Offer a Tribute and Become an Archmage - Chapter 231



Only Noblemtl

Episode 231.

Just as the battle of Ronobe ended lightly, the battle in the Snow Mountain area ended in an instant. It was because of the barbarians who descended below the ground. Some felt the lack of strength once again. Others realized new strength, and still others were delighted to discover the charm of aerial combat.

“So. Conan’s axe broke?”

“yes…”

“Uh… It wasn’t originally mine. Why is this broken?”

Nas pointed to Hathar.

Hathar’s hands were bloody, and he kept bragging about how he had split the axe with his fists thanks to his cleverness.

“How is it wise to split an axe with your fist? Aren’t you a bastard?”

For once, Ronobe discussed the thoughts of a normal person.

“I, Hathar, descendant of the wise giants, am wise. I can’t. I am a fool. Because I am wise. I have chopped it. The axe of Conan. I want it. The respect of a small bird.”

“… What are you saying? Yeah. Well… First of all, thank you. For protecting your wife and the knight. By the way, where is Talik? I would like to talk to you more.”

“He’s dead. Talik.”

“He died? It couldn’t be because of me…”

“I lived. Long. It wasn’t your fault.”

“I see.”

It’s a shame.

I had a lot of questions.

“Now I am the descendant of the giants. Wise Hathar leads. Little bird. You have done it. Prove it. So follow. Your storm.”

“Hmm. So. So you’re going to follow me for now?”

Hathar nodded.

“The wise Hathar sees that the little bird is causing the storm. He has calculated with his clever head that we will build our nest in the storm.”

“Yeah, okay. Okay, I understand.”

I don’t know what they were talking about, but it wasn’t much different.

‘Yes. Maybe this too is fate.’

In the end, those who move forward must move forward. The hostages, Slad and Panirg, spoke of the place where the fall was. Enhide. In any case, Ronobe must go.

“There are quite a lot.”

Privates, old soldiers, and even barbarians.

The army is now over seventy years old.

“Lopin.”

“yes.”

“Go to Godric.”

There’s no reason to go to Enhydro right now. The Count is frozen anyway.

The Fall and the Chieftain.

The power of these two will be formidable.

The North must be united.

Just because you’ve gained the power of the Barbarian doesn’t mean you can rest easy.

Gather all living Northern troops.

“Eat Godric, and slowly devour the flanks of the orc army.”

It’s not difficult.

And it takes more time.

‘I want to complete the marriage and go.’

It was right to be fully prepared.

On each of Ronobe’s palms, there was a ghost with its tongue sticking out.

Still can’t speak.

But ultimately, it’s a matter of time.

This was also not an urgent problem as it would be solved with time and effort.

There’s a lot to do anyway.

‘Eat Godric and go to Galindrock.’

Unify the Northern Army and gather at Enhydro.

It’s simple.

It’s just something that takes time.

“Liam.”

“yes…”

“No one was hurt by your judgment. Keep doing so.”

“… No. I will try harder.”

“That’s good too.”

Liam didn’t look too happy because he wasn’t active this time. Ronobe knew the situation, but he didn’t say anything more. The rest was something he had to take care of on his own.

If there is something lacking, you can supplement it.

Unlike the old soldiers, they were young and time was on their side.

There is plenty of time.

The North will fill in the gaps in young people’s experience and provide a springboard to break through limitations.

The Hopper group grows even further.

A month later.

“Art is! An explosion!! Eekyakkyakkyak!”

BAM! KWAAAAHHH!!

The Ronobe party easily ate Godric Castle. They transformed into crows and blew everything up with aerial bombardment, and when the Hopper army pushed in, there was nothing else the orcs could do. It wasn’t much different from Lapain Castle. No, it was even easier. That’s because they had a sturdy monster called Barbarian with them.

“We killed fifteen orc warriors and six hundred orcs in Godric. It was a great victory!”

It was obvious that we would win. However, we won so easily that we were a little uneasy. This was because there were fewer orcs defending the castle than we had expected.

“Why is this all you have? Lopin. Do you know anything?”

“He may have already left for Galindrock. He must be preparing for the final battle.”

The estimated number of orcs is ten thousand.

