The Orc Village
Intense flames began to erupt from the logs, and at the same time the lead vehicle pushed through the monster horde. Thud! Thud! Boom! Just as Zadin had predicted, the logs spewing thick black smoke and burning fiercely proved highly effective against the charging monsters. The creatures, scorched by the heat, tangled with one another and fell, opening a path that was then crushed beneath the advancing armored cars and transport vehicles amid their screams.
Even from a distance, the vehicles were shaking violently enough to cause concern.
“Zadin, it looks like it’s shaking pretty badly. Are you all right?”
“I-I’m… managing… ugh!”
“If it’s hard to talk, you don’t have to answer.”
He really did look like he was struggling. Following my aerial guidance, the wedge-shaped formation successfully pierced through the monster horde. Only after they had put enough distance between themselves and any pursuing monsters did the column finally stop for reorganization.
“Ugh! Damn, worst ride ever.”
“You did well.”
Even Eden’s advanced vehicles couldn’t prevent motion sickness when crushing monsters under their wheels. While Zadin sat on the ground catching his breath, the androids disembarked, removed the still-burning logs, and climbed back aboard.
“Reporting. All vehicles are operating normally.”
“Understood.”
After receiving Selaphiel’s report, I checked the embedded map and calculated that we could reach the next destination in as little as three days.
“The route to the next destination is all grassland. If we push, we can arrive within three days. Let’s move.”
“Ugh… So we can finally travel comfortably, right? Let’s go.”
Zadin staggered aboard, and we set off again. I sat atop a large transport vehicle, letting the wind rush past as we continued onward.
The journey to the next destination was surprisingly peaceful. The occasional monster packs we encountered were small enough to either detour around or handle with the heavy-caliber guns mounted on the armored cars. With so little to do, the androids—who had been tense at departure—were now chattering noisily among themselves.
“Is sexual intercourse really that good?”
“Of course~ A life without sex is like losing half of it.”
“Aah~ As a combat android without sexual functions, I’m envious. I want to try sex too.”
“If I get a sexual relief assignment next time, shall I share the sensations with you?”
“Really? Thank you!”
Listening to the distinctive 4957 combat android chatting with the sex androids from atop the vehicle, I turned to Zadin.
“Zadin, are you all right?”
“I can manage.”
“Unlike us androids, you’re human and need rest. There’s no need to push yourself.”
We had been driving nonstop on unpaved roads for two days already. No matter how sturdy Zadin’s physique was, I couldn’t help but worry.
“Haa… The greatest strength of an android unit is mobility. We can’t afford to be delayed because of me. Besides, stopping in the middle of this plain is practically inviting an attack.”
“Geez, so stubborn.”
Suddenly suspicious of what I thought I saw, I sat up and magnified my vision. A small shape wavered into view—a shabby but unmistakable fortress.
“A fortress? According to the map Xenuma provided, there shouldn’t be one here.”
“A fortress not on the map? An intermediate outpost, maybe?”
“Makes sense they wouldn’t reveal every military installation. Shall we stop there for a short rest? The walls would offer some protection against surprise attacks.”
“I’d rather just keep going, but my body isn’t cooperating. Let’s rest for a bit.”
“Good idea.”
Only after the prospect of rest appeared did the thought of actually resting seem to occur to him. We adjusted course toward the small fortress.
To scout the interior, I flew upward and approached. What I saw defied imagination.
“Orcs?”
“What? Orcs?”
“There are orcs in the fortress. With humans.”
The creatures on the wall pointing and shouting at us were unmistakably orcs. While I stared in shock, the humans beside them moved hurriedly, raising a white flag and signaling for dialogue.
“The humans with the orcs are raising a white flag and requesting talks.”
“What the hell is going on?”
“I know, right? What’s happening?”
Since neither the humans nor the orcs showed hostility, we decided to investigate. Leaving the unit waiting at a distance, I flew alone toward the wall. Both the humans and orcs on the ramparts looked equally astonished to see me flying. I landed among them, and a bold-looking woman holding the white flag examined me from head to toe before speaking first.
“That’s not a Xenuma uniform. Which country’s soldier are you?”
“I’m from Eden, here as reinforcements. This is a Xenuma intermediate outpost, correct?”
“Yes. More precisely, it was a civilian village that served as a logistics depot.”
“Civilians? Weren’t they all supposed to have evacuated?”
I had heard that Xenuma soldiers had even launched suicide attacks to buy time for the citizens to flee, so the presence of remaining refugees was surprising.
“It’s not easy to abandon the village you’ve lived in your whole life. There were too many supplies we couldn’t move in time, so the reservists decided to stay and defend their home. They sealed the gates.”
“Fortunately, the monsters never came. Though there are orcs.”
Behind the sturdy woman—who, like most Xenuma women who had completed mandatory military service, gave off a capable impression—several orcs stood fidgeting. It was surprising enough that orcs, creatures close to monsters, were behaving docilely, but even more astonishing was seeing them alongside humans, especially Xenuma people who regarded orcs as mortal enemies.
Noticing my gaze, she shrugged.
“We happened to save some that were being chased by a monster pack. Strangely, they became quite obedient afterward. Since we were short on hands anyway, we’ve been putting them to work.”
“That’s bold of you.”
Using monsters so readily took extraordinary courage.
“Don’t the orcs cause problems? They’re still monsters.”
