This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

When Dick saw that it was her returning, he quickly waved and called out to her.

Lucoa flew over the fjord and landed directly on Dick's horse, pulling him into her arms to warm him up.

The harsh winter in Lagug wouldn't cause Lucoa any real harm, but as a dragon girl, she naturally disliked the cold, so she clung to Dick and refused to let go.

"Ah~~! It's so warm, I really want Dick's heating rod!"

"????"

Ignoring Lucoa's inappropriate lewd remarks, Dick quickly asked her what she had found on the other side. Lucoa immediately reached into her cleavage, pulled out a small notebook, handed it to Dick, flipped to a page, and pointed to a marked topographical map.

"Just as you guessed, there are indeed orcs on the other side. They've set up camp less than 60 kilometers from here, and the camp is quite large. I wanted to get closer to observe, but I was accidentally discovered by the orc shamans inside. The power they use is very special, it has a bit of a divine feel to it, but it's also mixed with something else... In short, it's very dangerous."

As Lucoa spoke, she showed Dick the dark spots on her arm, many of them winding and twisting, like black venomous snakes coiled around her forearm, exuding an ominous aura.

Lucoa explained that this eerie divine power carried a strong resentment, its effect similar to a curse; an ordinary person would die instantly if they came into contact with even a trace of it. Although she could withstand it, her arm was now completely numb, and it would take a lot of effort to expel all these ghostly things.

So don't be fooled by Lucoa's calm demeanor and her usual slow, leisurely tone; she is actually quite badly injured.

Upon hearing this, Dick immediately frowned.

You have to understand that Lucoa is a genuine goddess. Even though she used a clone that suppressed her power to the Saint rank in order to adapt to this world, she is not someone that just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can easily hurt.

But just then, Dick suddenly sensed that his spatial bracelet was shaking, as if something was about to come out. As soon as he activated it, before he could even use his mind to take something out, a completely black box automatically appeared in his hand.

Looking at the box, Dick was slightly taken aback. It took him a full three seconds to remember that it was a parting gift from the Duke to him the night before he left the capital, and that he should open it only after returning to his territory. However, Dick was busy with other things and forgot about the box.

But Dick forgot about the box, but the box didn't forget him; it popped out on its own!

"What kind of weird thing is this?"

Upon opening the box, you'll find a section of black broken horn embedded in a groove. It's shaped like a ram's horn and is over three inches long.

It's worth mentioning that there's only one black horn in the box, but there are two symmetrical grooves on the left and right, which means that there is actually a pair of horns, but the other one is not here.

Dick examined it carefully for a moment, then frowned and muttered to himself.

"This looks like... a succubus's horn?"

Just as Dick was about to take Blackhorn out of the box, Lucoa suddenly reached out and closed the lid, whispering something in his ear.

"Don't do it here, we'll study it when we get back."

Dick immediately led his men back to Newport, while on the opposite bank of the fjord, a group of orc cavalry riding wild beasts had just reached the edge of the cliff. The perpetual fog above the fjord obscured their vision, but the gazes of all the orc cavalrymen looking south revealed bloodlust and greed.

At this moment, a young orc, slightly thinner than his kin, stepped forward. He wore metal armor, carried two long swords at his waist, and was accompanied by a hunched orc shaman. Unlike the other orcs who only howled and wailed towards the opposite bank, his gaze was deep, and his furrowed brows suggested he was deep in thought. He then shouted to silence the other orcs before turning to the old shaman and asking in a low voice.

"Teacher, if that woman gets away, won't it affect our plans?"

“That human mage has been hit by my Blood God Curse and is doomed! But there’s no guarantee she won’t be able to get the message back. Just in case, let’s start here ahead of schedule.”

Chapter 117: Breaking the Curse on the Body

In the newly built sauna in Newport, Lucoa, whose movements were somewhat difficult due to stiff limbs, slowly submerged her body in the warm water with the help of Dick and Belfast, and immediately let out a very comfortable groan.

"Ah~! I'm finally alive."

"Is this outfit... really alright?"

Dick looked Lucoa up and down, her naked body filled with worry. Her once fair and smooth skin was now covered with wriggling black lines, making it look like there were living parasites moving under her skin, which was very worrying.

