When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 33

Episode 33

Several hours had passed since confronting the enemy’s large army, which was nearing 100,000 in number. It was remarkable that they managed to hold out for several hours despite the vast difference in strength, but Elliot, leading a group of 500 seasoned warriors, watched as one by one, they fell in battle.

Utilizing the advantage of the terrain around the entrance to the highway and prioritizing the weak command structure of the monster army, Elliot’s group had managed to divide the enemy and engage in continuous combat with as few enemies as possible.

However, this tactic was nearing its limit. The Orc King finally emerged, pushing through the crowded monsters. Until now, Elliot and his group had been advancing carefully, avoiding a direct encounter with the Orc King while contending with the chaotic horde of monsters under his command.

“…It’s about time for the main course,” Elliot Crane, standing tall on the battlefield despite his injuries and exhaustion, quipped. His words spurred on the battle-hardened warriors around him.

“Alex, what do you think about the time we’ve bought?” Elliot asked.

“Well, I believe we’ve bought the minimum time necessary. Ideally, we’d hold them off for a full day, but that might be pushing it. We’ll need overtime pay for this,” Alex replied with a jest, eliciting laughter from the troops. They all understood that their fate was nearing its end. Nevertheless, they remained true to themselves until the very end.

“Of course. We’ll throw in the overtime pay. And I’ll even throw in some medals,” Elliot responded to Alex’s banter before tightening his expression. “We’re going to kill the Orc King. Even if they catch up without him, Maria and the others can handle it.”

Amidst the battlefield crowded with monsters, the sound of swords clashing echoed repeatedly.

“Haaaaaah!!” “Gaaaaaaaah!!”

Elliot engaged in combat with the Orc King while Alex and others provided support when openings arose. The surrounding troops coordinated to keep other monsters from interfering.

The coordination of the troops was flawless. Despite his fatigue, Elliot’s mental strength surpassed his physical exhaustion, and his movements were flawless, perhaps even in his best condition yet, thanks to his concentration and the layering of body-enhancing magic. However…

“…Still not enough to reach him,” Elliot muttered as he was sent flying by the Orc King’s swung greatsword, managing to land somewhat gracefully.

In another part of the battlefield, it seemed that Jez had easily taken down another Orc King, but that feat was largely due to Princess René’s contribution of strategic-level magic. It was a feat achieved after considerable exertion.

“I wanted to hold out a little longer, but there’s no choice,” Elliot decided that it was more important to completely kill the Orc King here and now. “Alex! I’m leaving the rest to you!! I’ll kill the Orc King here!!”

Elliot shouted to Alex and the others, who were fighting nearby to provide support. Understanding what their boss was about to do, Alex and the others momentarily considered stopping Elliot, but they held back.

“Good luck!!! …Let’s meet again,” they said as they quickly distanced themselves from Elliot and the Orc King. Confirming their actions, Elliot, in a friendly tone, addressed the Orc King facing him.

“You’re surprisingly considerate, waiting for us, aren’t you?”

The Orc King, wary of Elliot and his group, ended up waiting for their interaction to unfold as a result.

“Now, Orc King, you’ll meet your end here,” Elliot declared, as the overwhelming flow of magic surged from within the body of Elliot Crane, the commander of the 9th Legion. Seeing this, the Orc King instinctively sensed danger, but it was too late.

“I offer my life. Let the last of my strength flow with my blood. Let this dedication of the end become power. My body, unleash your final brilliance. Become the light of hope amidst despair. ‘Dedication of the End’, fulfill this contract now!”

The illustrious ten of the Tashman Kingdom. A forbidden secret passed down only to the legion commanders tasked with protecting the kingdom. It was the ultimate trump card they possessed.

That was the designated forbidden magic, the “Dedication of the End.” Its invocation and mechanisms were kept secret by the royal family and directly passed down to the legion commanders upon their appointment.

Furthermore, discussing its details through contract magic was prohibited, and if information were to leak through any means, all those suspected by the kingdom’s covert agencies would be purged.

Elliot had literally played his final trump card. Confirming the generation of immense magic power in exchange for his own life force, he checked his physical condition.

“?!” “Huh!!”

At a speed that momentarily caused the Orc King to lose sight of him, Elliot swiftly moved forward, swinging his sword imbued with magic, slicing off the Orc King’s right arm that held the greatsword.

“Guaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!”

The Orc King screamed in pain and rage. Despite his desperate attempts to kill Elliot, he was evaded, and in turn, his left arm was sliced off. Understanding that he was now the prey, the Orc King turned his back to flee, but…

“Raaaaaaahhhhh!!”

With a full-bodied strike, his head fell. Elliot, surprisingly calm even to himself, delivered the finishing blow to the Orc King. “It’s surprisingly anticlimactic,” he remarked.

However, as he felt something essential rapidly leaving his body, he continued to rampage until it was depleted. Amidst the panicked horde of monsters after the Orc King’s demise, Elliot wreaked havoc until his own life seemed to fade away.

“…Ugh…”

A sudden strike.

With a dull sound, Elliot’s chest was pierced by a menacing sword. Blood overflowed from his mouth and wounds, his consciousness blurred, and his body temperature dropped. As Elliot looked back, what he saw was…

“…I see, the Orc Emperor, huh… This isn’t lucky.”