I Want to Live a Normal Life - Episode 9: Hello Almira

Episode 9: Hello Almira

“Hello, Almira Principality.”

…Was it Almira? Well, whatever.

I arrived at the border where the activity of the principality has become lively. It seems that there has been a sudden increase in the movement of people and goods at the fortress near the border of the principality. It looks like preparations for invasion are steadily progressing.

Hartelia seems to be gathering nobles near the border, but there are some suspicious individuals among them. They’re probably connected behind the scenes.

By the way, I skipped the setup work. Sorry, Mr. Walz. Well, since the stage is already set up, it should be fine. I also got permission from Oba-chan. Let me know if that sarcastic guy bullies you? I’ll deal with him later.

“First, reconnaissance, I guess.”

I’ve come up with a plan, but I can’t just launch into it suddenly. I’ll start by secretly going underground to check out the situation over there. Frankly, if I just blow up that fortress, I could stop the invasion, but it would be bad if I were found out because it would turn into a preemptive attack from our side. Apparently, there are rules even in war. It’s ridiculous.

Also, if I weaken them too much, there’s a possibility that the Melnier Kingdom might move. It would be troublesome if the principality were to be destroyed. So, the purpose of this time is just to harass them. I’m not saying there won’t be any casualties.

Inside the fortress, soldiers are bustling around, but there don’t seem to be as many soldiers as we expected. Well, there are quite a few, but still.

“There aren’t as many as I thought. But there’s plenty of supplies.”

I was expecting a considerable number of troops. At least at this point, it doesn’t seem like there are such large armies inside or around the fortress. It seems there will be some time before the invasion preparations are complete. So, let’s harass them quickly and go back.

According to the border count’s story, there’s a forest nearby where monsters inhabit, so let’s aim for that first.

“‘Oh, that’s the third one. I wonder if this will work?”

I arrived at the orc’s nest, located somewhat deep in the forest. Yes, it’s the typical orc from another world. They look like two-legged pigs and aren’t that strong, but their breeding ability is ridiculously strong. Moreover, when they become upper-class individuals like Kings or Emperors, their combat power increases, and they start forming groups like small countries, controlling multiple herds. Probably, this nest is also led by such individuals. There are many small huts, so there might be hundreds to a thousand of them.

This should work for the main operation.

“Shall I do it right away?”

It’s been three days since I left the capital. Let’s move quickly.

“Well then, shall I bring out the special guest right away?”

—

“I’m coming in!”

“””Boo, boo, boo!”””

“Huh, wait, already?”

“””Boooo!”””

The orcs attacked as soon as I approached the nest. It seems I can’t sneak in quietly. I even changed the appearance of my armor to look like an orc using the magic tool.

“[Cannon]… [Fire].”

“””Boo!?”””

“””Boooo!!?”””

I dealt with the attacking orcs and blasted the cannon into the biggest hut. I reduced the power but increased the sound. My goal this time isn’t to exterminate them. Well, it would be troublesome if they died.

Well, the small fries are of no use, so I’ll thin them out with [Shotgun]. It would be a bad wake-up call if they attacked neighboring towns or villages. I have to reduce their numbers at least to some extent.

“Oh, a big one’s coming out. I’d like to lure all the big ones if possible.”

In a settlement like this, there should be many upper-class individuals besides the King, such as Generals and Leaders. If we’re lucky, there might even be an Emperor. That’s three in total.

Yes, what I’m about to do is the artificial stampede MPK. Let’s send these elite orc troops against the people of the principality. If humans can’t handle it, let the monsters do it. They’re the ones trying to invade us anyway.

(Note: MPK (Monster Player Killing) is defined as an action taken by a player or players who purposely cause monsters to attack or incapacitate other players)

It seems the fortress has plenty of people and supplies prepared. Good luck, okay?

“””Boooo!!”””

“No, this is quite tough.”

After running for hours, I finally saw the exit of the forest. I guess about two hundred, mainly centered around big shots like Kings, Generals, and Leaders, are following me? It was a hassle to guide those who seemed to be straying with [Shotgun] every time, but I managed to get here somehow. All that’s left is to throw them into the fortress.