By now, Galindrock would probably be in constant siege. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense that Godric had nothing else to offer. It was actually a good thing for Ronobe. If the enemy’s attention was elsewhere, a surprise attack would be more effective.

“Here! There are survivors!”

There are survivors in Godric’s Castle too.

This time, I thought it would only be old people, but it wasn’t. There were quite a few men who had surrendered and been detained long ago. The number was over a hundred, not counting women and children.

“Baron Hopper, you are my savior! Please tell me how I can repay this favor!!”

Judging from the way he spoke, he was a nobleman.

Ronobe raised the kneeling ones and asked them what ranks and achievements they had achieved before they were imprisoned. Most of them were nobles of Godric. The direct line was almost dead, and they were collaterals, and they said they were knights.

“What is a semi-official article, not a regular article?”

Nas whispered in my ear.

“They often hire people of noble blood as knights, even though they don’t have much ability. They are also called quasi-knights.”

“ah.”

So, what he meant was that they were knights, but they had no skills.

Those who became knights by blood.

“Let me fight!”

“Well, let’s do that. Arm them properly. They have a lot of iron left over anyway.”

There is no reason to refuse if they want to fight. Ronobe’s army, which gained 100 soldiers for every 10 knights, has become even stronger. If there are people who can fight in a situation where war can break out at any time or place, it is an advantage in itself.

“What about the damage to our army?”

“There are twenty wounded and ten casualties. Most of them are veterans.”

“I see.”

This time too, many old soldiers died.

Among the soldiers, there were some who had grown close to the old soldiers, and they were shedding tears in front of their corpses. There were also those who had become disciples and taught each other in that short period of time. Ronobe also felt tears welling up in his eyes as he thought of Bernard and Gaia, something that seemed out of the ordinary.

“As soon as we finish organizing, we’ll clean up Godric and head straight to Galindrock.”

Godric still had quite a bit of food and supplies left. After taking all of them, Ronobe’s army rested and headed straight for the last line of defense in the north.

Leaving for Galindrock.

*

3 months later. Galindrock.

The war, deeply permeated by cold and darkness, further emphasizes the tragedy. The enemy in the raging snowstorm is still strong and is eyeing the castle, so even if you don’t fight, you feel anxious as if you are constantly fighting.

Galindrak’s army held out behind the strong walls, but they suffered from food shortages and freezing temperatures. As time went on, the soldiers starved, their hands and feet became frozen, and more and more people died.

It was a matter of time before the last defensive line in the north fell.

“Damn it. Oh my God. How could you abandon the North!! How could you!!”

The front line collapsed and most of the northern army was headed towards Galindrock. Not moving south was a matter of pride.

“To the kingdom even now…”

“How can I ask for help from the gentlemen of the South!”

If you fight and die, you die, and you can never ask for help from the kingdom. The reason for this atmosphere was because of the war decades ago, and the kingdom was also discussing a half-hearted shift of responsibility, blaming the north for not being able to stop the orcs. Since the result of fighting with one’s life on the line was to lament the responsibility of the north, it was obvious that there was a grudge between the nobility of the north and the kingdom.

“The most serious problem is the orc shamans. Their sorcery lowers the morale of the soldiers and increases the strength of the orc army, so the more we fight, the more disadvantageous it becomes.”

Orc Shaman.

As is typical of sorcerers, they used various curses, bugs, and beasts in battle, which was extremely difficult for the Northern Army. Since they did not have a communication system that could respond immediately to the irregular battles they created, most of them had to be left to the experienced response of the commander leading the army.

But which commander would adapt to the miracles created by a sorcerer? This was also because the Northern Army had few magicians. The North, which despised magic.

Their downfall was inevitable.

The army that initially numbered close to six thousand now has less than three thousand left. As the soldiers continue to die from lack of food and cold during the defense, what meaning does the number have now?

The North is finished.

“Your Majesty, it wouldn’t have been like that… huh.”

It is a deplorable thing.

This was a passage that showed how much the North depended on the Count. Since her presence made the North act no different, it was only natural that it would fall due to her absence. That was also the reason why the North fell into the hands of the Orcs.

Of course, if it feels unfair, then it feels unfair.

“Is that just Orcs? Isn’t it also because of the Empire?”

