The Orc Subjugation Force, having set out from the City of Gilm, brought their carriages to a halt roughly an hour’s walk from the orc settlement. The leaders of each party gathered in a tent pitched by Bobbs for a strategy meeting. Rei was also summoned due to his role as a solo adventurer and the man in charge of logistics.
Adventurers stood guard nearby to ensure no orcs or other monsters approached, though most showed little sign of nerves.
Excluding Rei, the participating parties were all at least D-rank. More importantly, the presence of Set the Gryphon standing watch provided a massive sense of security.
"Well, we’ve made it this far without incident," Bobbs began. "Before we move, I want to conduct a minimum level of reconnaissance on the settlement. Do we have any volunteers?"
The party leaders remained silent.
Even Elk didn't speak up. The Axe of the Thunder God consisted of two warriors and a mage; they had no one specialized in scouting, so there was nothing to be done.
A few parties did have thieves among their ranks, but their leaders remained silent, likely judging the mission to be too dangerous.
Seril, the leader of the Stars of the Night, had a different reason for keeping her thief, Murgas, quiet.
(I need Murgas to keep an eye on that brat. I’ve already ordered him to snatch the Item Box the moment he sees an opening. I can’t waste him on a tedious task like scouting the orcs.)
As she worked through these internal calculations, her eyes shifted away for a split second when Bobbs glanced her way.
"Seril, your Stars of the Night has a thief, doesn't it? How about him?"
"Sorry, but he isn't suited for scouting an orc settlement. He’s a coward by nature. Well, I suppose that’s why he’s a thief who can spot enemies before they spot him, but still."
In this context, "thief" did not necessarily mean someone who stole from others. In adventuring terms, it referred to those who specialized in advanced reconnaissance, setting traps, or, in the case of labyrinths, disarming traps and picking locks on treasure chests.
"I see..."
Rei, who had been watching the loaded exchange between Bobbs and Seril, raised his hand.
"I’ll ask just in case—would going out on reconnaissance count toward my official contribution to the guild?"
"Yes, naturally."
"Then I'll take the job."
"...What?"
Bobbs blinked, momentarily failing to process Rei’s words.
"I said I don't mind doing the scouting."
"Wait a minute. Do you even have Thief Skills?" one of the other party leaders asked.
Rei shook his head silently. "I haven't mastered any skills of that sort."
"Then I’m against it. My party can't provide a thief, but I won't support a scout who’s basically guaranteed to be spotted. If you get caught, our night raid is ruined."
"He’s right. Sorry, but I agree," another leader added.
Despite his offer being rejected, Rei simply smirked.
"It’s true that I don't have scouting skills, and I understand the concern that being spotted would ruin the surprise. However, as you all know, I have Set."
"Ah!?"
The moment Rei said the name, Elk let out a loud shout of realization.
While the others turned toward Elk in confusion, Rei continued.
"Set is a Gryphon. That means he can fly. And since I’m his master, I can naturally ride on his back."
With that, everyone in the tent finally grasped how Rei intended to scout. They looked at him with impressed expressions.
All except Seril, whose face was twisted in a bitter scowl.
The reason no one else had considered aerial reconnaissance was simple: flight magic was an extremely high-level art that very few could use.
Furthermore, while there were beastmen among the adventurers, bird-type beastmen were non-existent for some reason. Consequently, the idea of scouting from the sky never even crossed their minds.
While the national Knight Order did have Dragon Knights, it took an immense amount of time and effort to hatch a Wyvern from an egg and raise it alongside its rider. Most were stationed in the Royal Capital as part of the regular army; they were never seen in frontier regions like the City of Gilm.
"Bobbs, is there a problem with me riding Set to scout the settlement from above?"
"No, none at all. In fact, I’d welcome it."
Bobbs grinned fiercely and nodded.
"What do you need me to find?"
"First, their numbers. Then, the layout of the settlement. It would also be great if you could find any weak points in their defenses. Finally, if possible, I want to know what’s leading them. Is it a Rare Species or a High-ranking Species? ...I’d prefer a Rare Species, at least."
Between the two, a High-ranking Species was far more troublesome. A Rare Species was merely a single empowered individual within a race, but a High-ranking Species represented a separate, more powerful tier of the race that existed in significant numbers. Bobbs explained that since their individual combat power was similar, it would be much easier to deal with a single Rare Species leader than a group of High-ranking Species.
Rei nodded and left the tent.
He could feel Seril’s hateful gaze burning into his back.
(Dammit, I wanted to steal the Item Box before the battle started. And now he’s volunteering for scout duty? Good grief, is he that desperate to curry favor with the guild?)
Vaguely sensing Seril’s thoughts, Bobbs addressed the remaining leaders.
"We’re adjourned for now. I’ll call you back once Rei returns, so stay close by."
The leaders filtered out to return to their respective parties.
"Gurururu."
Set let out a happy trill from the back of his throat as he saw Rei approach. The surrounding adventurers watched the scene with softened eyes. It seemed that through the shared duty of standing guard, many had finally lost their fear of the beast.
"Set, we’re heading out."
"Guru?"
"Bobbs wants us to scout. We can observe the settlement safely from the air, right?"
"Gurururu."
Set gave a short cry of affirmation and lowered his back for Rei.
"I’m counting on you."
Rei lightly stroked the Gryphon’s back before mounting. After a few steps of a running start, Set spread his massive wings and surged into the sky as if he were treading on the air itself.
The adventurers watched them go with envious gazes.
Under the summer blue sky and glaring sun, Set soared through the clouds. They were flying at such a high altitude that any orc looking up from the ground would mistake them for a common bird.
