The wagons halted roughly an hour’s walk from the Orc settlement. Halting the wagons, the party leaders from Gilm gathered inside Hobbes’s tent for a strategy meeting. Rei attended as well in his role as the transport coordinator.

Sentries stood guard outside to ensure no Orcs or wandering monsters approached, but their demeanour showed little tension.

Setting aside Rei, the lowest-ranked adventurer parties accepted for the Orc subjugation were D rank, and above all, Set the Griffon was keeping watch.

「Well, we have finally made it here safely…… First, I want someone to scout the Orc settlement. Are there any volunteers?」

At Hobbes’s question, every party leader present fell silent.

Even Elk remained quiet. Axe of the Thunder God was composed of two frontline warriors and a mage, leaving them without anyone suited for scouting.

While some parties included thieves, they judged the task far too dangerous and held their tongues.

As for Seryl, the leader of Dark Night’s Star, she had no intention of volunteering Murgas despite his thief skills.

(I need Murgas to keep an eye on that rookie. His job is to snatch the item box the moment an opening appears, so I can’t waste him on scouting an Orc settlement.)

As these thoughts raced through her mind, her eyes darted away when Hobbes glanced in her direction.

「Seryl, doesn’t Dark Night’s Star have a thief? How about him?」

「I’m sorry, but his personality makes him unsuited for scouting an Orc settlement. He’s naturally a coward. His only real strength is spotting enemies before they notice us.」

In this context, a thief did not mean a criminal who stole property. On an expedition, their role was scouting ahead, disarming traps, and unlocking trapped treasure chests inside labyrinths without needing a key.

「……I see.」

Watching the exchange between Hobbes and Seryl, Rei raised his hand.

「Excuse me, but will scouting count toward guild achievements?」

「Of course it will.」

「In that case, I will handle the scouting.」

「……What?」

For a moment, Hobbes failed to grasp Rei’s words and asked him to repeat himself.

「As I said, I would like to volunteer for the scouting role.」

「Hold on a second. Do you possess the skills of a thief?」

One of the party leaders standing near Hobbes questioned him, but Rei shook his head silently.

「I have acquired no such skills.」

「Then I object. My party cannot provide a scout either, but I cannot support sending someone who risks being spotted. If you are discovered, won’t our surprise attack be ruined before it even begins?」

「That’s right. I’m against it as well.」

Every other party leader voiced agreement with the man who had spoken out first.

Seeing his proposal rejected, Rei smiled faintly before speaking up.

「It is true that I don’t possess thief skills. And as you say, being spotted during reconnaissance would ruin the night attack. However, as you all know, I have Set.」

「Ah!」

The moment Rei spoke, Elk understood what he meant and let out a loud shout.

As the surrounding leaders turned their gaze toward Elk, Rei continued.

「Set is a Griffon. In other words, he can fly. And since I tamed him, I can ride on his back.」

At those words, everyone in the tent understood Rei’s plan. Their expressions shifted to looks of genuine admiration.

……With the sole exception of Seryl, whose face twisted into a sour grimace.

The reason none of them had thought of aerial reconnaissance before Rei mentioned it was simple. Magic allowing humans to take flight was exceptionally advanced, possessed by only a tiny handful of elite mages.

At the same time, while several Beastkin adventurers were participating in the expedition, none belonged to avian lineages, meaning aerial scouting never crossed their minds.

Furthermore, although the kingdom possessed an elite corps known as the Dragon Knights, hatching a wyvern from an egg and raising it alongside a candidate required immense time and resources. As a result, they were stationed in the Royal Capital as core military assets, completely absent from a frontier city like Gilm.

「Hobbes, is there any issue with me riding Set to scout the Orc settlement from the sky?」

「None at all. In fact, we welcome it.」

Hobbes grinned, a fierce smile spreading across his face.

「What should I look for?」

「First is the total number of enemies. Next is the settlement layout. Finally, note any weaknesses in their perimeter defences. It would also help to identify whatever creature is leading them, whether it is a rare species or a higher-tier variant…… Personally, I hope it’s a rare species.」

Rare species versus higher-tier variants. In terms of danger, higher-tier variants were far more troublesome. While rare species possessed unique abilities beyond their baseline species, higher-tier variants lived up to their name in raw combat power. Although both were comparable in their ability to command subordinates, a rare species was generally easier to subdue, as Hobbes explained.