Who would have thought that the dirty orcs and the empire would join hands! The empire was also at war with the orcs who occupied the north, so how could they join hands and attack the northern part of the kingdom? My teeth chattered. The empire that had abandoned humanity and the orcs were angry, but what made them angrier was their own shortcomings and helplessness in not being able to protect their own land.

“Count Longbat. What’s the point of holding out any longer? This battle began with the pride of the Northerners. Shouldn’t we put an end to that pride?”

“… General Langgawi. Can you take responsibility?”

“If I can bear the responsibility even if it means dying, I will take it and die.”

I know I’m going to die. But let’s fight and die anyway. That’s what it was.

“What will a handful of dead people become? They will become a handful of the sharp spearheads of the god Obel.”

I held out as long as I could.

People die anyway.

What value is there in death?

Fight to the death.

Thus, it becomes a spear for God.

Wouldn’t that be a meaningful life?

“Fighting is something you do when you’re young.”

Fighting and dying before you grow old is the northern virtue.

For a man, war is not a victory.

Putting your own value forward.

It is not too late to leave victory to future generations.

“Let’s fight!”

“Let’s fight!”

“Let’s fight!”

It was a do-or-die situation.

It also meant that there was no going back.

The reason why the Northerners do not fear death is because they believe that the blade of Obel will pierce the old age and advance into a new era.

“You were born without even knowing why, and yet you want to die while judging its worth? Since you were just born, you just fight and die!! That is the true value of a man!!”

“Waaa …

It was a declaration of war that seemed to have been made by those who had lost their minds due to hunger and cold. If Ronobe had heard this, he would have definitely cursed them as crazy. However, the war began nonetheless. The North, which did not fear death, and the forest tribes, who wanted to reclaim the land that was not forest, clashed.

The number of orcs is ten thousand.

It’s clearly like throwing an egg at a rock.

I’m sure that’s true…

“It’s worth it! I can see the potential for victory!!”

“Woooooooooo!!”

Well, I guess it was worth fighting.

Although the northern weather made it difficult to see the Orc army, Count Longbat soon realized that their numbers were smaller than expected.

It wasn’t ten thousand. It seemed like it wasn’t even three thousand.

That was when.

Kwaaaaang-!!

A thunderous explosion was heard, shaking the earth.

“Ha, the heavens are angry!”

“It’s God’s punishment!!”

The orcs were swept away by the explosions that were so splendid that they naturally thought of such things. With the explosions occurring one after another, monsters showing off their muscles even in the middle of winter appeared and began to sweep the battlefield.

“Kill me! Orc!”

“Kill! War! Win! Orcs!”

“Become! My Decar!”

A hundred warriors appear and start pounding orcs. Among the rampaging warriors, two stand out the most. A tattooed warrior who, even in the midst of battle, breaks an orc’s head with his bare fists without even lifting a weapon, and a four-armed female knight.

“I won’t give up! This time!”

“Please take war a little more seriously.”

“Haha! This is fun! War! Split! Head!”

They are followed by archers and soldiers who continue to fire arrows.

Kukukung-!

“What is it this time!”

“Oh, the stone is rolling!!”

A huge rock rolls down and crushes the orcs. It was a bloody rock that had been made by some kind of magic, with vines holding the orcs in place and rolling around, turning them into blood clots.

“Woooooooooo!”

Even soldiers who had been through a lot vomited at the sight of such a cruel sight, but there was no other method as good as that in war.

But among them, what stands out the most is.

“That was easy.”

It was a blond wizard sitting on a chair made of pure white fish.

Boom-!! The magician floating in the air was using schools of fish like sardines to knock down the orcs, and with each wave of his hand, their corpses would explode, causing massive damage. The more corpses there were, the more chain explosions would occur, so naturally, the more damage the orcs suffered.

However, the orc’s weakness is that he knows this but cannot do anything about it.

“Die!!”

The unbearable warrior threw his axe.

Other warriors followed him and threw their own weapons, but they were completely useless against the wizard. The bone-meat that spared no body blocked all of their axes. For a being that could not fly, the existence of a wizard who could fly in the sky was something that could not be helped.

“powwow!!”

It’s the sorcerer, not the warrior, who deals with the wizard.

