Chapter 226: Elite Orc Swordsman
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: Elite Orc Swordsman
[ While the warriors of other clans were much the same, the executives of the Blood Dagger Clan, in particular, each possessed their own unique characteristics. From the shaman who controlled the roots of plants, one of Blood Dagger’s women, to the goblin renowned for his intelligence, all were distinct. However, the ones whose names were most often spoken in the present day were none other than Half Blade Gark and Mirror Blade Hark.
Their martial prowess was beyond question, but what truly made them famous were the Elite Orc Swordsmen under their command. The selection process for these swordsmen, who were regarded as the true military power of the Blood Dagger Clan, was exceptionally strict.
Only after becoming a first-rate swordsman acknowledged by all was one granted the qualification to join the Elite Orc Swordsmen. Gark and Hark were tasked with testing those deemed worthy.
Three trials were administered only to those who endured the training—a regimen so grueling it made one feel that life itself was hell—and only those who passed were bestowed the title of Elite Orc Swordsman. In time, this position would come to be known as the highest seat of honor in the Blood Dagger Clan, its fame spreading not only among their own but to other clans as well. There was even a rather amusing tale related to them in the human world… excerpt… —From an ancient text, On the Elite Orc Swordsmen of the Blood Dagger Clan. ]
“Hmm…”
I was looking outside with a somewhat heavy heart. The same went for Goff. Just a moment ago, Black Spear had looked quite miserable, but now he wore the brightest expression of all.
The reason was that Little Finger had been the first to return to the castle, while the ones currently putting on a decent show on the battlefield were his own son and daughter, Shakajin and Shakara.
Normally, someone of Little Finger’s level would never have returned so quickly, but thanks to the mental magic that had pierced through the shaman’s purification spell, he had made the swiftest retreat. According to the shaman, he had tried to expel the mental magic, but the reason Little Finger was so easily corrupted was that he himself had accepted it.
“Giant Scream must be punished! Giant Scream Apachi! I curse you! Kkireuk! Kkireuk! It’s his fault! It’s all his fault!”
Seeing him still shouting while receiving treatment from the shamans, I couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened between him and Giant Scream Apachi. It was probably some kind of lover's quarrel.
I still couldn’t forget the sight of Little Finger, who had been fighting well, suddenly getting hit by a Japanese magician’s attack and screaming curses at Giant Scream. It was enough to make me wonder if putting trainee Green Skins on a battlefield like this was too much of a stretch.
If it had been a little later, Apachi would have almost returned to the castle with Little Finger. In any case, Black Spear, who had looked so gloomy at the time, was now beaming with a wide smile.
“Hahaha. As expected of my son and daughter. Just look at them, my brothers.”
Looking where Black Spear’s gaze was fixed, I could see that the two trolls were indeed putting on a magnificent display. His son Shakajin’s spearmanship at the front was excellent, and the sight of Shakara behind him, turning her javelins into totems and throwing them, was quite impressive.
Anyone could see it was a splendid combination.
Goff needlessly gulped.
“H-hhm…”
Goff’s son, Gogh, had been disqualified the moment he tried to kill an elf while drunk on battle. It seemed he was a little envious of Black Spear’s children, who were clearly distinguishing between friend and foe as they fought.
In truth, I was the one with the least to say. I had just been boasting about Kim Yoora when I saw her fall for an absurd trap. Gogh was disqualified after Kim Yoora, which meant that Yoora was the first among the young Green Skins to be eliminated.
Of course, no one was seriously hurt or killed. The shamans had hastily cast shield magic over the young warriors, so the only damage was being shaken by the impact. I had watched the entire sequence with magic-infused eyes, so I could confirm their safety through the smoke, which was a relief.
‘Inexperienced.’
They hadn’t performed badly, but they were inexperienced. Still, I didn’t think it was something to be condemned outright.
After all, Kim Yoora had started her life in the clan by going through a similar process. It made a little sense when I considered that she might have seen her former self in the children equipped with magic bombs. But a mistake was a mistake. If this had been a real battle, everyone, including Kim Yoora, would have been caught in the explosion and either been crippled or killed.
Moreover, in Green Skin society, children were to be protected unconditionally. The mission to protect the elves might have thrown them into confusion.
Children suddenly appearing in the middle of a battlefield—in a way, it was an obvious trap. If she had wanted to rescue them, the first step should have been to check if anything was wrong.
Unlike Baek Ahyeon’s followers, magic bombs could be easily detected with a prior check. Remembering how even Goff and Black Spear had sighed when they saw Kim Yoora take the children in her arms left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Hmm… hmm… Blood Dagger, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Goff. It’s not satisfying, but this is how they grow, by showing various sides of themselves. They’ve learned a lot from today, so at the very least, this won’t happen next time. And I’d like to ask you the same question.”
“Well… my son is a bit too belligerent… ahem…”
The Goff Clan utilizes their wild nature; they don’t fail to control it. In that sense, Gogh was still immature. He had even almost struck the Ogre friend next to him with his fist.
“It’s a relief no one was badly hurt. Our little ones will be arriving soon, so we should prepare to greet them.”
