Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Chapter 3-1. Black Tree Tribe
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Following the hunter to his destination led to a large treehouse set apart from the village buildings and streets. The wood material visible on the outside looked far more luxurious than that of the houses they had passed along the way.
"Here it is."
Hunter Alec replied in a somewhat uneasy tone as he stopped in his tracks. It seemed like he hadn't wanted to show them this place, but the chieftain's orders had forced his hand. Jeanne, sensing something suspicious in his hesitation, took the lead and climbed the stairs to open the door. The door opened smoothly, revealing the interior, and Jeanne let out an exclamation of surprise. Judah followed her up, peering over her shoulder at the astonishingly pristine space inside.
'...It's completely in the Baekje style?'
The moment Judah laid eyes on the interior, that was his first thought. From the entryway where one removed their shoes, every piece of furniture filling the house could have come straight from a traditional Korean hanok village. There were even folding screens as a basic feature, and porcelain displayed atop a lacquered cabinet. Stepping further inside, a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted through the air, evoking a sense of luxury. It even felt nicer than Chieftain Isabelle's quarters, he couldn't help but think.
"The room... it's quite luxurious."
"This building was constructed by imperial envoys from the Empire when they stayed here. They offered to build it themselves if we provided a plot of land. Every time they visit, they bring all sorts of things, and that's how it ended up like this."
Imperial envoys—the Empire Alec referred to must mean Baekje.
"Do people from the Empire visit often?"
"They occasionally come to hire mercenaries from our tribe, but they were here not long ago, so at least while the spirit dwells here, they won't return."
"You've given us a fine house, Chieftain. We'll keep it clean and use it well, so don't worry. Even if the imperial envoys come, they won't know who stayed here."
"...Rest well."
Alec, realizing his inner concern—that the envoys might take offense—had been exposed, mumbled awkwardly before muttering his farewell and leaving.
Whether Alec left or not, Jeanne and Arhil were overjoyed at finally having a proper place to rest like civilized people and immediately settled in. Jeanne seemed a bit uneasy knowing Baekjeans had built and lived in this house, but she had no desire to rest elsewhere. They looked around the house, opened the wardrobe, and pulled out neatly folded blankets and mats to lay them out on the floor. With practiced efficiency, they prepared their bedding and headed to the bathroom. It seemed the Baekjean who had come here had built at least this one house to perfection.
The bathroom and toilet were well-separated, as were the kitchen and living room. They'd even positioned the windows to catch the breeze and sunlight optimally.
Before long, Arhil and Jeanne had stripped off their clothes in a heap on the floor like discarded trash and entered the bathroom. The sight reflexively brought back memories of cleaning the house in Serenia Castle, but Judah quickly dismissed the urge—why bother all the way out here?—and stopped himself from picking up the robes. Instead, he surveyed the house.
Since it was built just for short stays, there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy. Deciding to take a quick look around outside, Judah called out to the two in the bathroom that he'd go for a short walk around the area and stepped out.
He considered circling the entire village, but remembering that the tribesfolk would prostrate themselves if they saw him, he turned his gaze to the wooden fence beyond. It wasn't as tall as a castle wall, but it was high enough that his leaping ability could easily clear it.
'Shall I try?'
It was mere idle curiosity. Judah checked his surroundings. His senses detected no presences, and no one was watching. The distance from the clustered village houses probably helped. With a light tap of his toes, he tested a jump, then accelerated and stepped onto the fence, vaulting atop it in an instant. Thanks to his agility reaching B-rank, crossing it was no challenge at all.
The difference between inside and out was jungle versus not. The forest beyond was so dense it was impossible to see far, so Judah activated and ventured in alone, planning a quick look around.
"No big difference from before."
He didn't know exactly where, but there was just a river flowing through—nothing else. After a brief circuit, on his way back, he spotted what looked like village children swimming and playing by the riverbank.
'Was jumping the fence unnecessary?'
There must have been a proper entrance. If someone had seen him, it would have been perfect grounds for misunderstanding. Naturally, sneaking into a forbidden area without permission would earn suspicion anywhere. Watching the children splash and swim amiably, Judah gave up on exploring further and sat under a nearby tree to observe.
"Looks fun."
The riverside breeze was refreshingly cool—perfect. Civilizations didn't start near rivers for nothing. Watching the kids play like a proud father figure, he dozed off briefly and lost track of time.
As the sun began to set and he thought about heading back, the children screamed. Reflexively turning, he saw two orcs charging from upstream where the river flowed, roaring "Uooooh!"
They were bare-handed, but with their superior physical prowess, their bodies themselves were weapons. The children scrambling out of the water seemed to think they were safe near the village—no weapons, no adult supervision.
Too coincidental to be chance. Without a second thought, Judah drew the dagger from the leather belt at his waist. The first one, used for hacking brush and branches, had a dull blade. But it would still pierce fine when thrown, he judged.
He snapped his left wrist and hurled the dagger with full force. It sliced through the air, ignoring wind resistance, and embedded squarely in the forehead of the orc leaping into the river. While muscled limbs might resist, the brow—untrainable—was no match; even a dulled blade sank in deep.
Splash—the water erupted as the orc toppled backward slowly, never to rise again. Red blood spread from where it fell, like ink in water.
"Ah?"
The children panicked, and the approaching orcs halted at the unexpected attack. Judah moved toward the children, drawing his second dagger. Its sharp edge cleaved the air once more.
"Kwaaah!"
The orc bellowed, spotting and dodging it. Brushing its shoulder, the blade passed harmlessly. Roaring in triumph, it charged Judah. Despite its bulk, it moved nimbly, drawing a smirk from Judah. Two daggers weren't all he had.
"One more left."
Altemia's power excluded, of course. He threw another, dispatching the remaining orc easily. The children stared wide-eyed in awe before rushing to the bank and prostrating before Judah.
"Spirit, thank you so much!"
"Thank you!"
Their grateful voices were cute, but their actions less so. A simple bow would have sufficed. He replied affirmatively, and whatever fear gripped them, they fled hand-in-hand back to the village. After watching them go, Judah retrieved the dagger from the orc's brow.
In a game, a vital hit like that would just trigger "Critical!" for extra damage, but reality was different—even that tough orc died instantly. Shaking blood from the blade, he pondered whether to fish the corpse from the river when he spotted more orcs descending from afar—far more than expected. No mistake; clear orcs emerging along the bank.
'A group?'
He scanned quickly: about thirty. Before counting precisely, something launched skyward. An arrow plummeted toward the stationary Judah. He kicked off backward; thunk—the shaft quivered in the ground.
'Bows, huh...'
They knew ironworking, so basic weapons like bows were no surprise. Unlike the first two, these carried arms. As they nocked more arrows, Judah hesitated briefly, then deployed his shadow and activated buff skills.
Without hesitation, he charged headlong at the thirty-odd orcs. He threw his two daggers and drew the longsword he'd taken from the scarecrow in <Bag>.
Altemia's power could wipe them out effortlessly. But he craved combat experience against numbers using his enhanced stats. Instead of the center, he targeted the rightmost orc first.
Unbelieving that prey would charge rather than flee, the orc panicked and swung its club wildly. Too hasty—it whiffed before Judah even closed in. The orc's eyes bulged in terror. Slipping into its guard, Judah grinned.
"Peekaboo."
========== Author's Note ==========
1) It's October already. Haha.
I wish vacation would come soon...
2) Unsealing? Hm, yeah, it's about time...