It was time for the orc shaman to step forward.

He waved his fragile staff and applied the potion to the orc warriors, and their bodies changed. They turned into boars or wolves and started to roam the battlefield. Among them was a giant eagle, and all of the eagles were targeting the wizard.

“Will it work?”

He didn’t have to step forward. The archer sitting next to him hit the eagles and killed them instantly. Even if they were flying around in acrobatics, if the archer’s arrow caught the bow and fired, they would hit every time.

“This can’t be happening…!”

To the Northern Army, they were like messengers of God. They immediately recognized that they were the Kingdom’s army, but they could not help but be delighted. After all, sorcerers are just sorcerers. They were no match for the magicians who wreak havoc in war based on their powerful firepower.

“We won! The North won aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

“Hopper! Hopper! Hopper!”

The war in Galindrak naturally resulted in a great victory for the Northern Army.

no.

It was a victory achieved by Ronobe.

*

War is a time-consuming activity.

With the successive wars and the time spent cleaning up and organizing the aftermath, it has already been half a year since I came to the North.

The North was so vast that it took quite some time just to travel there.

Besides, is the road just a road? It’s not easy to move the carriage because it’s snowing all over. It took more time because the carriage broke down several times and had to be repaired.

As the war continued like this, rescuing survivors, replenishing their weapons, and replenishing their food supply, half a year passed. The war itself was over quickly once it was fought. It never lasted more than three days, and the aftermath took even longer.

Winning streak.

Hopper’s army commanded the north.

Of course, there were not only victories.

Blood cannot be shed during war.

It was mostly the old soldiers who did that.

“Lopin…”

It was a harsh experience for veteran soldiers to endure the continuation of a difficult war.

They all fought and died on the battlefield.

The last one was just Lopin.

“Don’t look at it that way… I fought without regrets. I am not ashamed to become the blade of Obel… A warrior. It is natural to be born and die, so if you choose death yourself, it will be a true life.”

Lopin stood up and took up his sword, even though he was wounded.

The orc was dead, but he had to continue the fight.

So that it can become the blade of Obel.

“Baron. Please accept my last struggle.”

“Does it really have to be that way?”

“This is an old man’s last request.”

With complicated feelings, Ronobe took out the sword from his waist.

Lopin’s wounds were so deep that even potions could not heal him. Potions are not a panacea.

The old man’s wounds were incurable.

After all, potions are just about drawing life force.

“I’m going!!”

There were no seasoned veterans who had stirred up controversy on the battlefield.

Just standing was all I could do. My hands and legs holding the sword were trembling.

Death was in Lopin’s eyes.

However, the eyes filled with the determination to fight were the same as those I had seen on the battlefield.

Ronobe accepted Lopin’s sword.

He fought until his death, and was eventually slain by Ronobe’s sword.

“Lopin… you were my proud knight. I hope you will go to Obel’s side as you wish.”

That’s how Lopin died.

Old people die, young people live.

It was a natural law of the world.

Ronobé closed Lopin’s eyes and looked up at the sky.

“I want to meet Obel.”

I’m not trying to argue with anything.

I just wanted to see your face once.

*

“It is said that the Hopper Army is a monster army that drinks the blood of orcs and devours their flesh.”

“There are so many rumors going around.”

Because of this, strange rumors even started to spread.

Of course, it wasn’t nothing.

“It’s because of you kids!”

“To stay wise, drink the blood of your enemies! Eat their flesh! Respect! Do what is best for you! Of course!”

“Those crazy guys.”

It was because of the Barbarians.

It was a natural thing for a barbarian to do, as he was born to kill his enemies, drink their blood and flesh, and get a tattoo called Dekar, but even the tough northerners were astonished at the sight of the barbarians’ behavior.

They weren’t savages, they were just beasts.

“Those bastards are worse than orcs…”

Even without that, Ronobe did not feel romantic about the name Barbarian because it caused various problems.

“You speak up. Why do you keep raping women?”

“A good female. Fight for her. Truth.”

If there’s a woman he likes, he fights for her. He keeps talking nonsense about winning through a fair duel. This causes more than a few headaches.

Because of the orcs, most of the northern women were widows, but these young ones tried to mate with anyone they liked, whether they were widows or not.