However, Lucoa said that it was not a big problem. These cursed powers did make her very uncomfortable, but they were far from fatal. Even if she did nothing, she would recover naturally in half a month at most.

Of course! There are ways to speed up the recovery process.

Lucoa made Dick take the box out again, pointing to the succubus horn inside.

"This thing is called the Crown of Enchantment, a sacred object of the succubus race. People of other races who wear it will turn into succubi, and when a succubus wears it, it will greatly enhance her own abilities. In theory, it should be a pair of two horns, but there is only a left horn here, so the effect should only be half."

How do I wear it?

"Just place it on the left side of your head."

"That's all?"

"How much more complicated do you want it to be? Do you want us to perform a blessing dance in front of the sacred object?"

Following Lucoa's instructions, Dick placed the succubus relic on his head, and it instantly became one with his head. He reached out and tugged at it, but it didn't budge. However, as long as he silently thought to release it, the relic would fall off directly, making it very convenient to wear.

Theoretically speaking, this thing is considered a succubus's "exclusive weapon." The old duke gave it to Dick and specifically told him to wait until he returned to Lagug before opening it, which obviously confirmed Hammuradi's revelation. He knew all along that Dick's mother had half succubus blood, so he naturally knew that Dick also had a quarter succubus blood.

With the boost from this half of the sacred relic, the succubus portion of Dick's abilities was greatly enhanced, so he began to help Lucoa perform a "physical dispel of the curse."

The master and servant embraced and kissed in the misty bath. The vast difference in their physiques made Dick feel as if he were being buried in soft flesh. In Earth terms, Lucoa was the epitome of the slightly plump; her beautiful body was full but not greasy, and her large breasts gave Dick an overwhelming sense of maternal warmth.

"Like a little baby, so cute."

Beside the two entangled together, Belfast tried her best to remain a quiet observer. After all, Dick was helping Lucoa "heal," which was a proper job, and a perfect maid wouldn't interfere with her master's work by being unable to control her desires.

However, at this moment, Dick's charm was greatly enhanced because he was wearing the sacred object. Even with her self-control, she felt her heart flutter and was showing signs of losing control.

Therefore, Belfast plans to remind Dick after his treatment is over that he should wear the sacred object as little as possible in the future unless absolutely necessary, because she is afraid that some guys in the team might not be able to resist attacking the young master!

But as the saying goes, what you fear most is what happens. Just as Dick in the pool began to seriously piston-like, preparing to inject the first dose of antidote into Lucoa's body, the bathroom door opened, and a group of ship girls rushed in.

Leading the way was Golden Deer, the female pirate captain whom Belfast was most worried about. As soon as she saw the situation in the bath, she screamed exaggeratedly.

"Wow! You guys had a party and didn't invite me! That's so mean!"

As Jinlu spoke, she ripped off her bath towel and jumped into the pool.

The other three ship girls behind her were not as unrestrained as Golden Deer. The three of them looked at each other for a moment, blushing and standing there in a dilemma.

The three of them couldn't take their eyes off Dick for a moment. They felt that the commander with the horn on his head was even more charming than usual, making them blush and their hearts race just by looking at him.

"Strange? What's going on?"

"Pirates have their own rules... but these rules have to be followed one by one, right?"

"Commander, you smell so good!"

Looking at his three colleagues who were "instantly killed" like Hood, and the Golden Hind that was already eager to join the "mass drills," Belfast couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Whatever!"

And so, what was supposed to be a one-on-one treatment turned into a naval party. The small bathtub seemed to have become the Solomon Sea, and Dick was forced to transform into a demon, defeating the surrounding ship girls one by one.

So why did things turn out this way?

Inside the bedroom, Dick looked at the ship girls lying haphazardly around him and fell into deep thought, trying to recall exactly which step last night caused the loss of control.

Lucoa lay languidly and elegantly on her side, propping her head up with her hand. The cursed black lines on her body had been completely removed, and she had fully recovered.

She reached out and pulled Dick into her arms, her slightly open eyes filled with tender love.

"Don't overthink it. Everyone is happy and content, so isn't that great?"

That's what they say...

"watch out!"

"Ugh..."

Using her "huge advantage," Lucoa forcibly shut Dick up. She turned to look out the window; the sky, nearing dawn, was still a hazy gray, and the window rattled in the cold wind.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the fjord, a large orc army was advancing through the snow.

