your brave deeds. The Emperor will personally award you the Empire Hero Medal to recognize your bravery.”
Henry felt dizzy again. The Empire Hero Medal was the highest honor in the Empire, as distant from him as the legends of Sigma.
“This… this is merely my duty; I’m honored,” Henry said. “Where is the Emperor?”
“He has been waiting here for you.” After saying this, Rick, not noticing Henry’s face turning pale, left and closed the tent flap behind him.
The full armor, which he had thought was a mere decoration, stood up on its own, lifted its visor, revealing the tired face of the Emperor.
Henry trembled; he was such a fool, thinking the Emperor was just taking a small break in armor.
His tongue tangled as he leaned back:
“Uh… ah… this… I… I can explain.”
The Emperor took two heavy steps toward him, saying, “Explain? There’s no need to explain.”
Henry felt even weaker in the knees.
“My brother, who shares my suffering.” Unexpectedly, the Emperor stepped forward and embraced him tightly. “I am just an ordinary man with a hammer.”
…
…
At night, the Evil Moon hung high.
The imperial army suffered heavy losses, and combined with the forced march, the mere rough clearing of the battlefield and the rescue of the wounded had drained everyone’s energy. Many infantrymen didn’t even have time to take off their armor, lying on blankets, falling into a deep sleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
But some people could not sleep; all surviving senior officers and those without serious injuries gathered in the Emperor’s large tent, discussing fiercely.
In the end, Ji Ma was also invited in.
This surprised many people. Considering Ji Ma’s identity as a demon, although the Empire would not openly cry for blood against a demon on their side supported by strong military figures, formally inviting a demon was still quite… “excessive.”
While some high-ranking officials in the Empire secretly conspired with demons, that was one thing in private; publicly it was another matter.
When the fatigued guard pulled aside the tent flap and announced Ji Ma’s arrival, the grand knight commanders, various high-ranking officers, and battle priests all looked in surprise at Ji Ma appearing at the door.
She walked in, her charming face first smiled at Jenna sitting by the table, then smiled at the Emperor sitting at the far end, saying:
“As a wild mage, I am honored to participate in the meeting.”
Wild mages refer to those who specialize in beast-type spells. They usually live in the wild and are well-acquainted with various animals.
Ji Ma touched the amber and bones hanging around her neck to emphasize her identity as a wild mage, saying, “I believe my understanding of the greenskin orcs can help the Emperor make wise decisions.”
The battle priest, initially red-faced with anger, turned his bald head even redder but did not lose his temper, turning to look elsewhere.
This indicated that the meeting was at a stalemate; everyone needed a scholar who understood greenskin orcs, even though everyone knew Ji Ma was actually a succubus, but they did not expose her.
Ji Ma maintained her smile and sat next to Jenna, saying, “I merely transformed a pair of wings with shape-shifting, yet some shortsighted individuals think I am a succubus. This is truly unfair; I believe everyone here is well-informed and will not believe in rumors.”
Jenna, feeling bashful, turned her head away when she heard this lie.
No one else responded to Ji Ma; most people’s faces turned ashen as they looked ahead.
The Emperor appeared somewhat weak as he said:
“The Empire needs your knowledge. Saint Jenna of the Holy Hall, can you guarantee she understands the greenskins well?”
“In the name of the God of Dawn, I can guarantee.”
“Good.” The Emperor looked at Ji Ma. “I will ask Saint Jenna to open the domain of honesty; do you agree?”
Ji Ma stood tall. For such an almost ideal ruler, she was still quite polite, at least he was more like a king than the demon king, Ji Ma said, “I would be pleased to serve.”
Saint Jenna opened the domain of honesty, a faint blue light falling on everyone.
“Roughly speaking, our army suffered more than half casualties in this battle, while those dirty, stinking greenskins still have many left,” the Emperor said. “Once they reorganize and counterattack, our dwarven allies and we will no longer be able to fight. Someone suggested we gather all cavalry to pursue and prevent the greenskins from regrouping.”
The grand knight commander, wearing a Shaliel helmet and hanging onto one hand, raised his head slightly.
“…There are also some who are more conservative, suggesting the entire army should remain in place, take care of the wounded, and then continue forward.” The Emperor fixed his gaze on Ji Ma. “With your understanding of the greenskins, how long do you think it will take for them to reorganize?”
“If it were me, I’d stay put, properly manage the battlefield, throw all the orc bodies into the lava to burn them, and buy strong liquor from the dwarves to celebrate victory back in town.”
“That’s simply nonsense,” the grand knight commander exclaimed. “No! We can’t give those beasts any time to rest! They will come back again; we must take advantage of this moment to launch a surprise attack to thoroughly defeat these dirty beasts.”
Ji Ma tapped her fingers against the table, saying, “Anyone who has any understanding of the greenskins knows that this is precisely the wrong time to pursue.”
The Emperor said, “Don’t play guessing games.”
“Greenskin orcs are inherently aggressive, whether in brawls or in a green tide, it’s all fighting, just on different scales,” Ji Ma said. “If their leader is killed and they suffer a crushing defeat, their inherent violent instincts go unfulfilled, and with no leader to keep them in check, they won’t hesitate to smash their own brethren.”
“This phenomenon is scientifically known as ‘great chaos’. Great chaos will continue until a new leader arises. I can guarantee that for as long as a day, more greenskins will die in great chaos than those who died on the battlefield today.”
“Pursuing them now would only interrupt the great chaos. A few cavalry, whether using spears or swords to kill greenskins, would kill fewer than the great chaos, and will end up driving the greenskins out of the Obsidian Pass, scattering them everywhere. Undoubtedly, this will greatly reduce the scale of great chaos.”
“It would be better to stay put and gather the greenskin bodies to throw into the lava and burn them. There’s a hypothesis in academia that believes greenskins essentially are a type of mushroom; after they die, they emit spores that grow into new greenskins on the ground…”
“Have a good rest. Perhaps the greenskins have already started their great chaos now.”
The grand knight commander stood up, saying, “That’s ridiculous. How could greenskins be so easily dealt with?”