“Hahaha. Don’t be too hard on them, Blood Dagger.”
“Hmm… She’s probably the one who understands her mistake the best.”
It was clear that Black Spear was the only one having a good time. He must have sensed from our expressions that he shouldn’t look so pleased, as he hastily averted his gaze, but it seemed he couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up.
As I watched him, Hakajin slowly spoke.
“Chieftain, Kim Yoora and the other young warriors have finished their healing and have returned.”
“Let them in.”
Even as I spoke, my thoughts were a tangled mess. I was confused about what attitude I should take. This event was never meant to be a test; it was more for them to simply gain experience. I hadn’t organized it to hand out punishments or rewards.
*
‘We almost all died.’
Kim Yoora stared blankly at the floor, biting her lip hard. Blood trickled from it, but she could feel the wound closing almost immediately due to a healing spell. She shook her head, and a voice came from beside her. It was one of the Blood Dagger Clan’s elite shamans.
“Don’t blame yourself too much. Your method was wrong, but your choice was right.”
“N-No, sir. It was definitely a mistake.”
She could only call it carelessness. She had reached out, remembering the moment Blood Dagger had rescued her, but she had forgotten what humans had done to her. More painful than any physical injury was the fact that her wrong choice had gotten many of her friends hurt.
If the clan’s shaman hadn’t intervened, they would all be dead. If it weren’t for the defensive spell that had suddenly enveloped their bodies at the site of the explosion, not only Nicole but also the young Orc friends fighting alongside her would have died.
The same went for what happened afterward. It wasn’t them who had blocked the barrage of magic, but the defensive spells the shaman had created.
Even if they had been lucky enough to survive, they would have quickly lost their lives or been captured in the ensuing human offensive.
She was the one who had said they should act as if it were a real battle. Yet, the fact that she had gotten everyone hurt weighed down on her like a great burden. And that wasn’t all.
‘I disappointed him.’
He must have been incredibly disappointed, she thought. The combination of having injured the children and failing to meet the expectations of the person she admired so much made tears well up in her eyes.
Of course, she knew that Blood Dagger trusted her. She had been allowed to participate where other children could not, and though it was a small battlefield, she had even stood in combat before. It would be strange if Blood Dagger hadn’t had expectations for her.
To put it simply, Lord Blood Dagger was Kim Yoora’s idol and role model. The god of the battlefield had answered her yearning to be like him by granting her a unique ability, and she had strived to make her fighting style as similar to his as she could. She stood before others and studied many things on her own, wanting to stand by his side.
She had received more from him than she could ever explain, yet she had tarnished the clan’s name. The sight of their banner, burned by the explosion, entered her vision.
She had completely betrayed the look of expectation he’d had when he sent her off. She had foolishly fallen for a trap and collapsed pathetically. Gogh, Shakajin, and Shakara had all fought until the very end. Kim Yoora kept wiping away the tears that threatened to fall. She had never once cried before, but she didn’t know why the tears kept coming now.
As she raised her hand to wipe her eyes, she happened to look up and saw her friends staring at her blankly. Kim Yoora opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry, everyone…”
As soon as she spoke softly, a reply came back.
“No. It’s also our fault for not checking beforehand.”
“They were like we used to be… Don’t worry about it too much, Yoora.”
Kim Yoora wasn’t the only one rescued that day. About half of the young warriors here were humans and Green Skins rescued from Somorah, so she thought that might be why they had fallen for the trap so easily. But that was all just an excuse. The fact that she had brought shame upon the clan’s name was undeniable.
“Still, it’s my fault the most. A commander failing to make the right judgment is a clear blunder. I’m truly sorry to everyone. I’m so sorry that we had to end things this way when we could have fought more.”
Her throat tightened with guilt. Seeing this, Nicole spoke up.
“I’ll say it again, it’s not your fault, Yoora! We… were just inexperienced. If we were stronger… we could have definitely prepared for a sudden situation. We were weak, and the enemies were strong. That’s all there is to it.”
A quiet silence filled the room. Of course, she knew Nicole was trying to comfort her. Mercy on the battlefield was wrong. Only the strong had the right to show mercy.
They were not the strong, yet they had tried to act like they were. That was why they were no longer standing on the battlefield.
“We are weak. We must become stronger. We have to become as strong as the adults.”
Just as everyone was slowly nodding, a voice came.
“The Chieftain is calling for you.”
Hakajin had come to meet them. For a moment, her heart sank. Everyone probably felt the same. The expression on Hakajin’s face, whom she looked up to as a teacher, wasn’t good, and the air felt strangely heavy.
She felt like a criminal. With that thought, Kim Yoora moved to the very front of the group. She held back the tears that threatened to fall and stood tall. She believed that being dejected just because they lost was unbecoming of the Blood Dagger Clan.
Even if you show your back and run, even if you fall, you overcome it the next time. That was the way of life Kim Yoora had learned while living in the Blood Dagger Clan.
The door slowly opened, revealing the face of Blood Dagger, who was sitting on his chair. His cold, sunken expression pierced her heart.
Finally, when Kim Yoora and the children all placed their hands over their chests, Blood Dagger’s mouth opened.
“I’m disappointed.”