46: charred animal hide scroll

The atmosphere returned to calm, and the Soldiers began to clean up the battlefield, but their faces still held expressions of excitement and agitation.

Lister sat on a large rock, quietly watching it all; this battle could be called a complete victory.

Red, the strongest among them, killed the strongest Black Dog Orc, Sano, with a crushing, overwhelming posture without sustaining any injuries, maintaining a calm and indifferent expression from beginning to end.

Lister and the other four naturally could not compare to him; Rock and Carlyle, who fought the Black Dog Orcs individually, both sustained some minor injuries.

As for Lister, because he joined forces with Spartacus, and coupled with the fact that he was already Bronze Tier 3, and Spartacus was not far from Bronze Tier 3 and possessed the ability to fight above its rank, the Black Dog Orc of Bronze Tier 3 strength that the two of them fought did not cause them any substantial harm.

However, their armor could not avoid being scratched by the Black Dog Orc's giant axe.

To still suffer such a situation while having the advantage in both realm and numbers shows how important life-and-death combat experience on the battlefield is.

Flowers grown in a greenhouse can never compare to the tenacity and resilience brought about by surviving in harsh environments.

Overall, however, they gained a great deal from this battle; they not only discovered the deficiencies in what they usually learned and practiced but also gained valuable experience fighting against Orcs.

In particular, knowing how to respond and counterattack in the face of life-and-death combat provided them with psychological preparation for the day they might truly enter a battlefield.

Of course, although the other Soldiers did not personally join the battle, they had observed most of the fight while standing by to assist.

For them, this was also a significant gain; at the very least, their previous fear of Orcs had lessened greatly, or even dissipated entirely.

Moreover, Lister felt quite fortunate this time; Rock, whom he had sent out in the morning to purchase Spirit Essence Flowers, happened to return just as Red was assembling the troops.

Otherwise, in the battle against the Orcs, they would have all had to fight one-on-one; although the result would certainly have been harmless, having an extra combatant would ultimately have been safer.

This point was related to his personality; although the achievement of a perfect one-on-one victory was attractive, he felt that the prerequisite must be ensuring a good outcome.

He scoffed at the idea of winning at a high cost, and with his limited combat strength, he would be heartbroken if even one person were killed or injured.

At this moment, a voice interrupted Lister's thoughts.

"My Lord, we found this on the Orc that Knight Captain Red killed; please take a look."

Sinclair trotted over to Lister, holding a half-charred beast skin scroll.

Lister nodded slightly and took the beast skin scroll, opening it carefully, but because it was so badly charred, as soon as he opened it, a large amount of charred debris scattered in the wind.

Feeling slightly helpless, he then looked at the intermittent content on the scroll: '...under, ...arrive, ...elite Sano, ..., ...intention, one ..., beast ... Boge.'

Rubbing his temples, Lister felt a headache coming on; he could tell at a glance that this was a very important item, but unfortunately, it was too badly burned, and most of the important information was missing.

Seeing this, Red, who was to the side, knelt on one knee, his face showing self-reproach: "Lord Lister, such an important item was damaged due to my negligence; please punish me."

"Red, what are you doing? Get up," Lister said sharply, then comforted him with a slightly teasing tone: "No one is at fault here; it is perfectly normal to fight the Orcs with full force. Are you suggesting that before the battle, we should have made it strip naked to see if it had any important items?"

The surrounding knights and Soldiers couldn't help but laugh when they heard this, and the corners of Red's mouth also lifted as he said gratefully: "Thank you, My Lord."

Lister nodded and continued to look at the scroll. After pondering for a while, he speculated: "According to the remaining content on the scroll, these Black Dog Orcs were likely specifically sent into our kingdom, and they were supposed to do something, with the attack being merely incidental."

"As for more information, it is hard to guess."

Speaking of this, he carefully rolled up the beast skin scroll and placed it into the small space inside his storage ring.

Then he said freely: "Whether we know or not, it doesn't matter. We will deal with whatever comes our way. As long as the territory's defenses are properly maintained, there is no need to panic even if there is danger."

"Red," he turned his head and instructed Red: "In the future, arrange for Soldiers to strengthen the defense in the areas of the territory near the western edge of the kingdom."

"Yes, My Lord," Red replied respectfully.

Nodding, Lister signaled for Sinclair and Marjorie, who had gone back to move the corpses, to come over.

Looking at the two of them standing before him, covered in sweat, he showed appreciation: "You two did a very good job this time. If it hadn't been for you discovering them in advance and informing me, the territory might have suffered an attack."

"Therefore, to commend your contributions this time, I have decided to let you join the ranks of Apprentice Knight candidates."

"As for learning the Breathing Technique... Rock and Carlyle will be responsible for teaching you."

"We will follow the Baron's orders," Rock and Carlyle naturally had no objections and respectfully agreed, and they also had a good impression of Sinclair and the other.

Sinclair and the other showed excitement and together bowed respectfully in a knightly salute: "Thank you for your grace, My Lord, praise your greatness!"

The other Soldiers seeing this showed envy and longing, but they were not anxious; they knew that as long as they persisted and worked hard, they would surely receive grace from Lister in the future.

Since the Orc corpses had no research value, they cut off their heads as a symbol of victory and, after removing their equipment and items, burned them all on the spot.

The captured equipment and items were not many, totaling five Black Rock axes, five sets of beast skin armor with varying degrees of damage, and several unimportant miscellaneous items.

After finishing everything here, Lister led the team back to the castle.

...

Although it was a complete victory, their battle with the Orcs had lasted until nightfall.

At this time, the Serfs in Ironthorn Town were waiting anxiously, but because of Brutus's reassurance, they did not feel particularly afraid.

As the heavy sound of hooves and footsteps gradually approached, the Serfs huddled in their houses hurriedly looked through their windows.

They saw Lister, radiating the majesty of a lord, riding on horseback; his posture swayed slightly, but he remained upright and eye-catching.

Red and the other knights and Soldiers followed closely on both sides, equally imposing.

Immediately after, the five large Orc heads hanging on the backs of the packhorses slowly came into everyone's view.

At this time, the Soldier Marjorie shouted repeatedly: "Under the leadership of our Lord, the invading Orcs have all been slain."

The shouts soon spread throughout Ironthorn Town, and the Serfs excitedly ran out of their homes, spontaneously kneeling and praising Lister.

"Long live My Lord!"

"Long live My Lord!!!"