“As long as you feed them well, they’re gentle.”
The way she blushed slightly while saying “feed them well” suggested the meaning wasn’t limited to simple meals. Between the legs of an orc wearing only human-sized shorts that barely contained his bulging muscles, something far too large to hide beneath thin cloth was visible. He also radiated an immense vital energy incomparable to human males.
Still, as she said, the orcs appeared docile, so resting here shouldn’t be an issue.
“If possible, I’d like to rest here for a while. Would that be all right?”
“If it’s an allied support unit dispatched to help our homeland, of course we must allow it. Rest as long as you like.”
“Thank you.”
Her bright, toothy smile was genuinely charming.
“Zadin, the gates will open soon. Come inside. There isn’t enough space inside for the androids, so they’ll wait outside.”
“Will it be safe?”
“No monster signatures on radar, and we have walls. It should be fine for now.”
“All right.”
The fortress surrounding the village, having once functioned as an intermediate outpost, was solidly built. However, it was already packed with the original villagers’ homes, so our entire unit of armored cars and transports couldn’t fit inside. At the woman’s scolding, the orcs began vigorously turning the winch to open the gates. Rumble. The thick, iron-plated gates swung open, and Zadin’s armored car entered.
Pale even against his dark skin from motion sickness, he was guided by kind village women to rest. I headed for the home of Galina, the bold woman I had met on the wall.
Among Xenuma’s characteristically angular buildings, the large house at the village center belonged to Galina—the captain of the village reservists and its headwoman.
“It’s humble, but please come in.”
“No, it’s quite well kept.”
True to Xenuma’s virtue of frugality, the only decorations were taxidermied animal heads on the walls, yet the unique atmosphere of leather filled the air. More than anything, the enormous, muscular orc seated in the living-room chair dominated the space so completely that the rest of the house barely registered.
The white-bearded orc, whose physique dwarfed any I had seen outside, fiddled with an axe handle while inspecting leather. He glanced at us, then turned away indifferently and resumed his work.
“Ah, that orc seems to be the leader of the orc pack. Quite the size, isn’t he?”
“Not just his size—the presence he gives off is different too.”
“Watching him tear monsters apart with that axe was quite impressive.”
“Impressive indeed.”
To slaughter regenerating monsters faster than they could heal was crude but undeniably remarkable. Orcs had a maximum lifespan of thirty years, yet their warlike nature made their actual lives far shorter. That this orc had survived long enough to grow a full white beard and deep wrinkles spoke volumes about his strength.
Staring at the orc’s back as he radiated fierce, cold vital energy, I felt a primal pressure that made my womb throb.
Leaving the orc behind, Galina and I sat facing each other and exchanged information. I answered her questions within the limits of what I could share, and she did the same. As an intermediate outpost, the village maintained wired communications with nearby outposts and possessed considerable local intelligence that proved helpful.
“Thank you for the information. It will help with the supply operation.”
“It’s only natural. Please stay here tonight. There are plenty of empty rooms—use them as you like.”
“By the way, where are my companions?”
“They’re being well looked after by the village girls at the best lodging in the village. You needn’t worry.”
“Ah, I see.”
Her smile remained, but she made no effort to hide her suggestive undertone. Well… it was obvious what would happen, but Zadin would decide for himself. If he found a woman he liked, he would act; otherwise, he would simply sleep. That was the kind of relationship we had—affectionate yet unbound.
After finishing our conversation, I left her room and returned to the living room, where the old orc was still tending to his axe. For some reason he kept drawing my attention, so I sat nearby and watched. Ignoring me, he continued his work until he apparently felt my gaze and turned his deep, time-worn eyes toward me.
Unlike the other dull-looking orcs, his eyes held clear intelligence. Admiring them, an idea struck me. I retrieved a translation magic ring from my spatial pouch hidden inside my uniform and slipped it onto my finger. Then I took out a spare and offered it to him.
The orc examined the ring I held out, then my face, before accepting it with thick fingers and inspecting it carefully. He slipped it onto his pinky with surprising delicacy.
“Can you understand me?”
“Krrk?”
“It’s a magic ring that enables communication. Say anything.”
The elderly orc stroked his beard, looking slightly flustered, then spoke.
“Human.”
“Yes.”
“Why do you speak to me?”
“I’m curious about your life. Could you tell me how you’ve lived until now?”
“I am an old orc. It would mean nothing to a human.”
Though initially startled by the successful communication, he quickly regained composure and fell silent, merely fiddling with the axe handle. He clearly had no desire to converse, yet this was a rare chance to hear about orcs directly rather than through hunter reports and speculation, so I pressed on.
“I’ve heard orcs are extremely warlike, yet the ones here seem quite docile.”
“……”
“You supposedly slaughtered regenerating monsters with that axe. Are all orcs capable of that?”
“……”
The old orc was truly taciturn. Still, since he hadn’t removed the ring, I refused to give up and continued asking questions from beside him until he finally spoke.
“Human, why do you torment this old orc?”
“Torment? I simply wish to have a conversation.”
“Strange. Humans hate orcs.”
The other orcs seemed indifferent to being around humans, making me wonder if they were unaware of human hostility, but this one clearly recognized it.
“Not particularly?”
“Strange female.”
“Yes, yes. I’m a strange female, so let’s talk.”
“……”
Disbelief flickered in the orc’s shadowed eyes.