The Matter of Me Being Picked Up and Adopted by Talula

The Inner Guard fell to the ground, while Orson knelt, trying to stabilize his fractured left arm, which he'd used to block an attack, and gasping for breath to calm his racing heart.

"Hah... Hah, Curtain Call is really strong for a first encounter."

After a brief rest, Orson walked over to FrostNova, bandaged her fractured limb, and then applied a hardening agent to act as a temporary cast.

"It might hurt a bit, try to bear with it."

"Why would you..."

As Orson lifted FrostNova, both of them suddenly felt a chill.

"Traitors must be annihilated—"

The Inner Guard, whose head had been pierced by a dagger, crawled up from the ground. He pulled out the dagger and, in an extremely bizarre posture, charged at them.

Damn it, I can't dodge...!

Unable to control her body, FrostNova could only watch as the enemy lunged at her.

Thwack!

The dagger pierced Orson's right hand, half of the blade sinking into his throat.

Since FrostNova couldn't dodge the attack, Orson had forcefully taken the Inner Guard's final, desperate blow himself.

"Orson...!?"

"As long as you're... okay... that's... good—"

His broken voice sputtered out intermittently with the sound of blood spraying, and these were the last words Orson could "speak."

After that, Patriot led the Guerrilla Force, and they successfully repelled the remaining troops inside the mine, even killing one Inner Guard. This action, which had almost ended in complete failure, was successfully suppressed.

Orson had almost single-handedly destroyed half an army before being the first to charge into the heavily blockaded mine pit.

This battle was later known within Reunion as the Silence Campaign.

Talula was highly suspicious as to why there were two Inner Guards near Duke Baikal's mine, but due to Orson and FrostNova's injuries, she had to set aside her confusion and move them to a safe place in the north to recuperate slowly.

Orson's injuries were extremely severe. If FrostNova hadn't used her last bit of strength to freeze some of his bleeding blood vessels, Orson likely wouldn't have survived until the troops returned.

Ultimately, Orson was saved once again by Ino using her Originium Arts, but this time, Orson paid a great price—

For the next five days, he was under Ino's intensive care. Whenever Talula and the others visited Orson, they would almost always find Orson looking terrified, trying to push the love-filled Ino off his bed.

After recovering, Orson remained silent for about three days. When he finally spoke again, it was after he had become familiar with using a virtual vocalizer.

As for FrostNova, after that incident, she learned a new ability for herself.

"..."

On the battlefield where the army group and Reunion approached the Kazimierz City wasteland, Orson looked at FrostNova and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

But—

"Rabbit Plan, commencing in 5 seconds!"

FrostNova shouted, relaying Orson's message to the soldiers.

That's right, FrostNova had learned how to read Orson's lips.

You lost your voice for me, so at least let me be someone who can understand your silence.

"You think you can take me down? You, an old man and a mute, can kill me?"

"What's going on with that Rabbit Plan! And why did the turrets suddenly explode! What is that brat that suddenly appeared—Sorcerer troops, where are the Sorcerer troops! Give me covering fire against these guys!"

In the command tent, Viscount Kerk roared at the soldiers beside him, but the others also wore expressions of confused chaos.

The large-caliber turrets, which were supposed to be activated, did not fire as expected. Instead, they exploded, a turn of events that left everyone bewildered.

"Attempting to suppress... No, I don't know what's happening, the staff isn't responding at all!" "The turrets suddenly lost contact from the inside!" "The crossbowmen can only load slowly with their cocking mechanisms because the Originium Arts for auxiliary loading have suddenly failed!"

After Orson used Curtain Call, the branches of the Ursus army group instantly fell into chaos. After all, using Originium Arts as amplification had become the most basic combat instinct for these soldiers.

Take the crossbowmen, for example. They would enhance their loading with Originium Arts; otherwise, people could only place their crossbow bolts on the ground and use their feet to cock them, which was incredibly slow.

Unlike the chaotic army group, Reunion, led by Patriot, was completely unaffected. The pure-blooded Wendigo, carrying a shield, charged directly through the chaotic defense line in one go. The Shield Guards followed closely, stretching and tearing open a gap at the "point" Patriot had broken through.

"Their offensive is too fierce!? This is completely different from the intensity of the previous few assaults!" "They were just waiting for this opportunity; they were just paralyzing us!"

The soldiers at the very front were directly scattered by Reunion's sudden full-force assault.

"Damn it... Dammit, don't panic! Don't worry about why the Originium Arts are temporarily disabled. All personnel, abandon unnecessary defensive stances and focus on close-quarters combat. Those guys definitely can't use Originium Arts either!"

Kerk, in his tent, gritted his teeth and issued orders loudly.

The soldiers had just put away their staffs and crossbows when the Abyssal Hunters, led by FrostNova, suddenly exerted their strength.

"Now's the time—!"

FrostNova shouted, waving her staff. Originium Arts surged from within her, and using the Originium crystal weapons carried by the surrounding Abyssal Hunters as catalysts, she instantly frost-damaged most of the enemies in front of them.

At the same time, the sorcerer crossbowmen at the rear of Reunion launched a dense barrage of attacks.

"Wha—!? They've recovered, the Originium Arts? In that case, use them quickly!"

Kerk roared through gritted teeth.

"No... it hasn't recovered?! But the enemy's Originium Arts attack has also stopped again...!?"

The Arts users around them had completely fallen into chaos, with no one able to understand what was happening.

"Forget the Originium Arts—who's going to stop those monsters!! Deputy Commander, we can't stop that thing at all!"

Several soldiers in front reported the front line situation in a sorry state to Viscount Kerk. Patriot was leading Reunion through the front lines, like a spear.

At the same time, The Silence of the North was also tearing through the formation from the inner side of the Army Group.

