Chapter 119
Chapter 119
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: Chapter 3-1. Black Tree Tribe
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Yesterday evening, I managed to get some sleep, so even though it still felt dark outside, my eyes opened. Peering dimly out the window, I saw the deep blue of the dawn sky.
‘Seems like I woke up too early.’
It looked like there were at least two or three hours left before the sun fully rose and daylight broke. I considered sleeping more, but since I didn’t know when Isabelle would send someone, I decided to get up. I sat up, but drowsiness still lingered, so I sat still as if meditating. After zoning out for about five minutes, I rolled my neck side to side to shake off the sleep and stood. After tidying the bedding and changing clothes, Judah saw that Jeanne and Arhil were still asleep and stepped outside to get some fresh air. He took a deep breath, and cool air filled his lungs deeply. He felt the last traces of sleepiness vanish completely.
‘It’d be nice if there was a place to sit and rest… Oh, there’s a chair.’
He didn’t know who had brought it, but there was a chair perfect for sitting and relaxing. As he sat down, a chill seeped through his clothes. His body shivered once, and he gazed at the village scenery. As expected for such an early hour, no one was wandering around the village.
“Huh?”
He thought about having some tea and opened the <Bag> to take out hot water, but he spotted someone walking from afar. Even with the bear pelt draped over their head, he immediately recognized who it was. It was Alec, someone he’d spoken to several times before. As if sensing his gaze, Alec, who had been walking while exhaling visible breaths, lifted his head. Their eyes met, and Alec stopped in his tracks.
‘Why’d he stop?’
Judah, who had been leisurely watching from the chair as Alec approached, tilted his head. Though still distant, Alec’s troubled expression was clear, suggesting he was likely the person Isabelle had mentioned sending last night. Maybe he’d even brought the chair here to sit on. Judah gestured for him to come over, standing still while Alec pondered. He didn’t shout, worried it might wake Arhil and Jeanne sleeping in the house. As if seeing the gesture, Alec started walking again.
“Is Alec the one the chief said she’d send?”
“That’s right. I’ve probably talked to the Spirit the most, after all. Ah, you don’t need to give up your seat.”
Since Alec was the elder, Judah had naturally tried to yield the chair, but Alec waved it off in refusal. Standing awkwardly, Judah sat back down.
“But you came really early.”
“I didn’t know when you’d wake up and set off. I planned to wait.”
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
Alec nodded.
“Then once my… no, my wives wake up, let’s eat together.”
“Is that okay? It might inconvenience you.”
“No problem. It’s just preparing one more serving anyway.”
Judah shrugged. He wondered if Alec would react amusingly like Isabelle had with the sandwich yesterday, feeling a bit expectant. Leaning against the wall, Alec quietly gazed at the village scenery just like Judah, but as an awkward silence settled in, Judah decided to ask about the orc tribe they’d scout today.
“The orc tribe? Well… We’re heading out from the east side of the village.”
Seeing Alec struggle to explain, Judah opened the <Bag> and handed him paper and a pen. Alec gave a puzzled look, as if wondering what they were. After a quick demonstration, Alec let out an impressed “Ooh” and soon understood how to use them, drawing a circle in the center of the white paper. He glanced at the pen in slight surprise at how smoothly it drew, then continued sketching. A little distance from the circle, he drew a triangle. It seemed this triangle marked the orc tribe or some similarly dangerous beast’s habitat.
“There’s a lot of danger.”
“Yes, all these spots are where orcs live in packs or form tribes. This is just what we’ve scouted, but there could be way more.”
There were many places to scout, and if their numbers were high, they might have no choice but to fight orcs. As they discussed the travel route, sounds of movement came from inside, suggesting someone had woken up. Judah went in briefly and asked Jeanne, who was up first, to let him know once both had washed, then returned outside to continue talking with Alec. Time passed suitably, and Arhil came out, apologizing for being late and urging them to come in. Thinking they needed a hearty breakfast, Judah prepared rice. Since it was a house where Baekje people had stayed, there was even a rice cooker, so he just needed to add rice. He took out side dishes from Gentia and made fried eggs. The side dishes Tia had made looked very unfamiliar in Alec’s eyes. Fried eggs might be common since they raised chickens here, but…
“Try it, it’s delicious.”
As if eating new food required courage, Alec watched Jeanne and Arhil eat before tentatively using the unfamiliar chopsticks to taste it.
“It’s good.”
Though he said it quite plainly, he started eating faster than before. Not as much as Isabelle, but his fresh reaction was entertaining. Chuckling lightly from the morning, they filled their bellies heartily and set out. Alec, who knew the paths best, took the lead, followed by Jeanne, Arhil, and Judah in that order.
Whether due to Isabelle’s consideration or Alec’s knowledge of the terrain, the path to the orc tribe was less rugged than expected. No branches blocked their view, no vines snagged their feet. They walked lightly through the forest, and whenever Alec halted and crouched low, Judah’s group followed suit. In the distance, two orcs rummaged for food. Alec nocked two arrows on his bowstring and fired them simultaneously. Astonishingly, both arrows pierced the orcs’ heads precisely, killing them instantly. Without even a dying screech, the orcs’ bodies toppled backward with a thud.
“Aren’t we just scouting?”
At Jeanne’s innocent question, Alec turned back with a wry grin.
“We can’t pass up a chance to thin their numbers. Reducing them early is better for the future.”
“…….”
“Don’t worry. They’ll kiss the ground before they get close to us.”
It was a boast rooted in pride in his archery. Alec retrieved the arrows from the orcs’ heads and pressed on, shooting every orc in sight to prove his words. Judah’s group didn’t need to lift a finger. His arrows struck vital points unerringly, sending the orcs to their deaths. With Alec there, patrolling the orcs’ territory felt like a stroll. Strangely, though, as they neared the orc tribe, the number of orcs dwindled, and the few visible ones seemed furiously enraged by something.
“They look really angry. Did something happen to them too?”
“Who knows. Maybe. Doesn’t seem like starvation, though.”
Alec replied in a tone suggesting even he wasn’t sure, proposing they check it out first. The orc tribe lay below a rocky hill. Peering cautiously over the edge, Alec gasped in shock.
“No way… Who did this?”
Before they arrived, someone had already ravaged the orc tribe. Orc corpses lay gruesomely split open, blood and guts scattered everywhere. That explained why the nearby orcs had been searching in rage. Descending the hill, the group grimaced at the horrific corpses. Whoever did it had been brutally thorough. Some had their heads cleanly severed and draped over rocks for display, others had their organs deliberately spilled out. Seeing this turned Arhil’s stomach; she covered her mouth with a retch, dry-heaving before vomiting up everything from breakfast. Judah patted Arhil’s back and spoke to Alec.
“Alec, were there any other tribe members scouting around here besides us?”
“Not that I know. The chief ordered only me to check the tribes nearby.”
“Then we have to assume someone else… did this.”
The orcs’ deaths were good news, but the fact that some unknown person had done this felt deeply ominous. Judah especially recalled Isabelle mentioning yesterday that the corpses in the ruined village had been startlingly neatly dismembered. Looking closely, even these brutally slain orcs had cleanly severed edges.
‘If it’s the Spirit Sword owner… this isn’t impossible.’
Who could have done this? Judah snapped a nearby twig and prodded a bisected orc corpse. He couldn’t tell exactly how long it had been dead, but it didn’t seem that old. Flies hadn’t laid eggs yet, and considering the orcs’ furious prowling, it must have happened within the last day.
“Where’s the next orc tribe? Let’s go there.”
Alec nodded and hurriedly took the lead.