A cold front arrived quietly last night, and the temperature plummeted to minus twenty degrees Celsius in just a few hours, and it continues to drop.

Such low temperatures would be difficult for even the physique of orcs to withstand.

But the orc leader didn't care about any of that. Since the shaman had said to act ahead of schedule, the sooner the better, and not a minute could be wasted.

This orc army, numbering over 20,000, was ordered by the "Beast King" to launch a winter assault across the fjords into the territory of the human empire. Moreover, this attack would not be the usual looting and plundering; instead, they would fight their way to the pass and seize all of the human territory north of the Central Mountains.

For this reason, the orcs began preparations more than a decade ago, and seven years ago they completely stopped raiding, so that the humans would become complacent and careless, and then launch a full-scale invasion with the full strength of the orcs when the time was right.

In addition to this legion, two other orc legions of similar size were also advancing at the same time, aiming to catch the humans off guard.

Chapter 118: Attacking While the River is Crossing

At dawn, the orc army reached the northern shore of the fjord. A thick fog blanketed the sea, reducing visibility to less than ten meters.

The dense fog also had a significant impact on the orc soldiers marching at night. To prevent anyone from falling behind during the march, all soldiers were required to stand close together and reach out to put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them.

After the army arrived at the edge of the cliff, they immediately took out the prepared thick ropes and sent several agile men down to check the situation on the sea. After a short while, some of them climbed up from below and reported to the orc general riding on the huge pack beast.

"Commander, the sea is indeed frozen over, but the ice is very thin and probably won't allow the army to pass."

"Okay... Teacher, I'll have to trouble you from now on."

The young orc commander looked at the old shaman beside him and adopted the old shaman's suggestion to advance the campaign ahead of schedule. According to the original battle plan, his eastern army would have to wait at least another month before it could begin its operation. This was to allow supplies and reinforcements to arrive, and for the temperature to drop further, until it was cold enough to completely freeze the fjord's surface.

However, plans can't keep up with changes. Their camp was "accidentally" discovered by a human female mage, which forced them to take action ahead of schedule.

As for the problem of the ice layer not being thick enough, the old shaman said that he and his men could handle it.

While orc shamans' sorcery wasn't as diverse as human magic, they could still perform basic freezing spells. The entire eastern army consisted of over fifty shamans, with the leading elder shaman being a Saint-level expert; freezing a path across the sea for a 20,000-strong army to pass through quickly was naturally within their grasp.

Of course! Doing this comes at a price: the massive consumption of magic power will significantly reduce the shamanic group's combat strength, leaving them with no energy to bless the orc warriors.

However, this was not a problem in the eyes of the orc leader. The human territory on the other side had only 50,000 residents and less than 2,000 soldiers, while his eastern army was ten times larger!

Once the army crosses the fjord, they can sweep everything away even without the help of shamans.

Soon, the shamans descended to the ice at the bottom of the cliff. The cold front had indeed frozen the sea, but after only one night, the ice was very thin. With each step, they could hear a crisp cracking sound. Moreover, because the seawater was flowing, the ice was not frozen evenly in different places. What was even more problematic was that the middle of the fjord was still a turbulent body of water, and the ice on both sides was not connected at all.

The old shaman stamped his foot on the ice, then took the staff from his waist and began to wave and sway it as he chanted shamanic incantations. Waves of magic emanated from beneath his feet, releasing a chilling aura even more biting than the ambient temperature.

Other shamans followed suit, and their numbers formed a magical array, further enhancing the power and range of the freezing spell, extending it ever further.

The section of the river the orcs chose to cross was less than three kilometers in a straight line, with a slope on the opposite bank that was about forty degrees in inclination. Although the slope was still very steep, it was not difficult for the orcs, given their physical strength, to climb it.

After crossing the steep slope, less than two kilometers to the west lies the unfinished new port. Intelligence gathered from previous reconnaissance indicated that there were about a thousand people stationed there. The orc leader thought it would be a good opportunity to use these humans for practice and, incidentally, to have a feast and solve the problem of insufficient military rations.

Soon, the shamans completed the reinforcement of the ice surface, freezing a bridge over one meter thick and nearly fifty meters wide. A small scout team of beast riders had already crossed first, followed by a small number of infantry. Seeing that the ice bridge was very sturdy and that many shamans were continuously casting spells to widen and thicken it, the orc leader immediately ordered the main force to begin crossing.

