Translator: CinderTL
In the war council chamber of Watchers Fortress, torchlight flickered across the weathered stone walls. Paul slowly traced his fingers across the military map spread across the long table, finally stopping at the vast plains east of the fortress.
"All the prisoners' testimonies align," Hal Duke announced grimly, his rough fingers drumming on the tabletop. "Abal didn't retreat through the fortress."
Schroeder frowned. "But the Neron Corridor is the only passage back to the Grassland... unless..."
"Unless he never intended to return at all," Paul finished quietly, his gaze sweeping across the assembled generals.
He had been torn between leading the Imperial Army out of Watchers Fortress to pursue Abal. This development settled the matter.
A tense silence fell over the chamber.
Outside the fortress, soldiers bustled about repairing the walls and clearing the battlefield, their faint victory cheers barely audible. Yet within the council chamber, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.
"We interrogated the Orc officers," an intelligence officer reported, flipping open his record book. "Key members of the Chieftain's Tent—the White Wolf Clan's Shaman, Abal's trusted advisors, even his eldest son, Ajil—were not among the retreating forces."
"This doesn't make sense!" Hal Duke shook his head. "Even if Abal is arrogant, he wouldn't risk staying trapped behind enemy lines. Besides, the Neron Corridor isn't spacious enough to secretly conceal an entire army."
"What trick is that bastard playing?" Paul stood up and walked to the window. The Neron Corridor stretched westward from the fortress like a slumbering dragon.
"We need to re-evaluate our intelligence!" he ordered, turning back to the others. "Send out scout cavalry to search all suspicious areas west of the fortress."
Schroeder nodded in agreement. "If Abal is still hiding somewhere, he won't just sit and wait to be caught—he'll seize any opportunity to strike back."
Paul's gaze returned to the map. The Orc Chieftain's whereabouts remained a mystery, like a dark cloud looming over their hard-won victory.
The recapture of Watchers Fortress might not be the end of the war after all.
Paul ordered his troops to take a brief rest at Watchers Fortress.
Two days later, as he inspected the ongoing repairs to the walls at dawn, a messenger, covered in dust, rushed through the fortress gate. Schroeder promptly ushered him into the council hall.
"Lord Grayman!" A messenger pulled a letter sealed with the Crystal Glare Legion's sigil from his tunic. "An urgent dispatch from General Harrison."
Paul took the letter, feeling the lingering chill of the parchment on his fingertips—evidence it had been delivered overnight. He unfolded it and swiftly scanned the hurried but neat script, his expression growing grave.
"Summon the generals for a war council," he ordered.
Once Earl Duke and the other senior commanders were seated, Paul immediately placed Harrison's confidential letter on the table, lightly tapping the parchment with his finger.
"Windbreath Fortress has obtained critical intelligence from Orc prisoners!" he announced, his voice calm and steady. "Abal didn't use the Neron Corridor. Instead, he marched directly north through the territory of the Stonemasons, a Dwarf Clan in the Rocky Mountains."
"You mean the Dwarf Pass?" Earl Duke frowned deeply. "But weren't those passages sealed long ago? Those stubborn dwarves never deal with outsiders."
"Clearly! The Dwarves are starting to venture out into the world, and they've chosen the Orcs as their first partners," Schroeder grunted heavily. He turned to Paul and asked, "Lord Marquis, do you remember that so-called Dwarf prince who came to Alden Town years ago?"
"Let me think..." Paul paused briefly. "Ah, yes! That fellow named Imar! Right, he claimed to be from the Stonemason Clan!"
Paul immediately unfolded a map and pointed to a section in the eastern Rocky Mountains. "If I recall correctly, the Stonemason Clan's territory should be located somewhere around here."
Imar had once asked Paul for help in reclaiming his birthright, but Paul had dismissed him, and the disgruntled Dwarf had stormed off.
"Could it be that he secured enough support from the Orcs to seize control of his clan, and in return, opened passages through their lands to them?" Schroeder mused.
Of course, this was merely speculation.
"If that's the case, then the Dwarves have been using the Orcs all along to keep humans away from their territory," Sir Colin interjected. "They would send small bands of Orc raiders south to harass human settlements near the Rocky Mountains."
Earl Duke nodded. "Precisely because the Orcs always appeared in small groups, we've believed for centuries that the Rocky Mountains were impassable to large armies. During the last Orc invasion, they ambushed us from behind. In our post-battle analysis, we concluded that House Bradley, after betraying the kingdom, must have secretly smuggled small bands of Orcs over the mountains, gradually amassing a force."
Arthur exclaimed indignantly, "It seems we know far too little about the true state of the Rocky Mountains! Those detestable Dwarves!"
A murmur rippled through the council hall. Catherine slammed her hand on the table, rising to her feet. "So, during the first invasion, the Orc force that ambushed Watchers Fortress from the rear... they infiltrated through this passage?"
Paul nodded. "That's the only explanation. How else could Abal have vanished without a trace? He must have led the Chieftain's Tent's core forces through Dwarf Pass, undetected!"
Suddenly, a chilling thought struck him, leaving him drenched in cold sweat.
The western section of the Rocky Mountains bordered the northern edge of Northwest Bay, and another Dwarf Clan resided there. What if they, too, had opened a passage to the Orcs?
He glanced at Schroeder, who had clearly reached the same conclusion and was already returning his gaze.
The Chief of Staff spoke calmly, "Lord Marquis, there's no need for excessive worry. The defenses at Northwest Bay are more than adequate."
"Still, we can't let our guard down. Send word to Alden Town immediately about the possibility of a dwarf-orc alliance, urging them to increase their vigilance to the north. But..."
A hint of tension crept into his voice. "My greatest concern is Andrew's forces. Alden Town must find a way to urgently notify the Grasslands Expeditionary Force. Abal's main army might cross the Rocky Mountains and return to the Grassland much sooner than anticipated. If they encounter the Chieftain's Tent's main force, I authorize Andrew to retreat as the situation warrants."
Although Abal's army might reach the Grasslands Expeditionary Force before Alden Town's messengers, Paul was determined to try anyway.
Earl Duke's face darkened menacingly. "We've been outmaneuvered twice now."
Paul's gaze swept across the map, finally settling on the jagged outline of the Rocky Mountains.
"Dispatch scouting teams to every region immediately!" he ordered. "I want detailed reports on every Dwarf Pass in the Rockies. As for the Stonemason Clan..."
His finger slammed down on the map. "It's time to talk to them."
(End of the Chapter)
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