A Core Ship From The Start

Chapter 46: Chapter 34 In the Forest_1

Early the next morning, the group set off again, this time accompanied by a downcast young knight, bound in ropes.

In contrast to his bravery the day before, now the young knight looked utterly dejected, as if he had lost the will to live, facing the end of the world.

“Is this the road to Calcas?”

“Yes… sir…”

Confronted by Duanmu Huai’s question, the young knight no longer resisted at all.

“Well then, lead the way.”

“Yes…….”

Watching the dispirited young knight leading the way, Elisa was bewildered.

“That’s odd, why has he suddenly become so obedient? I thought he’d keep arguing with Sir Black Knight.”

“Hahaha, this is because…….”

Upon hearing Elisa’s question, the Elf Scout laughed heartily, and began to explain with an air of relishing the spectacle.

“When he woke up, he seemed very ashamed of having wet his pants and fainted out of fear of the Black Knight, proclaiming that he was unworthy of being a knight favored by the goddess, so he swore to become a servant to the Black Knight…..”

“Huh? But didn’t he see the Black Knight as a demon?”

“Exactly, so what he said was ‘Having lost the Goddess’s favor, I no longer have the face to pursue her. Therefore, let me fall and become one of the demons!'”

“……Ha……”

Listening to the Elf Scout’s explanation, Elisa was utterly puzzled. She couldn’t fathom his thought process. When she was abducted by the Evil God Cultists, she was absolutely unwilling to be their sacrifice. Even if it meant being killed by Duanmu Huai, she didn’t want to give the cultists their way. But now this young knight was so ashamed of wetting his pants out of fear that he wanted to become a henchman of the demon?

“He was so brave yesterday……”

“Well, that’s a fleeting passion for you.”

The Elf Scout shrugged.

“Like us scouts, everyone thinks living in the forest and tracking prey is fun. But when you’re actually hiding in the forest, unable to make a sound while being bitten by mosquitoes, chased by wild beasts, and maybe even silently dying and becoming prey for the beasts, it’s a completely different story.”

Here, the Elf Scout made a face.

“Like that guy, probably heard some fairy tale about a knight slaying a dragon, thought he could also defeat the dragon, acquire countless treasures, then marry the beautiful princess, and so, he enthusiastically set off on his journey. People like him, they probably die to some Ratman creature without even catching a glimpse of the dragon.”

“I see……”

After listening to the Elf Scout, Elisa was again puzzled. She and Kristin exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

“Some indeed are young and foolish.”

Then Old Knight Karol also nodded sagely.

“Among the rookies under my command, many thought knights in armor were very cool. In their imagination, a knight is a hero who rides a great horse, wears shiny armor, gets respect from people, and is adored by beauties.”

“But Sir Karol, isn’t that what you’re like?”

Elisa curiously looked at the old knight, who laughed and shook his head.

“Hahaha, thank you for the compliment, Miss, but that’s just one aspect of being a knight. In fact, knights need to undergo rigorous training, they have to learn to ride horses, kill enemies, and how to survive in the wilderness…..many people can’t handle the training of rolling in mud, crying out ‘This isn’t the knight I wanted to be’ and running away.”

“I see……”

While for nobles like Elisa and Kristin, someone like the young knight might be a novelty, beings like the Elf Scout and the old knight have seen too many like him.

“Hmm?”

At that moment, suddenly, the Elf Scout’s ears twitched, then she looked up towards the front.

“Black Knight, do you hear that?”

“Hmm, I hear sounds of fighting too.”

Responding to the Elf Scout’s question, Duanmu Huai nodded. His detector had picked up the sound of clashing weapons in the distance. He quickly activated the holographic projection and zoomed in. Soon, everyone saw a convoy being attacked in the holographic image.

The attackers were a group of large, green-skinned monsters.

“Ugh, it’s Orcs…”

Upon seeing this, the Elf Scout couldn’t hide his disgust. Duanmu Huai nodded, understanding why the Elf Scout would have such a reaction.

Green Orcs were indeed troublesome creatures, their destructive power exceeded that of Ratmen. If the Ratmen’s actions could be said to have some purpose, the Green Orcs’ objectives were simple.

They operated in a cycle of destruction, looting, and killing.

For the Green Orcs, the most important thing in the world was to have fun, and having fun meant fighting. Be it battling among their own kind or against outsiders, as long as there were fights, they were content. If not fighting, they were on their way to a fight.

Furthermore, eradicating Green Orcs was quite challenging because strictly speaking, they were not animals, but a type of fungal plant… that’s right, they photosynthesized.

This was also the reproduction method of Green Orcs. They didn’t reproduce via birth, but grew from the ground like plants.

The saying goes—”plant a Green Orc in the spring, by autumn, you will have a crop of little Green Orcs…” Their reproductive prowess could rival the Tyron Swarm that dominated the universe.

The Green Orcs weren’t part of the Chaos Camp, nor were they part of the Order Camp. To put it plainly, they just wanted to find fights. Anyone who entered their sight was their adversary. If there were outsiders, they would fight the outsiders; if there were no outsiders, they would fight among themselves. Honestly, the small kingdom of Bartonilla, capable of holding off northern Orc attacks, really deserved some credit.

“Should we help?”

“Of course, there’s always use for more friends here.”

As he spoke, Duanmu Huai clenched his War Hammer and looked at the young knight beside him.

“Hey, kid.”

“Ah! Wh-what do you need?”

“Come with me to fight the Orcs.”

“Wait? Wait? Orcs? Why??”

“Hmm? Didn’t you swear to be my faithful subordinate? Then as a despicable demon, isn’t it perfectly normal for me to send you off to die first? Let’s go! Or I’ll bash your head in!”

“Ah————!”

Hearing Duanmu Huai’s threat, the young knight’s face fell. He unhappily followed with his longsword.

When Duanmu Huai arrived with the unwilling knight, the battle was already leaning unfavorably towards the merchants’ side. The Orcs roared in anger, starting to compress the mercenary’s defenses. They were on the verge of collapse.

“Go, charge!”

Duanmu Huai kicked the young knight and issued the order with a stern gaze. The latter paled, trembling while clutching his longsword and looking at the Green Orcs not far away.

“No, no, I can’t… I can’t beat so many…”

“Useless, what use are you then.”

Duanmu Huai unhappily glanced at the young knight, immediately grasped his War Hammer, sprang up into the air, and the jetpack shot out a stream of gas propelling him rapidly towards the Orcs!!

“BOOM!!!”

Duanmu Huai plunged from the sky directly into orc army, causing the attacked Orcs to hurriedly turn around. Seeing a warrior even taller than them, almost all the Orcs’ eyes brightened!

Compared to those cowards hiding behind the wagons, this was the kind of opponent they desired!!

“WAAAAAAAAAGH!!!”

The next moment, the Orcs raised their weapons and charged at Duanmu Huai, roaring loudly!