The orc leader believed that they should get their army to the other side as soon as possible before the enemy noticed. Although the human soldiers were not as strong individually as their powerful orc warriors, those guys could build large ships, and there were several quite powerful "sirens" (ship girls in the eyes of the orcs), so they should avoid fighting at sea.

Once the army reaches the south bank, no matter how powerful your human navy is, can it chase us inland to attack us?

Soon, thousands of orc soldiers stepped onto the ice bridge. The slippery ice and their fear of water slowed their progress, and they walked slowly. Every now and then, clumsy guys would fall, causing many of their comrades around them to stumble and fall as well. This caused other hot-tempered orcs to yell and curse, further exacerbating the chaos on the ice bridge.

At this moment, the orc leader was still holding the line on the north cliff. Hearing the commotion below, even though the thick fog obscured his vision, he could easily imagine the chaotic scene on the ice bridge.

However, there was no way around it; most pure-blooded orcs, while physically powerful, were also dull-witted and extremely short-tempered. Due to this nature, even with extensive training, they could never achieve the level of organization found in human armies.

Thinking of this, the orc leader couldn't help but let out a long sigh. The Beast King was ultimately too eager for quick success. If he could prepare for another ten or eight years, and wait for more "new generation orcs" like himself who are both smart and strong, and then completely suppress those stubborn old-school orc elders, it would definitely be more prudent to launch a full-scale attack on the human race than it is now.

As the orc leader was secretly reflecting on this, the vanguard of the orc army on the ice bridge was almost reaching the other side. The leading soldiers even started jogging excitedly, eager to leave the slippery and unstable ice bridge and step onto solid land as soon as possible.

However, when the vanguard was less than a hundred meters from the south bank beach, a bright orange light suddenly appeared in the thick fog overhead. Many orcs subconsciously thought that the sun had come out, but they never thought of a common sense fact.

Under normal circumstances, the sun does not rise from the south!

With a whistling shriek, a high-level fireball slammed into the ice bridge. Then came the second and the third. Five fireballs struck the ice without exploding; instead, they wriggled and transformed into humanoid figures, forming a wall of fire that blocked the orc army's advance.

This sudden ambush caught the orcs, who thought they were completely unaware, off guard. Those at the front were blocked, while those behind could not see what was happening ahead due to the thick fog. So they continued to follow orders and walk across the ice bridge, making the bridge increasingly crowded.

Before the orc commander could realize something was wrong and order the follow-up troops to stop advancing, a series of rumbling "thunder" sounds came from afar, continuous and unending.

"What's that noise?"

Before the bewildered orcs could figure out what was happening, explosions began to occur one after another on the surface of the ice bridge. Some orcs with good eyesight who happened to be near the blast points could barely make out that some iron lumps, some round and some pointed, were falling from the sky and exploding on the ice, turning many orcs around them into mincemeat.

The densely packed troops on the bridge meant that each cannonball could instantly wipe out hundreds of orcs. Even more deadly was the damage the explosion caused to the ice bridge; the broken bridge structure caused many orcs to fall into the icy, bone-chilling seawater without warning.

Some people were swept under the ice by the current and quickly suffocated, while others, as soon as they surfaced, crashed into drifting ice blocks, or were even squeezed between several ice blocks and crushed into a pulp.

The roars and screams, set against the backdrop of explosions and flames, transformed the once tranquil fjord into a hellscape. On the southern shore, the orc cavalry who had gone ashore to guard the perimeter had now become prey instead of hunters. Many cavalrymen hadn't even seen a human before being struck in the face by cross-shaped shurikens flying from the darkness, dying in a daze.

On the treetops, Xia and Lingyin silently began their competition. Hongye knew that the two sisters would compete whenever they had the chance, so she did not participate in their contest, but instead sought out a higher-value goal.

She quickly spotted a figure who was different from the other orcs. The person was thinner than the average orc, but wore metal armor that was clearly of better quality. He was being carefully guarded in the center by four orc cavalrymen, and it was obvious that he was not an ordinary soldier.

Seeing this, Hongye thought to herself, "This time, the credit depends on you!"