Rei nodded at Hobbes’s instructions and stepped out of the tent.

As he walked away, he felt Seryl’s resentful glare burning into his back.

(Damn it. I wanted to steal that item box before the fight with the Orcs even started. Did he volunteer for scouting on purpose just to get in my way? Honestly, is earning points with the guild the only thing on his mind?)

While Seryl made her bitter assumptions, Hobbes addressed the remaining leaders.

「We will pause here. Stay close by, as we will reconvene the moment Rei returns from his flight.」

At Hobbes’s command, the adventurers dispersed back to their parties.

 

 

「Gururu~」

Seeing Rei emerge from Hobbes’s tent, Set let out a joyful cry. Several adventurers nearby watched the Griffon with warm smiles.

It seemed that sharing camp overnight had erased much of their fear toward Set.

「Set, we’re going out for a bit.」

「Guru~?」

「Hobbes assigned us to scout the Orc settlement. Can you fly over them safely so we can get a good look?」

「Gururu~」

Giving an affirmative cry, Set turned his back toward Rei.

「I’m counting on you.」

Rei patted Set’s back and climbed aboard. After a short running start, Set spread his wings and stepped into the air, soaring smoothly into the sky.

The adventurers below watched the ascent with envious eyes.

 

 

Beneath a clear blue summer sky dotted with white clouds and bathed in brilliant sunshine, Set spread his wings wide and glided effortlessly through the air. Flying at a considerable altitude, Rei judged that any Orc looking up from the ground would mistake them for an ordinary bird.

Perched on Set’s back, Rei surveyed the Orc settlement laid out below. While observing ground details from such an altitude would prove difficult for an ordinary human, Rei possessed a body crafted through the collective mastery of Zephyr Zondo’s organisation, making the task entirely manageable.

Although Hobbes had estimated roughly fifty Orcs, the settlement’s scale was far larger than expected. There appeared to be close to a hundred of them. Fortunately for the expedition, that large number had worked against the monsters. The settlement remained unfinished, with its eastern perimeter left almost completely untouched. Even so, observing carefully from the air, Rei spotted several Orc sentries stationed along that eastern approach.

「That building in the centre, the one clearly larger than the rest, is likely the leader’s quarters.」

Most of the dwellings were crude structures cobbled together from wood and straw. In contrast, the central building had clearly received far more effort during construction…… although it still looked shabby compared to houses in Gilm.

「I have confirmed their rough numbers. Now, if I can just locate the leader…… Though with my limited knowledge, I might not be able to tell whether it’s a rare species or a higher-tier variant.」

Just as Rei muttered those words, an unusual Orc caught his eye. It was roughly twice the size of a normal Orc, clad in metal armour while the rest remained unarmoured.

「Is that the one leading them?」

「Guru~」

In response to Rei’s murmur, Set gave a low cry and drew Rei’s attention to another spot further away.

「……I see.」

Standing in the area Set indicated was another armoured Orc, also twice the size of normal specimens.

Scanning the settlement more closely, Rei noticed several other similarly equipped giants.

「In that case, that armour probably denotes officers or generals.」

Next, Rei’s attention was drawn to a gathering of Orcs near a shack on the northern edge of the settlement. Nearly twenty Orcs were clustered around the small hut.

「What is that? A food storehouse?」

Just as the thought crossed his mind, something burst out of the shack and attempted to flee…… only to be tackled and pinned to the ground by the gathered Orcs. Rei’s vision, far sharper than any normal person’s, clearly made out the runner’s identity. Draped in shredded rags, it was an almost completely naked human woman.

Focusing his hearing, Rei faintly caught a desperate voice carried on the wind.

「No, stop! Please, don’t violate me any more than this!」

Rei knitted his brow in disgust, recalling from Zephyr’s knowledge that Orcs used human females to breed.

「Calling for help, is she? ……Damn it, I can’t help her right now.」

If he followed his personal emotions, he would dive down this instant and butcher every Orc in sight. However, even if he wiped out the Orcs around that shack, the commotion would alert the entire settlement. That would ruin the midnight surprise attack, ultimately increasing casualties among the subjugation force and allowing many Orcs to escape into the wild.

「……Tonight. If you can hold out until tonight, I will save you. Don’t give up.」

Knowing the woman dragged back into the shack could not hear him, Rei muttered the promise under his breath.