"He's just one person, what kind of waves can he make??"

"I... I don't know how to describe it, his movements aren't within the scope of a normal person!"

The soldier relaying the intelligence was filled with panic.

While Viscount Kerk was talking with the scout, Orson was constantly moving within the Army Group's encirclement, still some distance away from the command post.

"Aim for him—damn it, his movements... cough!?"

A soldier attempted to aim a crossbow bolt at Orson, but before he could even get Orson in his sights, Orson had already arrived in front of him, delivering a heavy punch directly to his vitals.

The soldier was sent flying like a comma, crashing into several people around him. Orson grabbed the crossbow bolt in mid-air and pulled the trigger, piercing the arm of a soldier running towards him from behind. The soldier cried out and released his grip, and Orson immediately took the opportunity to snatch the saber from his hand, using the flat of the blade to knock over three soldiers who were rushing him.

The moment the saber shattered under the strain, Orson canceled Curtain Call and instantly snatched two swords from the ground using Rest Note, gripping them in his hands again.

To everyone else, the black-haired youth before them was like a terrifying ghost story from a children's tale.

Blood continuously seeped from his throat, and his hands were covered in black, vein-like patterns. He held an unknown number of weapons, tearing through the surroundings.

"Damn it, where are the heavy infantry! Defend, and block that guy!"

Viscount Kerk forcefully demanded the heavy infantry soldiers on the front line to change direction and deal with Orson, but these soldiers, having lost the buff from Originium Arts, were all crushed with a single punch. Orson snatched their shields and used them to forcefully carve out a path.

Not only that, but Reunion also used Originium Arts a few more times, effectively striking the Army Group's forces.

"Damn it, damn it... Why can these people use Originium Arts?! Forget it, crossbowmen, crossbowmen! Attack!"

Viscount Kerk ordered the crossbowmen units to aim at the Abyssal Hunters, but before these men could even string their crossbows, a long black spear smashed down from mid-air.

BOOM—!!!

Patriot, single-handedly, used a thrown spear to interrupt the crossbowmen's attack, while the Abyssal Hunters took this opportunity to team up with Reunion's Arts users, forcefully concentrating fire on the Army Group's crossbowmen and eliminating them.

"Damn it, damn it...! They're just a bunch of lowlifes and old geezers, and what's this 'Silence' crap? Why are we being beaten like this?! Everyone, forget the formation, take down that Silence and Patriot! Just take down those two!"

Viscount Kerk roared hysterically, and his utterly unstrategic command finally angered the soldiers.

"Abandoning the formation will only allow them to tear through our forces faster, Deputy Commander!"

"Deputy Commander, you haven't participated in many battles, this order is definitely mistaken—"

"In the end, why are we fighting these people? The intelligence unit said Kazimierz City has already permitted their actions."

The soldiers' voices continuously reached Viscount Kerk's ears. Finally, he roared and overturned the table in front of him.

"This is why! Kazimierz City has betrayed us, those traitors want to resist Ursus, damn it, do you want to betray us too!"

"..."

The soldiers frowned but dared not retort to the Deputy Commander.

The original commander of the Third Army Group's branch army was not Viscount Kerk, but a lieutenant with extensive combat experience. However, the original commander suddenly "died in a civil war," after which Viscount Kerk was air-dropped in.

Although Ursus is an extremely warlike nation, its internal military system is incredibly corrupt. Generals who are brave and skilled, and who truly fight for the nation and its people, are often purged and impeached. Persecuted generals like Patriot and Hegre are not uncommon.

Even so, the soldiers still dared not resist these old nobles, because once they were deemed "traitors," not only would they be sent to the gallows, but their families would also be implicated.

"...At least please retreat, Viscount Kerk. The front line is already very close to here, it might be dangerous."

"Dangerous my ass! There are still so many soldiers ahead, don't tell me you can't handle guys like that!"

Viscount Kerk roared.

Meanwhile, on the front line—

"The distance is about right, and most of the soldiers are temporarily tied up, Dad!"

FrostNova confirmed the battlefield situation and then looked at Patriot.

"Yes, it's time—Orson."

Patriot nodded, then charged directly towards Orson not far away.

"Protocol Three, Orson."

Patriot's deep voice came out. Upon hearing these words, Orson's eyes widened. After a moment of hesitation, he immediately shook his head frantically.

"...!!??"

Shaking his head and waving his hands was useless. Unable to speak, Orson was grabbed by Patriot with a look of horror, and after roughly determining the direction and height, he was simply—thrown out.

"...Cough cough cough, Senior Patriot, you're taking revenge for personal grievances!"

Orson, who had turned into a meteor, canceled Curtain Call and screamed in the air. He soon reached his destination—Viscount Kerk's command room.

"That guy couldn't possibly fly over here directly—"

BOOM!!

Before Viscount Kerk could finish speaking, a pitch-black object pierced straight through the tent and landed in front of him.

"——!?"

"Hi, nice to meet you."

Orson emerged from the Rest Note and greeted Viscount Kerk.

My seniors told me that if a bounty isn't started during the early stages, readers will leave and it'll be impossible to start later.

Since that's the case, I'll try starting a bounty too!

100 Blade Tokens = 1 extra chapter

11000 Reward Points = 1 extra chapter

The deadline will be this Friday. After that, I'll tally up yesterday's Blade Tokens and Reward Points daily.

That's it, I hope to get a reasonable number of extra chapters! Thanks in advance for all your support.

(Actually, there are quite a few main story chapters recently, and I'm aiming to finish them soon...)

There's an illustration here, viewable after updating.

62. Talula's Railgun

Within the villa in Duke Baikal's territory, the Duke, the instigator of all this chaos, held a wine glass and sat in a luxurious chair, idly chatting with the person in the shadows before him.