By the way, these guys are pretty strong. The Kings seem to be starting to coordinate with each other. It’s a relief that there’s no Emperor.

“Here, here! Come over here!”

“””Boo, boo, boo!”””

As the fortress approached, I picked up a bit of speed. It seemed they noticed us and started bustling around on their end. I’ll just keep this momentum and smash through the fortress gate. Then all that’s left is to watch the orcs rampage and make my escape.

“Do–n!”

“””Ahhh!”””

“””Enemy attack!”””

“”It’s the orcs!””

“Alright, let’s charge!”

“””Boo, boo, boo!”””

With a mighty swing of the mace, I blasted the door open and stormed into the fortress alongside the enraged orcs. Instantly, panic erupted inside. Battles broke out everywhere, swords clashing, angry shouts, screams, and the constant squealing of pigs. Oink, oink.

“Give it your all!”

I hope they put on a grand show of fighting, enough to overshadow a war.

Amid escalating tensions between the Hartelia Kingdom and the Almira Principality near their border, an army of orcs led by what appeared to be an Orc Emperor clad in full-body stone armor launched a sudden assault on the Almira Principality’s Fort Moldio. The orcs breached the gate, infiltrated the fortress, and overwhelmed the unsuspecting Principality forces, seizing control of the fort.

In this battle, including Count Zigalde, the fortress’s commander, twenty-six nobles were slain, and thousands of soldiers were wounded or killed, suffering significant losses.

—

I watched the orcs clash with the fortress for a while, but since they seized control of it, I promptly returned. I thought for sure there would be some boss fight happening. Well, even when they were training, the three kings coordinated, so maybe a sense of camaraderie has sprouted among them.

“Honestly, I didn’t think the orcs would be that strong.”

“The Orc Kings have a skill that boosts the surrounding orcs’ morale. With three of them…”

“I see. That makes sense.”

Yeah, there was a skill like that in the original story. I think it was called something like [King of the Orcs]. The effects of that skill stack, whether it’s additive or multiplicative, I don’t know, but either way, it seems pretty significant. There were never multiple kings in the game, so no wonder they’re powerful. Seriously, it’s a relief there’s no emperor.

“Thanks for helping, Mine.”

“No problem, I’m not really into wars. It’s good that the tournament can still go on smoothly.”

“Yeah. This is something only a few people know, but there has been contact from the Principality. They’re still in a standoff with the fortress’ orcs, so an invasion seems unlikely. If it comes to that, Miltia should back off too. It’s practically impossible to invade alone.”

“Oh, that’s good to hear.”

“The Principality will likely settle things with the heads of the ministers who led the invasion and Gladiol, who instigated them.”.

Hartelia isn’t exactly in a comfortable position either. We don’t want them to be pushed too far and explode, so that’s likely the compromise. They did stop before the invasion.

But the Principality must be really busy. They can’t just leave that fortress alone. …If things get really bad, should I go eliminate them? We can’t have an orc kingdom on our border. Well, let’s think about it if it happens.

Anyway, if the Principality calms down, we can breathe a sigh of relief for now, right? Theocracy can’t handle both Hartelia and the Federation at once. The Principality better catch Gladiol properly.

With that settled, I hope things settle down at the academy too. Everyone’s looking forward to the tournament.

—

A week later, the Almira Principality, gathering its surrounding forces, launched a counterattack to reclaim Fort Moldio. Despite suffering heavy casualties, they managed to defeat 234 upper-tier orc specimens, including three Orc Kings, and successfully recaptured the fortress. However, there was no sign of the Orc Emperor, necessitating continued vigilance in the surrounding areas.

Having lost many commanders, soldiers, and resources in the series of battles, the Almira Principality deemed further combat operations impossible. They dispatched envoys to the Hartelia Kingdom for reconciliation, offering to accept a peace proposal in exchange for the punishment of those who led the war efforts. This paved the way for tension between the two nations to ease.