Averting his eyes to continue the reconnaissance, Rei channelled the cold fury burning in his chest into resolve, swearing to slaughter every last Orc during tonight’s raid.

「Looking at their armaments, most carry crude swords and clubs. A few have shields…… And there are some with bows.」

Several Orc Archers, equipped with bows in hand and quivers slung across their backs, could be seen patrolling the settlement. And then……

「Are those staffs? Those must be Orc Mages.」

Though few in number, several Orcs carrying wooden staffs walked among the huts.

「Right, that should be more than enough information. Set, let’s head back.」

「Gururu~!」

Answering Rei with a sharp, affirmative cry, Set banked his wings and glided back toward the expedition’s camp.

「Orcs, tonight will be your last night. Enjoy your remaining hours while you can.」

With those cold parting words, Rei turned away.

As Set glided down to a smooth landing at the camp, several adventurers watching nearby spontaneously clapped in appreciation.

However, the adventurers who started approaching with smiles paused when they saw the icy expression on Rei’s face, instinctively sensing that something grim had been uncovered at the Orc settlement. Without a word, they stepped aside and let him proceed straight to Hobbes.

「Guru~」

As Set let out an anxious cry, several adventurers offered him pieces of dried meat and gently patted his head.

Leaving Set in their care, Rei walked directly to Hobbes, who was already coming out to greet him.

「Rei, you’re back.」

「Yeah.」

「How was the scouting?」

「I got a solid look at everything.」

「Understood. The moment you came into view, I had the party leaders assemble. Come inside.」

Following Hobbes into the tent, Rei noticed Hobbes eyeing him strangely, but the commander prioritised hearing the report and said nothing.

As Hobbes had indicated, the party leaders were already gathered, each letting out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing Rei return unharmed.

Seryl, who was fixated on the Misty Ring, shared the same relief, though in her case it was purely because her prey had not blundered and gotten himself killed by Orcs before she could steal the ring.

Once Rei took his seat, Hobbes opened the floor.

「Alright, Rei. Give us your scouting report at once.」

「Right. First off, enemy numbers. They far exceed the fifty we initially estimated. There are likely close to a hundred of them.」

A hundred. The moment the number left Rei’s mouth, the party leaders’ faces stiffened in shock.

Having signed up expecting to face fifty Orcs, their panic was entirely natural.

「Calm down! Let me remind everyone that fifty was the baseline estimate. We fully anticipated numbers could run higher.」

「Still, I never heard anything about the count doubling! Shouldn’t we consider pulling back to the city?」

「……And simply overlook the devastation Orcs will inflict on the city of Gilm?」

「That’s……」

The leader who suggested retreating fell silent when reminded of the threat to Gilm. Even those without close family in the city had friends and acquaintances living there. Faced with the reality of those people falling victim to Orcs, none of them could argue for retreat.

「At the same time, while their numbers are greater than expected, it also means their settlement is incomplete. The eastern perimeter is almost completely untouched, though I did spot several sentries posted there.」

「I see. The eastern perimeter is undermanned. That is valuable intelligence. I will incorporate it into the assault plan.」

「Do as you see fit. In addition, there are giant Orcs roughly twice the size of normal specimens, equipped with metal armour.」

「……Those are Orc Generals. A higher-tier variant.」

「Others carried bows, and I spotted several with staffs as well. Unfortunately, I couldn’t definitively identify the overall leader…… But there is a building in the centre constructed far better than the others, so that is likely where the leader resides.」

「Orc Archers and Orc Mages…… and a command building in the centre.」

「Yeah. And there is one last thing. There is a shack on the northern edge of the settlement, and I confirmed human captives are inside.」

Humans inside an Orc settlement. At those words, the faces of every adventurer in the tent turned grim. Hobbes broke the silence, his voice heavy.

「That would be…… female captives?」

「Yeah. It appears the Orcs are using them for breeding. They were still alive when I looked……」

「Understood…… Did you notice anything else?」

「No. That covers everything.」

「I see. Thank you. In that case, everyone should rest until nightfall. I will brief everyone on the final strategy over dinner.」

Giving a brief nod to Hobbes’s dismissal, Rei stepped out of the tent.

Several hours remained before the midnight raid. Across the camp, every adventurer began their final combat preparations.

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