“No, don’t fight with women.”

“They fight with everything they have. It’s a fair fight.”

They were crazy guys.

“You savage bastards… I don’t know.”

But I can’t just throw them out. I can’t help but take them to Enhide, which could be the last war.

“How about a long-legged Count?”

“If you speak my name so carelessly, you will be in big trouble.”

“Oh, I didn’t know I could do that.”

“Most of the maintenance is complete. The same goes for the operation to recapture Enhide.”

I found out later that there weren’t ten thousand orc troops stationed in Galindrock. At most, there were only a little over five thousand. Ronobe was slowly catching them from behind and attacking the rear. Coincidentally or not, the Viscount opened the gates at just the right time and entered the battle, so they were able to destroy the orc troops without much damage.

I think the remaining orcs are probably all in Enhide.

‘Because the chieftain is there.’

So now there’s only one thing left.

It was enhydride.

The combined forces of Hopper and Northern forces amount to three thousand.

As word spread about their successive victories, other northern nobles who had been hiding and growing their power began to appear and join them.

As soon as Ronobe finishes joining, he attacks Enhide.

The end is finally in sight.

The endless war is now over.

“I heard that Enhide is completely frozen. What on earth are the Chieftain and the Fallen doing there?”

If there’s anything that doesn’t make sense, that’s it.

“Don’t they know either?”

“Yes. He seemed to know nothing.”

They had tortured the Imperial knights and wizards they had taken hostage many times, but they had no idea what the Fall was doing in Enhide, let alone the story of the Empire.

Ultimately, what you have to do is the same: go to Enhide, kill the Fallen and the Chieftain.

And save the change.

It was a simple story.

If there’s one problem…

“So, who will be the Chieftain’s opponent?”

Ronobe, who had gathered all the northern nobles and the powerful figures of the Hopper army, asked.

An orc with power equal to that of a black knight.

The chieftain known as the hero of the orcs.

He’s the one who’s going to deal with him. Ronobe will probably have to deal with the Fall, so he’ll need someone to deal with the Chieftain.

“It will only take a moment. I will unleash all my powers to subdue the Witch of Fall, Federica, in an instant.”

You can’t kill them. Even the great wizard of the kingdom, Ashwald, said that you can’t kill the wizards of the empire. If you don’t want to see the descent of Genos, you can’t kill them.

Had to be subdued.

It won’t be easy, but it’s something that needs to be done.

Because that’s what I’ve been working hard for.

However, the chieftain does not know Ronobe.

We don’t know how much power he has or how much ripple effect he has. We haven’t really figured out the true power of the Black Knight yet.

That’s why I ask.

“Who will you deal with?”

The only thing that can fight black is black.

That’s what Ronobe said.

‘Who will die…’

It was no different from asking that.

My heart was heavy.

It seemed like no one would raise a hand. So Ronobe had to point out someone. It was even more painful.

Ronobe lowered his gaze.

It’s hard whether you raised your hand or not. However, it’s something that everyone has to do.

Ronobe raised his head.

“…”

When I raised my head, everyone gathered there was raising their hands.

“I will die.”

I said it without realizing it.

The Longbat Count answered.

“Humans die anyway. The important thing is to decide when to die. Being able to decide where to die is a blessing.”

“That’s right.”

“I was born in the North, so I will die in the North. It’s only natural.”

“I want to fight, Chieftain.”

“I have never not risked my life since I took up the sword. If I can fight for the North, there is no greater honor.”

“I will fight to the death without regrets.”

“The North does not fear death.”

“You don’t know, you’re a gentleman from the South! Haha!”

Everyone had a say.

Ronobe asked with a bitter smile.

“What is it about the North that just snows without anything happening?”

Then he said.

“Because it’s the North.”

That’s what I heard when I arrived in the North.

Ronobe couldn’t understand. But somehow, his heart felt much more at ease.

Now it was time for the final battle.

The Northern and Hopper forces left for Enhide.

And there.

There were five thousand orc troops and one thousand imperial troops. There were great warriors, imperial knights, wizards, and other strong men.

At the center of it all.

“You’re here now.”

There was an orc chieftain.

Enhide [2]