I doubt it's easier to defeat 666 monks than to summon a ship and get a sword :confused:

Not "summon a ship and get a sword," but find that sword, because everything looks extremely illogical: it's not immediately clear that you can navigate on a map that doesn't seem to allow for navigation (at least have a shipyard near the lake). But okay, I figured it out. But finding a passage where it's not visible is beyond good and evil. There seems to be an obvious goal for our voyage – the Fort on the hill and the Portal. So, for me, it was actually easier to go straight through :D

Added 6 minutes later

Yes, that's the only way to get it. They give you a lot of knights. On Warrior difficulty, you get about 70 of them, and on Veteran, about 50... :)
With such an army, the Orc falls easily.

Hmm, I see. But I didn't have any monks in my army, and I didn't train anyone. That's why I played on "Warrior" difficulty without straining myself. On Veteran, you usually have to use all the resources and gather a stronger army, which I don't really like.