Chapter 270: A Meeting in the Land of Glory
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 270: A Meeting in the Land of Glory
Familiar faces. Storm Shadow, Green Goblin, Big Ogre, the Minotaur from the plains, the Werewolf of the North, and many other tribal chieftains were present. The Orc from the South was also there, his lips pressed into a thin line and his arms crossed as he watched us.
Perhaps because it had been a while, even his face was somewhat tolerable to look at.
“First, let's all be seated. You have all traveled far to be here. I especially want to thank the chieftains of the three tribes, who came despite not having fully recovered.”
He looked quite gaunt. I knew the position of Great Tribe Leader was a heavy burden, but seeing the grim expression on Storm Shadow's face, it seemed he had been troubled by many things.
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor.”
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor.”
Greetings came first. Goff, Black Spear, and I slowly took the seats prepared for us. Interestingly, the Green Skins of the East were seated with us. As expected, the Southerners were sitting with the Orc from the South.
The atmosphere was strange. I began to worry that this might escalate into a war between the East and South. Of course, it was just a ridiculous delusion of mine, but forming factions like this wasn't right. The mood grew a little heavier, and a brief silence fell. Then, Great Tribe Leader Storm Shadow began to speak.
“Ahem... First, I believe you all know why we have gathered here. We have several matters on the agenda, but it is only right that we discuss the most important one first. You are all aware that the continent has changed recently. The rough waves behind the Land of Glory have vanished, and the northern blizzards and the fog in the West and East have completely lifted.”
At Storm Shadow's words, everyone nodded.
“In their place, a hazy barrier now stands. However, every chieftain here—no, every Green Skin—knows that this barrier will one day disappear. I do not know why the God of the Battlefield has given us this trial, but we cannot take it lightly. The chieftains from the Brother's Land will explain why.”
‘So they knew.’
That was my first thought. We in the Brother's Land had not yet revealed the existence of the elves on the eastern continent. We had been busy, and while it was a significant matter, it was ultimately our tribe's affair.
I figured that was why Storm Shadow, who already knew, hadn't bothered to inform the other Green Skins about what lay on the eastern continent.
“Hmm...”
While I was trying to read the room, Goff was the first to speak.
“We in the Brother's Land have confirmed the existence of a new continent beyond the Forest of Mist.”
“Hmm...”
“I see...”
Several Green Skins nodded.
“That continent was inhabited by a long-eared race calling themselves elves, and by humans who spoke a different language than the one on our own continent. The elves were a race that did not desire conflict, and the humans were exceedingly weak. They, too, are beings who underwent a Warrior's Exam like ours and were summoned to another land.”
Some might have been expecting this. Sure enough, the Werewolf of the North spoke next.
“It is the same in the North. We have not discovered a new continent, but undead have occasionally been spotted near our villages and the human cities. If I had to guess... it would be wise to assume that other races also live beyond the seas to the West and South.”
He was right.
Some of them were frowning. They might not know of the elves, but even to Green Skins, the undead were a detestable existence. While they were mostly confined to dungeons, undead did exist on our continent. However, the ones the Northerners spoke of were surely different from the undead here.
“I see.”
A brief silence fell. I felt it was best to offer a conclusion, so I slowly began to speak to the chieftains.
“To summarize, several continents exist, possibly centered around our own. Our continent may not be the center, and on each of these lands, humans and other races are locked in constant struggle. As for why the blizzards have ceased, the waves have calmed, and the fog has lifted—we cannot know the reason.”
“...”
“However, the hazy barrier blocking our way will eventually disappear, and a new struggle may soon begin. This is merely speculation. But it is right to be prepared.”
I glanced at Storm Shadow and saw him nodding. I had said what he wanted to say.
“Blood Dagger is likely correct.”
Looking around at the others, it seemed they weren't particularly curious about why the continents were divided or why the hazy barrier had appeared.
The chance to fight.
That was likely the fact they were weighing most heavily. They were undoubtedly curious about these new lands and the strong enemies that might await them. But even as everyone nodded in succession, Storm Shadow's expression remained quite grave.
Storm Shadow glanced around at the excited assembly before speaking again.
“No, Blood Dagger is right.”
As Storm Shadow tapped the floor with his hand, the tent flap opened, and an Orc slowly began to step inside. He had a hardened expression, and his body looked as if it had recently endured a major battle.
Moreover.
‘I've never seen him before.’
