Assimilate All Talents

Chapter 257: The Cost of War

Zaman, who stood next to Sol as they watched the scholars talk among themselves, gave him a slight nudge.

"Go on, then. Introduce yourself."

"Me? I thought you were going to talk to them."

The Commander shook his head. "No, I’m just here for when you meet the orcs’ exploration team. The rest is all on you."

Zaman was only accompanying them until they met the orc forces that would be entering the ancient city alongside them. This was not only a safety precaution but also an opportunity to meet the leader of the orc army, Great Champion Nomrak. After that, Zaman would return to the capital, as he couldn’t stay away for too long. His presence here was already a risk, but it had been deemed necessary. He would only stay for an hour or two at most.

Understanding that he had to take the lead, Sol took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"If I could have everyone’s attention."

His voice carried through the room, causing the attentive people to look over while the rest gradually quieted down.

Even as silence fell, a few whispers persisted in the crowd.

"Who’s he?"

"Are you not from the capital? That’s Royal Knight Captain Sol."

"Really? I heard he survived against an A-Ranker during the tournament. Is he really that strong?"

"It was him and his squad that took down this fort, which had hundreds of bandits, and saved all of Chilton that was held captive."

"Just seven people?!"

Sol’s eye twitched as he heard their hushed conversations. With his heightened senses and attributes, he could easily hear everything they were saying and had to resist the urge to correct them that there were only six of them at the time. Instead, he focused on the matter at hand.

"A pleasure to meet all of you. As some of you may know, I’m Royal Knight Captain Sol. Together, we will soon depart to explore the ruins of the ancient dwarven city…"

After explaining the details of their mission, Sol concluded with a few key points.

"Remember, we will be working alongside the orcs’ exploration team. Under no circumstances should you antagonize them, even if they initiate it. If they act improperly, report to me or any of my royal knights before doing anything rash. If all goes well, we could finally end the hostilities between us and the orcs."

From the crowd, a scholar scoffed. Sol raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"You’re asking me? We should let those orcs die and be done with it!"

His sentiment seemed to resonate with a few other scholars who harbored clear resentment toward the orcs.

Sol was momentarily stumped, unsure of how to convince them otherwise. He himself still carried anger over the orcs’ actions, not only for Lapis’ death, but for the many soldiers who had fallen as he fought to defend Kerman from the latest invasion. He had been suppressing these feelings, thinking of the greater good for both nations. But he couldn’t simply tell them to forgive all the wrongs the orcs had done.

As he wrestled with how to calm the situation, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Zaman. The Commander stepped forward and looked at the scholar who had spoken out.

"Even if they attack us?" Zaman asked.

"We’ll win, just like we always do!" the scholar replied.

Many of the scholars nodded in agreement, confident that their kingdom would triumph in a direct confrontation. This was not based on their blind faith for their kingdom but their perfect track record that they had always successfully defended against the orcs. However, those who had written in-depth analysis of such an all out war remained silent, their expressions grim.

Zaman continued, "If they come at us with everything they have, it won’t end with a simple border skirmish. Countless lives will be lost, and we’ll need every able hand to win. Can I count on you to take up arms when that time comes?"

The scholar was taken aback. "Wha—? I’m just a scholar, I don’t have any talents for fighting."

"That’s no issue. We can quickly level you up in a dungeon, and with enough raw attributes, you could probably take down a couple of orc warriors. Just hope no one stronger comes along and targets you first."

"B-but I’ll die…"

"That’s what will happen if a full scale war breaks out. Both we and the orcs will lose many soldiers, and eventually, we’ll have to replace them with normal people by leveling them quickly in dungeons. So, for your sake and mine, let’s hope this war never happens."

"I… I understand," the scholar said, his tone subdued.

The reality of the situation had sunk in, and the scholars who shared his thoughts also seemed to grasp the gravity of the consequences.

Zaman turned to Sol and spoke in a low voice. "It will take a long time for both sides to forgive and forget, and by then, we’ll both be long dead. All we can do is take the necessary steps to prevent people like them from dragging us back to a time of war."

Sol nodded in understanding. He knew it wouldn’t be easy to completely forgive the orcs for their actions, but allowing anger to cloud judgment was a quick way to make things worse. While Zaman’s words hadn’t fully convinced the scholars to make peace with the orcs, they would at least think twice about the consequences of their actions.

Looking at the 30 or so members of the exploration team, Sol said, "If everyone understands what’s at stake, then let’s move out."

This time, no one objected as they all headed to the stables, where five carriages, each pulled by two horses, awaited them. Alongside them stood a platoon of 50 C-Rank soldiers, who would provide additional muscle. Unlike the scholars, these soldiers were hand-picked for their disciplined nature, so there was no concern about them causing any trouble.

Commander Zaman, Sol, and the rest of the squad climbed into the first carriage, and without any further ceremony, they set off for the ancient dwarven city.