You should know that twenty Lizardman warriors can fight a standard B-rank Ogre Clan to a draw.
Not to mention, once a human army surpasses a hundred, their combat power scales up rapidly.
Fifty thousand human elites. As long as an Awakened Demon Lord with more than a million magicules doesn't appear on the other side…
If it's just a Demon Lord, then the Kingdom of Falmuth definitely has a chance to win.
"What a grand move, old man!"
"No choice," Razen replied. "This time, the nobles are truly desperate."
In the original work, the Great Jura Forest only hindered Falmuth's trade.
But now, Rin had completely severed their financial lifeline.
Without a source of income, and with pressure from the Rosso family and other Western Nations, how could the already irrational nobles of this ridiculous kingdom sit still?
The Kingdom of Falmuth, with a population of tens of millions, had around 400,000 troops.
Of those, no more than 100,000 were elites.
To fully reopen the eastern trade route, they had committed nearly half their forces to this campaign.
"I really want to see what a legendary Demon Lord looks like!"
"Gotta be tougher than the average monster, right?"
Shogo didn't care about politics, economics, or military strategy. He just wanted a good fight against a strong opponent.
If he came all the way to another world and gained power but never got to use it, wouldn't that be a waste?
"There will be a chance, Shogo."
Razen was quite pleased with their attitude. He looked over at Kirara.
"I, I understand," she said, trembling. "I'll go with you."
"Then prepare yourselves. I'll notify you when it's time."
With that, Razen turned and left. The three watched as he disappeared through the door.
"Thud!"
As it shut, Shogo's fiery expression vanished, and Kyoya's calm demeanor shifted instantly.
"That damn old man…"
Shogo punched the wall. "They're just using us like pawns!"
The three of them never wanted to be summoned in the first place.
Of course, getting to see another world and gain power was nice.
But the problem was, their lives and deaths were completely in the hands of Falmuth.
To control the Otherworlders, the summoning mages had implanted a contingency into their minds.
If they showed any signs of rebellion, Razen could instantly trigger the mental restriction and kill them.
"This is the price of having no freedom."
Kyoya spoke in a low voice. "What do you think? Can we use this war to get out from under that old man and the nobles' control?"
"Hey!"
Kirara said nervously, "Isn't that too risky? If we fail, we'll die!"
"Don't worry."
Kyoya looked at her. "The kingdom still needs us."
They wouldn't casually kill Otherworlders who cost so much to summon.
The mages who performed the ritual had paid a steep price, losing their ability to cast spells for a long time, just to bring the three here.
"Y-yeah, you're right."
Kirara avoided Kyoya's sharp gaze. "But how do we break free from the kingdom?"
"As long as that old geezer's restriction is in our heads, no matter where we run, we'll be caught, right?"
"Exactly."
That was the true shackle preventing them from leaving Falmuth.
Otherwise, with such a massive world, why stay in one place?
"In any case, we'll see how things go."
No one knew what would happen in the Great Jura Forest.
Maybe Razen would die.
And if he died, the leash binding them would break instantly.
"Heh."
What they didn't know was that Razen had been watching them all along.
"Trying to escape my control?"
He sneered. "Still too young."
There was no way he'd let go of such useful weapons.
Just like they feared and plotted to kill him, Razen coveted the bodies of the Otherworlders.
Yes. Literally, their bodies.
He possessed the magic of soul reincarnation, allowing him to transplant his soul into others through a special ritual.
It was this method that had granted him an extended lifespan.
"Unfortunately, it's not time yet."
The three were still too weak. He needed them to become stronger.
Ideally, one of them would acquire a Unique Skill related to physical immortality. Then he could break free of the need to reincarnate every few decades.
"Swish! Swish, swish, swish!"
In the quiet and peaceful forest, time seemed to stand still. All the worries and noise of the world felt distant.
The sun slowly dipped beyond the trees, its golden afterglow staining every leaf, casting the forest in a warm light.
In that golden forest, a young woman in blue and white armor sat silently atop a boulder, golden knight's sword in hand, calmly waiting for the scouts to return with new information.
The one approaching her was none other than Haruka, one of the Four Dragon Kings newly appointed by Rin.
As for the woman herself, Artoria had been chosen by Rin to act as the supreme commander of the three armies.
Those armies were the Dragonborn Legion, the Orc Legion, and the Wolf Rider Legion.
The Dragonborn numbered 5,000, making up nearly a third of their entire race.
The Orcs had a population of 260,000, with 30,000 serving as the Monster Nation's standing army.
The number of Wolf Riders exceeded 60,000.
Together, the three armies formed a force of 40,000.
Roughly equivalent in number to the enemy's forces.
But in terms of quality, there was no comparison.
Even the weakest Orc soldiers in this 40,000-strong force possessed B-rank combat strength.
As for the Dragon and Wolf races…
They were forces that could rival A-rank opponents.
Such power was not something a mere human army could deal with.
"Has the Holy Empire of Lubelius made any moves?"
"According to Violet's intel, they've dispatched 3,000 Holy Knights," Haruka reported.
"The one leading them is Hinata Sakaguchi, the head of the Ten Saints."
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)