His banner was also one I had never seen. Seeing him, I realized it in an instant. He was one of the newly summoned. He had to be the chieftain of the ten Green Skins who had survived and been summoned to the continent this time. As if to confirm my guess, Storm Shadow spoke.
“This is Darga of the Darga Clan. Your assumptions are correct. He is the only Green Skin to have arrived on the continent this time, and he is the chieftain leading the ten survivors.”
“........................................”
“Hmm....”
Curiosity spread across everyone's faces. The biggest question was why there were only ten of them. I had considered that the number of summoned might be limited from now on, and had even speculated that eventually, they might stop being summoned altogether. But that wasn't it. For someone newly summoned, he bore a great many scars.
“Chieftain Darga, please explain.”
“Strength, Wisdom, and Honor...”
We answered the Orc who greeted Great Tribe Leader Storm Shadow and us by placing a hand over our chests. Then, he slowly began to speak.
“I am Darga, chieftain of the Darga Clan. First, I wish to say that it is an honor to speak before such esteemed chieftains. To get straight to the point, about nine hundred warriors undertook the Warrior's Exam with me. All of them, save for my Darga Clan, are dead.”
As soon as he finished, the chieftains began to murmur amongst themselves. I, too, was surprised. Nine hundred warriors had taken the exam with him alone. There might have been other Green Skins taking the Warrior's Exam in other locations as well.
That meant all of them had died.
“Weaklings.”
An unknown Green Skin tossed out the remark, but fell silent at the response that followed.
“We fought the undead.”
‘Fucking hell...’
I cursed inwardly at his words. I had suspected as much, and I was right. I would have to find out what happened to the humans, but if that Green Skin's words were true, then he hadn't fought humans, but undead. And it must have been a truly desperate fight.
“They were undead, far more numerous and powerful than us. Many goblins and orcs fought and died with honor, only to be reborn as undead themselves. Our brothers, reborn as undead, were forced to continue a fight they did not want, even in death. We resisted. We defended. We fought. But on the final day of the Warrior's Exam, we could not withstand their all-out assault, and most of our tribe lost their lives. The only survivors... were us.”
A heavy silence descended.
From the way he spoke, we could guess just how great the battle had been that day.
“The first ones summoned were creatures called ghouls. They possess intelligence. They have their own language and even seem to have their own way of life. They also have a leader, and many of the undead follow this single figure.”
“.........................................”
“We are not weak, honorable chieftain. We are those who fought with all our might to survive. And my brothers, whose bodies still move even in death, were never weak Green Skins.”
The Orc named Darga stared directly at the one who had just spoken out of turn. As expected, an apology came back immediately.
“My apologies. May your fallen brothers be blessed.”
Darga nodded. This was different from our Warrior's Exam. The changed continent must have had an effect. To have fought undead instead of humans... it was a truly bewildering statement.
I had a question, so I posed it to him.
“Did you see any humans?”
“I did see humans, yes. But we did not fight them. They must have been fending off the undead in their own way. We did not join their battle, and though they were aware of us, they did not attack.”
I was starting to get a rough picture of the situation. They must have been too overwhelmed fending off the ghouls to even think about the Green Skins. It was more accurate to say they had no capacity to fight humans.
“I'd also like to ask if the humans were all using the same language or not.”
“I cannot say for certain. But thinking back, it seems they might have been using different languages. The humans were divided into two groups, so it's possible.”
If my guess was correct, it was possible that the humans and undead from the northern continent had been summoned together. From the sound of it, they hadn't encountered any elves or other races. The map itself might have been different from the one we were dropped into. They could have been fighting in a completely new environment. Just as I was considering the various possibilities...
From one side, the Orc from the South suddenly interjected.
“Blood Dagger of the Brother's Land. As expected, you have quite an interest in humans.”
His voice was unmistakably sneering.
‘That bastard...’
I wasn't particularly angry, just baffled that he was bringing up something completely unrelated to the current discussion. While I wore a dumbfounded expression, Black Spear stepped in.
“Sand Glave, I would appreciate it if you refrained from comments unrelated to the current discussion.”
“I merely stated a fact. Seeing as you're overreacting, you must have a guilty conscience.”
Just as I sensed the dangerous look in their eyes, Goff slowly began to gather his magic. It was a clear show of hostility, as if to say he would not tolerate the provocation.
“Save your bullshit for later. Right now, Darga is speaking.”