Chapter 122 - Chapter 21: Barbarians (1/2)

Chapter 122 – Chapter 21: Barbarians

General Vandal’s main force had been defeated.

General Vandal had come out to intercept the army of the barbarian king, but his purpose had been to stop the army and buy time. Over the last few days, his movements had been consistent with mild conflicts, rather than direct battles.

However, there was news that he had been defeated. This meant that a full-scale war had taken place, and General Vandal’s army had been seriously damaged while he escaped.

In-gong was reminded of the battle against the Red Lightning tribe. They had gone out to attack the enemy base, only to retreat after suffering great damage due to the emergence of the swamp mammoths.

Contrary to popular belief, mass casualties didn’t occur so easily in a complete war. The massacre occurred mainly when an army was defeated and tried to escape. It was because they were easy opponents while running away. In the battle where the swamp mammoths had appeared, the army had acted pretty well. So, they hadn’t lost many troops while escaping.

If Vandal was defeated, it was important to know how he had been defeated. There were still many chances if the power of his army had been maintained. Additionally, General Vandal was also unharmed.

However, it wasn’t just that. There was a chance that large fatalities could occur, such as when the barbarians had been crushed by In-gong’s troops.

It was late at night, but it wasn’t midnight yet, and In-gong’s party and the key personnel were gathered together in a warehouse.

Carack laid out a large map on the table, and everyone’s gazes focused on the map. Carack moved a pen hurriedly.

“This is the pattern that General Vandal seems to have taken.”

Evian’s seven bases could be divided into three major areas. Bases five, six and seven were in the north while bases one, two and three were in the south, and the fourth base was between the third and fifth bases.

The area Carack drew an X on wasn’t far from the third base.

“The news that General Vandal was defeated was conveyed from the third base. The barbarians hadn’t just defeated Vandal but also pushed toward the third base. Currently, the third base has fallen to the barbarians.”

An additional X was drawn on the third base. Many of those looking at the map made pained faces. The fact that the barbarians had reached that far meant it was really bad.

“Is there no contact from General Vandal?”

Carack frowned at Felicia’s question.

“No, not yet. But considering the last contact and the situation with the third base, it is likely that his situation isn’t very good.”

Carack drew a line from the third base to the second base. The distance between the two bases was so far that it was likely he was wandering somewhere in between.

“The last report from the third base was quite confusing. It seems like the situation is a mess.”

Carack put up the short piece of paper sent through the communicator next to the map.

“General Vandal’s main force was defeated. We are unable to measure the scale of the damage. The third base will be taken soon. Many deaths have occurred. The barbarian king… north?”

Seira frowned while reading aloud the short sentences on the piece of paper precisely. The sentences were beyond common sense.

“Was General Vandal’s army crushed to such an extent that it isn’t worth pursuing? T-this is General Vandal we’re talking about!”

Felicia cried out in an aghast tone. Caitlin also looked at the map with a worried face. Kaparang shook his head.

“This can’t be. It seems like some experts have split off to trace Vandal, while the rest have turned toward the north.”

There was value in tracking him, but it was up to there. It seemed like more than half of General Vandal’s army had been defeated.

In the somber atmosphere, Caitlin opened her mouth,

“Kaparang, what is the reason why the barbarian king didn’t strike at base one or two?”

“Perhaps he is aiming for Takar.”

“Takar?”

Kaparang nodded at the question. He pointed to the area around Evian on the map.

“Beyond the boundary, it is a barren land that can’t even compare to Evian. For the barbarians, even Evian is a good place to live. Even so, it is unreasonable to just take this place and live in it. If the barbarians occupy Evian, the Demon King’s Palace will move in earnest.”

Kaparang took a deep breath, then he smiled.

“Your Highnesses, didn’t you participate in the fight against the Red Lightning Tribe?”

Caitlin nodded at the question. It had only been a few months ago. So, In-gong remembered it well since it was his first battlefield.

Kaparang continued to explain,

“The same thing happened on the boundary, but the severity is different. Compared to the Red Lightning tribe, the barbarians are much greater in number and more dangerous. If the barbarians wanted to conquer Evian, the Demon King’s Palace would send the captains to stop them.”

The Demon World was wide, and the power of the palace was scattered all over.

The captains were the power of the Demon King’s Palace.

Moving them had a very heavy meaning. The army captains had the power to shake the heavens and earth and led tens of thousands of troops. There was no species in the Demon World that wouldn’t be afraid of them.

“In other words, the barbarians are focusing on destruction and looting, rather than a proper occupation. They can’t live on this land. So, they are aiming to break and obtain as much as possible.”

Felicia added a supplementary explanation. Then Kaparang spoke again,

“Of course, the barbarian king has shown a power that’s incomparable to what he had before. Maybe the barbarians have a different idea this time. But if they choose to go north, then it’s likely they are after Takar. It is the best place to eat near Evian.”

Caitlin was able to accept it since she had visited Takar directly. Takar had an enormous amount of wealth concentrated in it. They would be able to get more from Takar than from the whole of Evian.

“Is it due to General Vandal that they didn’t go to Takar from the beginning?”

Kaparang nodded at Caitlin’s question.