I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 124 Defeat and Evacuation

Damn it, why is there an Imperial magic cannon unit behind the main force?

And when did those damned magic soldiers arrive on the battlefield?

Why would the damned empire send nearly a thousand magic soldiers to a battlefield where they have no advantage whatsoever?

On the southern front of Iron Horse Mountain, they watched as their own troops, subjected to a barrage of artillery shells and explosive magic, suffered more than half their casualties in an instant. Even those who survived were either missing limbs or had their armor ripped apart.

Damon was so angry that he almost ground his teeth to powder, and the anger and sorrow that had been building up in his chest almost made him vomit blood on the spot.

His hands, which he used to be so proud of and full of strength, now began to tremble uncontrollably under the influence of his emotions.

But Damon knew that this emotion, besides anger, was mostly fear.

That kind of uncontrollable fear that comes from the depths of one's soul at the explosive magic that can devour life with unprecedented terror in an instant!

He, who has always been hailed as the most valiant member of the Morning Star Clan, is now filled with fear of a group of humans?

What a load of bull! You're such a jerk!
"Major General Damon, we need to evacuate as soon as possible!"

Before Damon could recover from his resentment and frustration, Galil, who had arrived unnoticed, spoke up in a deep voice, reminding him:

"Under the enemy's sneak attack and explosive magic attack, our main force has suffered more than half casualties. In addition, the Imperial Army's 1st Division has also begun to launch a counterattack. We can no longer turn the tide of the battle, Major General!"

"...You mean, you want me to abandon those soldiers and flee back to Morningstar Territory as a coward, as a defeated man?!"

Damon's eyes were bloodshot as he glared down at the weak and filthy demon-born orc before him with unprecedented fury, his voice almost a roar:
"Galil Darkstab, how dare you insult me ​​with your lowly status and your dishonorable behavior?!"

"Major General Damon, if you insist on thinking that way, then my answer is yes!"

Galil did not back down. His blood-red eyes looked up at the major general who was glaring at him angrily, his gaze calm yet filled with determination:
"In my opinion, this defeat is due to your mistakes, your arrogance, and your personal emotions that you shouldn't have shown. That's why everything is like this now. As a sinner, you deserve this humiliation, don't you?"

Galil stared expressionlessly at the centaur general, whose chest heaved violently and whose mouth and nose spewed out plumes of scorching steam in his rage. His tone was cold and contemptuous:
"Moreover, compared to your questioning of my words and actions, I personally think that Major General Damon should be thanking me, this bastard of the demon race."

"After all, if I hadn't used the Void Spell in time to cover you and the rest of the Star Chaser Cavalry, you probably wouldn't be alive to question me like you are now, would you?"

"..."

Damon remained silent, his gaze fixed on the demonic bastard who dared to provoke him. However, considering the trouble that killing him would bring to the Morning Star Clan, he forcibly suppressed the murderous intent in his heart.

After giving the other man a cold glance, he turned to his dazed adjutant beside him and gave the order:

"Jacob, notify all members of the Star Chaser Cavalry Brigade that we... are retreating!"

Damon practically uttered the last word through his clenched teeth.

After all, fleeing in battle is undoubtedly the greatest humiliation for a proud orc.

Before this, Damon had never imagined that he, as the strongest warrior of the Morning Star clan, would one day be defeated by a weak human.

I never imagined I would be defeated by those damned imperial demons!

But he knew it wasn't his fault; he had only lost due to the information gap, not in the actual battle.

If those damned demon bastards had informed him of the magic soldiers beforehand, if he hadn't let his emotions affect the extermination operation that should have been completed, if he had been more alert, things would never have turned out this way!
His own third brother wouldn't have died in this war that should have been a foregone conclusion! The more Damon thought about it, the more frustrated and regretful he felt. The intense emotions made him feel dizzy uncontrollably. The next second, as he was about to take a step, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!

"Cough cough!"

"Young patriarch!"

The adjutant standing nearby was horrified and was about to step forward to help him up, but was waved away by the other party.

"I'm fine! Go ahead and give the orders, Jacob, we need to get out of here!"

Damon weakly waved his hand, dismissing his adjutant. He then forced himself to look at Galil, who stood silently to the side. His expression had lost its initial anger, replaced by an unfathomable calm.

"Galiel, as the young patriarch of the Morning Star clan, I command—no, I beg you—to help me ascertain the true identities of the Imperial humans who murdered my brother and disrupted this war."

It was as if she could picture her father returning to Morningstar City, his silence upon hearing the news, and her mother holding her and weeping, questioning why she hadn't protected her younger brother.

Damon's expression instantly turned extremely gloomy:
"I want to kill that bastard with my own hands!"

"And in exchange, Galil, you will gain my friendship, how about it?"

"...As you wish, General, I will ascertain the other party's identity and help you complete this revenge."

Galil calmly replied that, in fact, even if Damon hadn't made the request, he would have sent someone to investigate the commander of that magic-wielding unit.

Like Damon, Galil also felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation from this defeat.

He, who had always prided himself on his intelligence capabilities, suffered an unprecedented defeat this time.

This is tantamount to denying his abilities and also hindering his efforts to wash away the past shame of the Dark Assassin Clan.

Moreover, the opponent's tactical arrangements made him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.

Deep down, he had a premonition that if the other side continued to be active, the war in Faoken Bay would likely lead to an outcome he could never accept.

Therefore, I must kill that damned magic force commander no matter what.

at all costs!
Galil's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he had already sentenced the Imperial commander to death in his heart.

"Thanks……"

Damon gave the other person a complicated look and sincerely thanked him.

Then, he looked at Major General Tony, who was being guarded by a group of soldiers in the center of the unit.

He could feel the other person staring at him from afar, their expression filled with the arrogance and mockery he knew all too well.

Damon remained silent, silently imprinting the other's image firmly in his mind. He secretly vowed that when he returned next time, he would take the other's head to drink with. Then, he led the First Morning Star Cavalry Brigade to break out into the distance.

"despair!"

……

(End of this chapter)