“Listen up! You all better finish packing by the time I finish getting into my armor! If anyone is late, I’ll cut you open with this axe and feed you to the worms!”
He shouted again, and the orcs began to prepare.
Monsters were said to lack intelligence and order. But by having strict rules, a horde could function as an army.
At first, it was very troublesome. But seeing them all act as he intended now, it filled him with satisfaction.
“Komos. Managing an army is more interesting than I thought.”
“Indeed.”
“You have the pawns in your hand, and predict the future… Now that I am in the position of a commander, I can really feel it.”
Perhaps this feeling was what the Demon King wanted him to experience. A world that you wouldn’t see, if all you cared about was being strong. It was what the Demon King saw.
But after thinking this much, the Minotaur laughed.
It was too much. To think he knew his master’s view point.
Just this, one of the goblins rushed towards him frantically.
“General! We received word from the scouts! The human army is marching in this direction!”
“The distance?”
“The report said that they saw knights on the road, two mountains away from here. They are currently gathering more information.”
He had known the Hero’s army would attack if left alone. And so it was a good thing he had sent the scouts out. The problem now was how much of the enemy’s movements he could read from here.
“At the time of the sighting, how many riders were there?”
“It was before we started eating breakfast. Around dawn. There were two riders. But while they had bows and leather armor, there was no horse armor or saddle bags.”
“The humans must have started the march at dawn then. If they went ahead without food, then the rest of the army is likely half a day behind.”
“If they are mainly foot soldiers. However, if most of them are riders, they might arrive sooner.”
However, Berganda did not think that it was likely.
He had fought against the Hero’s army several times, and the Hero’s army always centered around foot soldiers.
“Tell the scouts. Find out where the main army is immediately. And keep them in your sight. Komos, tell the rest of the men. We will be marching without rest until I give the order.”
“You predict they are foot soldiers, and so you want to get far away at once?”
“That to. But we also have some precious cargo. I would prefer to avoid battle.”
He finished putting on his armor and picked up his axe. Then he took a deep breath and roared.
“Do not waste time! We march now!”
—
As Sheto watched, the scene around him changed frantically. The chained lizards pulled the wagon, and spear-wielding goblins marched on both sides.
While they had been marching like this up until now, there was definitely a tension in their expressions that had not been there before.
“Salia, something is wrong.”
‘I am checking it as well. They seemed rather relaxed yesterday… Also, I saw more imp scouts being summoned and sent out.’
“…Can you see the Hero’s army from there?”
There was silence for some time, and then Salia answered.
‘No, they are not within my vision. The range is limited, as you are in the center. But…’
“But the enemy, is coming?”
‘I think so. The riders must have been seen by those on patrol… But something is wrong.’
The kobold looked around. There were more goblins than usual protecting the wagon. And the driver also looked like he was in a rush.
“Probably, lots of enemies. They want to get away. In a rush.”
‘I am sure that is the case too. Sheto, they are prioritizing your delivery. They must have gathered this many soldiers in anticipation of an attack.’
If they wanted to just deliver a normal kobold, a collar and chains would be enough. Were they afraid of Sheto’s ability? Or was this a show for the Demon King?
‘It will probably result in a battle. That will be our chance.’
“I know. My things, with the bull?”
Sheta raised his hands and added ‘power’ to the shackles. And like that, the attack blessing covered the wooden board.
‘If the battle spreads, you will likely be taken from the wagon. At that time, break the shackles…or fight when you are released.’
“Will break shackles, around feet. Use hand shackles as weapon.”
While his hands were bound, his feet were only chained. If he wanted to, he could strengthen the hand shackles and cut the chains.
His wrist did hurt a little from being in the wooden frame, but enough food and sleep had ensured that his body was in good condition.