Chapter 479 - 478: Preparations for War

Chapter 479: Chapter 478: Preparations for War

Colin gently brought the tip of the dagger to his ear.

The small piece of metal vibrated faintly, and he could indeed hear a subtle sound. Colin guessed the principle behind this Specialty’s second ability was using this sound in place of the verbal components of a Spell, allowing him to cast even when he couldn’t speak.

’There’s no denying it, this ability is powerful.’

Colin could already think of several ways to use it.

Finally, there was the "Curse Sword" state.

Colin remembered reading about the Paladin’s "Divine Smite" in a book once.

Paladins could expend their Casting Ability, concentrating holy power onto their blades to attack an enemy.

Based on his experiments and training during their journey, Colin felt his Curse Sword state was probably similar to a Paladin’s "Divine Smite."

Compared to the Damage from a few High Tier Magic, the Curse Sword state’s damage efficiency wasn’t high. However, it would be quite useful when an enemy closed in and he was forced into melee, giving him another combat option.

Time passed, second by second. Colin flipped through his Spellbook while looking at the distant hillside.

Those Orcs must have arrived not long ago.

From his position, he could see many Wolf Knights and goblins scurrying about on the hillside. They were probably searching for Wolf Castle’s hidden sentries and the fortress’s weak points, while also intercepting soldiers sent from Wolf Castle to call for aid.

What they didn’t know, however, was that someone inside Wolf Castle had already contacted Albert.

Meanwhile, the main Orc force was hidden in their camp.

A group of pathetic-looking goblins was building siege engines in the camp; they were even forced to do strenuous labor like chopping down trees.

The Orcs, on the other hand, were fighting or sleeping in the camp. Sometimes when they got bored, they would slap the goblins around to vent their pre-battle tension.

Thanks to the goblins’ round-the-clock labor and the "motivation" of the Orcs’ slaps, siege ladders for scaling the walls were built one after another.

It probably wouldn’t be long before the Orcs were ready to assault the castle.

Wolf Castle was making its own preparations.

Torches were lit on every watchtower, and some servants were busy covering the castle’s flammable structures with wet Beast Hides, laying the groundwork for the coming battle.

As Colin was staring into the distance, the sound of scraping armor reached his ears. He turned to see Albert climbing up.

"Let me take over for a while, Colin."

"It’s not tiring to sit here. You can rest a bit longer."

"Don’t you think it’s weird for a spoiled noble and an Ogre to sit together just staring at each other?" Albert said. "I was about to suffocate down there. I had to come up for some fresh air."

"It is a little strange, I suppose." Colin smiled, then asked, "How many soldiers are in Wolf Castle?"

"About two hundred. It’s just a medium-sized fortress built in recent years," Albert said. "But the garrison here is indeed smaller than in other places. After all, those smaller forts need manpower too."

Colin asked, "How long do you think they can hold out?"

"The Orcs have about four times the number of defenders, and they’ll be attacking soon," Albert said. "Honestly, the situation doesn’t look good."

"I’ll head down then." Colin grabbed the [Climbing Rope] and slowly climbed down.

As he was about to reach the rock ledge, he noticed Mog sitting in a corner with his head down, looking at a crumpled, torn piece of paper in his hand. But when he noticed Colin coming down, he quickly put the paper away.

"When fight? Mog hungry," the Ogre said in a deep, rumbling voice.

"Sorry, Mog. We might have to drag this out as long as possible."

Mog hesitated for a moment, then nodded silently and said, "Mog is patient. Mog is good at following rules."

Colin sat down silently in a corner.

After a moment, he couldn’t help but ask, "What are you going to the Sunset Mountain Range for?"

"To gather materials for Master."

’Still gathering materials? His master must be really trusting to let an Ogre travel alone for so long.’

Colin glanced at the Skeleton hanging from Mog’s shoulder.

Having traveled with Mog for so long, they had all grown accustomed to its presence. Mog had never mentioned who the Skeleton was, and for fear of asking the wrong question and sending the Ogre into a rage, no one in the group had dared to ask.

Privately, however, Ale and Orelia had discussed it.

Sometimes they theorized it was the human wet nurse who had raised Mog. Other times, they claimed it was Mog’s child, and that an evil Mage forced him to carry the bones to control him.

The two young girls, full of a sense of justice and having read too many novels, grew angrier the more they talked about it, to the point that they couldn’t sleep at night.

If not for the fact that these guesses were completely baseless, Colin felt they would have already set off to vanquish the Mage they had never even met.

Speaking of which, Colin did feel that things had gotten much easier since Mog joined them.

In previous battles, it was always him and Kase at the front.

Lately, thanks to Mog charging into the fray with Kase, Colin could stay in the back and unleash a barrage of firepower on their enemies like a proper Mage.

’If Mog could join them for good, that would be a great thing.’

But as an Ogre, his Intelligence was about the same as a child’s, and he couldn’t make decisions about his own future.

Colin asked, "Mog, have you ever asked your master?"

"Asked what’s good to eat?"

"Asked if it’s possible to buy your freedom with gold."

"Freedom? Mog doesn’t want freedom! Mog will never be free, until death!" Mog’s tone suddenly turned angry. He panted heavily, then slammed his fist into the ground, shaking several rocks loose from the ledge.

After the Ogre had calmed down a bit, Colin took out a piece of jerky from his bag and offered it to him. "Um... are you hungry?"

At the sight of the jerky, the anger on Mog’s face vanished instantly.

"Hungry. Mog is hungry," he said, snatching the jerky and stuffing it into his mouth.

Colin smiled as he watched him, deciding not to bring the subject up again.

Time passed quickly.

When the sun set, Dorn and Kase returned to the rock ledge without incident.

With their skills, the two of them had easily found the next resting spot. However, Dorn wanted to take at least one more day to draw maps and observe the Orcs’ patrol routes.

The next day, the group huddled around the rock ledge.

Dorn observed the Orc camp and patrol routes, while Kase scouted further ahead, figuring out a safe path.

The Orcs were doing the same, gathering intelligence and searching for any messengers trying to sneak away.

When night fell, the group took advantage of the darkness. First, they tethered Big Hoof Treasure on a distant, grassy slope, leaving it plenty of fodder. Then, with Mog, they followed the path Dorn and Kase had scouted out earlier, advancing to the next resting spot to settle in.