Chapter 112: Conquering Somorah
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112: Conquering Somorah
[I'd appreciate it if you read this chapter and the next one slowly! Oh, and there will be an afterword in the next chapter. I'd be grateful if you read that as well!]
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After landing on the ground, I looked at Baek Ahyeon once more and saw her gazing at me with eyes that were shining with an almost overwhelming brilliance. It was an intense stare, almost burdensome, but I didn't bother to look away.
“My savior… sob…”
She even burst into tears. When I stroked her head, Baek Ahyeon’s body trembled slightly. Still in my arms, she pressed herself even deeper into my embrace. It was a bit of a predicament since we had to enter the castle, but I was unexpectedly saved by Jung Hayeon.
“I will take her.”
“Thank you.”
At her somewhat cold voice, I handed Baek Ahyeon over to Jung Hayeon. Jung Hayeon raised her roots to receive her, and naturally, Baek Ahyeon’s face showed a deep reluctance to be separated from me. But I couldn’t carry her forever. I slowly began to walk toward the entrance of the shattered castle gate. As I moved, the Orc swordsmen, Gark, and Orbo started to follow, and together, we slowly advanced into the castle.
Even as we moved through the broken gate, I could hear the groans of humans sprawled on the ground. I extended my greatsword, killing the ones who were still alive as we proceeded, and soon the interior of the Black Thorn Guild’s castle came into full view. At some point, we must have reached an area untouched by the explosion, as the inside of the castle felt much cleaner.
‘Luxurious…’
I had expected as much, but the interior was incredibly opulent. The carpets on the floor, the useless ornaments on the walls, and even the items scattered about all spoke to how wealthy this clan had been. I had never been inside the Saint Knights Order’s building, but I doubted even their guild house was more luxurious than this.
I had already heard from Lee Wanyong how to get to the basement, but I decided to let Baek Ahyeon guide us. Protected by a circle of swordsmen, Baek Ahyeon raised a finger and began to lead the way. Soon enough, our clan had reached the entrance to the underground level.
We moved with some caution, as we were inside the enemy’s castle. We saw a few humans, of course, but they were merely guards and not of a high level. What was strange was that the enemy’s main force was nowhere to be seen. It was quite odd that we hadn’t encountered any of the key executives, including Yoon Jungsoo. Had they not noticed our infiltration?
But for now, rescuing the captive Green Skins was the priority. Wary of our surroundings, we moved deeper inside until a pitch-black space began to reveal itself. Orbo, who knew the way, slowly raised his shield and took the lead. He swung his axe at a massive lock, and it shattered pathetically, flying off into the darkness.
“Do you remember?”
“The memory is faint… but I know this place, Blood Dagger.”
His voice was bitter, his eyes burning with rage. As we opened the door and entered, the smell of unidentifiable chemicals assaulted my nose. But that wasn’t all. It was a disgusting stench, a mixture of many things.
“Save… save us…”
When I turned my gaze, I saw human children. They were naked, just like Kim Yoora had been when we found her, huddled together and clinging to each other for warmth. There were young Green Skins mixed in with them, so I had no choice but to speak to the little ones.
“Wait.”
“Sob…”
The deeper we went, the more disgusting the sights became. There were cages where unknown beasts were tearing apart and eating already-dead humans, and there was a magic circle stained with blood, evidence of some kind of experiment. Inside the circle lay a dead adult, their limbs twisted and their eyes wide in a deathly stare. It was clear that more than just raising slaves, various magical experiments had been conducted here.
“……”
Even Gark was speechless, his eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. With bloodshot eyes, Orbo continued to look around as he guided us forward.
And then we saw it: a cage holding adult Green Skins. The smell that hit my nose was indescribable, suggesting this was a place for breeding. I slowly looked around the room. It seemed to be a place where only Orcs were kept, and they were all staring at the floor with their heads bowed. They showed no reaction, even though we had arrived.
“Garajan. I’m here. Garajan. Open your eyes.”
Orbo tried calling out to his friend, but there was no reply.
I pushed my magic into the Ancient Flame in my hand, and the basement was suddenly filled with light. The eyes of countless Green Skins and human slaves shot toward us, but there was no life in them.
The only ones who seemed to have kept their sanity were the children. I couldn’t tell if it was because the drugs were too expensive to use on young Green Skins or if they simply didn’t see the need, but the eyes of a few of the little ones who saw my blazing flame were definitely alive.
I swung the Ancient Flame once, and the iron bars in front of me were instantly sliced apart, yet the captives still didn’t react.
I spoke to these Green Skins, deliberately using the human tongue.
“Come out.”