From his perch, Rei observed the settlement below. A normal human would have struggled to see anything clearly from this height, but Rei’s body was a masterpiece of the Zephyle Clan's magic power and technology. He could see every detail on the ground without effort.
Bobbs had estimated at least fifty orcs, but the scale of the village far exceeded that. There were likely closer to a hundred. However, their numbers seemed to have outpaced their construction; the eastern side of the settlement was almost entirely unfinished. Even so, he could see several sentries patrolling that area from above.
"That building in the center—the one larger than the rest—is probably where the leader lives."
The other dwellings were crude hovels made of straw and wood, but the central building had clearly been built with more care. Compared to the houses in Gilm, it was still primitive, but it stood out.
"Numbers confirmed, settlement layout confirmed. Now if I could just identify the leader... though with my knowledge, I probably can't tell a Rare Species from a High-ranking Species anyway... Hm?"
A single orc caught Rei’s eye. It was a size larger than its kin, and while the others were bare-chested, this one wore crude armor.
"Is that the leader?"
"Guru."
At Rei’s mutter, Set gave a cry and drew his attention to a different spot in the village.
"...I see."
The orc Set pointed out was also a size larger than the rest and wore similar armor. Looking closer, Rei saw several others like them scattered throughout the settlement.
"So the armored ones are executives or generals. ...Wait."
His eyes drifted to the northern end of the settlement, where a small shack stood. Nearly twenty orcs were gathered around it.
"What's that? A storehouse?"
Suddenly, something burst out of the shack and tried to run for the edge of the village, only to be swarmed and pinned down by the orcs. Rei’s enhanced vision caught the figure clearly. It was a human woman, clad in nothing but rags that were practically transparent, her body nearly naked.
He concentrated his hearing and caught a faint, desperate voice.
"No! Stop! Please... don't defile me anymore!"
Rei’s brow furrowed. He recalled the information from Zephyle's knowledge: orcs used human women for breeding.
"Should I save her? ...No, I can't."
His personal emotions screamed at him to dive down and slaughter every orc in sight. But doing so would only kill a fraction of them and alert the rest. It would ruin the night raid, leading to casualties among the subjugation force and allowing many of the orcs to escape.
"...It’s tonight. If you can hold on until tonight, I’ll save you. Don't give up."
He whispered the words, knowing she couldn't hear him.
Rei consciously forced himself to look away as the woman was dragged back into the shack. He decided to vent the cold fury currently burning in his chest during the raid and continued his observations.
"Most of them are using swords and clubs. A few shield-bearers. ...Quite a few archers, too."
He spotted orcs carrying quivers and bows. And then...
"Staff-bearers. Those must be the Orc Mages."
There were only a few, but they were definitely there.
"Alright, that’s enough. Set, let’s go back."
"Gruuu!"
Set gave a sharp cry and wheeled around, heading back toward the expedition's camp.
"Enjoy your last few hours, you bastards. Tonight is the end."
Rei left those chilling words behind as he disappeared into the clouds.
When Set glided down to a landing, the nearby adventurers greeted them with spontaneous applause. However, the smiles of those who stepped forward to greet Rei vanished when they saw the icy expression on his face. Realizing something had happened at the settlement, they simply pointed him toward Bobbs.
"Guru."
Behind him, several adventurers offered Set dried meat or patted his head, sensing the Gryphon’s worry for his master.
Bobbs was already walking out to meet Rei.
"Rei, you're back."
"Yeah."
"How was it?"
"I saw everything."
"Good. I’ve already regathered the party leaders. Come with me."
Bobbs sensed something off about Rei’s demeanor, but he prioritized the report and led him into the command tent. The leaders were all there, and they sighed in relief when they saw Rei return safely.
Seril was no different, though her relief stemmed from the fact that her prize hadn't gotten himself killed before she could steal it.
Once Rei was seated, Bobbs spoke.
"Alright, Rei. Give us the report."
"First, the numbers. It’s significantly higher than the fifty we estimated. There are at least a hundred."
The leaders flinched at the word "hundred." They had prepared for fifty; a hundred was a different story.
"Calm down!" Bobbs barked. "I told you fifty was the minimum. We knew the numbers could be higher."
"But doubling the count? Maybe we should consider heading back to the city for reinforcements."
"...And just watch while the orcs ravage the countryside near Gilm?"
"That’s..."
The man who suggested retreat couldn't argue further. He had friends and family in Gilm; he couldn't simply let them become victims.
"The settlement is still under construction," Rei continued. "The eastern side is almost untouched, though they have sentries posted there."
"The east is weak... that's good to know. We’ll use that for the raid."
"Do that. Also, I saw orcs that were a size larger than the rest, wearing armor."
"Orc Generals," Bobbs muttered. "A High-ranking Species."
"I also confirmed several archers and mages. I couldn't find the overall leader, but there’s a large building in the center of the village. It’s likely in there."
"Orc Archers and Orc Mages... and the leader is in the center."
"Yeah. ...And one more thing. There’s a shack in the north of the settlement. I confirmed there are human captives inside."
The tent went silent as faces hardened.
"Are they... women?" Bobbs asked.
"Yeah. Snatched for breeding, no doubt. They were still alive when I saw them, but..."
"I see. ...Anything else?"
"No. That’s everything."
"Understood. Everyone, rest until nightfall. I’ll explain the final plan during dinner."
Rei gave a small nod and walked out of the tent.
With only a few hours left until the raid, the camp became a hive of activity as the adventurers began their final preparations for battle.