Only after I spoke did they slowly begin to emerge. They didn’t seem to understand, but they were clearly reacting to the human language. It seemed their Green Skin instincts were completely suppressed. I couldn’t help but feel that things had become complicated. They were in no condition to fight. Of course, considering Orbo’s case, they could surely recover, but it was impossible to think of them as immediate reinforcements.
“Have they always been in this state?”
“Something like it.”
I figured they probably administered more or less of the drug depending on the situation. I swallowed hard. I checked the other rooms, but there was no one in a normal state. The shaman who had led them in the original future had likely purified them with high-level purification magic. Hakajin couldn’t use purification magic, and the shaman in the Black Spear Clan didn’t seem to be of a particularly high level either.
The situation was becoming a headache. But for now, getting them out was the priority. I nodded, and the Orc swordsmen rushed into each room, cutting down all the iron bars. The bars of the room holding the human children were cut down as well. The human children began to gather around Baek Ahyeon.
“Orbo! Orbo!”
Just then, a voice called out from somewhere. I naturally turned to look and saw a small Troll, one who hadn’t learned the Green Skin language, repeatedly shouting his father’s name. His eyes were blazing. He had not yet lost his instincts. The boy, who looked about a year older than Nicole, clearly hadn’t forgotten what race he belonged to.
These children must have been the hostages. I slowly began to observe them again. They didn’t avoid my gaze. It might have been a long shot, but I couldn’t help but wonder if they were the ones who had led the rebellion two years from now.
Hearing his son’s voice, Orbo slowly raised his axe and approached the little Troll.
He must have looked completely different from the father his son was used to seeing. Bursting muscles, blazing eyes, a torso covered in blood—Orbo didn’t say a word to his son. But it was as if his entire body was speaking for him.
It was as if he was saying that the man his son was seeing now, not the helpless father he had known, was his true father.
CRASH!
With a swing of his axe that seemed to shatter all his shackles, the iron bars crumbled, and the children burst out.
“Orbo! Orbo! Orbo!”
The boy who had been calling his father’s name did the same. Breaking out of the small, filthy prison, the little Troll ran to his father and threw himself into his arms. Orbo, too, hugged his son tightly. The embrace looked strangely awkward. It was just my guess, but it felt as if this was the first time he had ever held his son.
Impressively, the boy, still in his father’s arms, looked at me and bowed his head. He had somehow figured out that I was the Green Skin who had freed them.
“Orbo. Orbo.”
I stroked the admirable little Troll’s head and spoke.
“We’re getting out of here.”
At my words, the Orc swordsmen began to gather the captive Green Skins, Jung Hayeon took the children, and Baek Ahyeon took the human kids, and we all started moving quickly toward the exit. Most of the human children and young Green Skins were terrified, but knowing we were trying to get out, they looked at the basement door with great anticipation. The one strange thing was that despite all the commotion we had caused, there still seemed to be no high-level humans in the castle.
Looking at the dazed Green Skins following behind us, I had no choice but to consider modifying my plan.
To put it bluntly, these forces weren’t just unable to fight alongside us—they were a burden. If the Black Spear Clan’s shaman couldn’t purify their condition, the most rational course of action was to get them out of the city as quickly as possible. Their large bodies would make them easy targets for the enemy. We had to get out before they held us back.
“Where should we go, Blood Dagger?”
“We leave this city immediately. I’m not dismissing the captive Green Skins, but it seems purifying them is the most urgent task.”
“Krrrrrk.”
Orbo glanced back once, then nodded as if in agreement. As we exited the basement we had entered, sunlight immediately shone down on us. The dazed Green Skins showed no reaction, but the young ones looked up at the sun shining brightly through a hole in the castle ceiling as if it were a miracle.
“Orbo!”
The cute little Troll was still shouting. His bright face was truly memorable.
He kept looking around, as if the sounds of explosions, the screams of humans, and the war cries of Green Skins were all fascinating. What he was looking at was undoubtedly a battlefield. For a Green Skin, seeing a battlefield as the first landscape after coming outside must be a fittingly epic experience. I was the same. I was looking at the same place he was.
“Chieftain!”
Black Spear and Mev came into view, fighting against humans. Mev was firing arrow after arrow, calling my name. The Goblin Three Sisters were diligently protecting her.
Black Spear, smashing his spear down instead of throwing it. Hark, fighting alongside the new Hark. And Ragia, Hakajin, and the other members of the Blood Dagger Clan, all drenched in blood, were heading our way.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“Victory! For victory alone!”
“Orbo! Orbo!”
And amidst it all, the boy was still shouting his father’s name. Gark and I also charged toward Black Spear and our clan members.
The main force had arrived.