Chapter 330: And So, the Desert Wept.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 330: And So, the Desert Wept.
“Let’s set out, then.”
I nodded at his words. Seeing the large, shattered wooden fence on one side of the Land of Glory, I could clearly see which way the Great Tribe Leader was headed. I couldn’t yet tell if he was going east or north, but for now, he was heading north.
“Can you find him?”
“Of course…”
He and I set off. We moved at such a high speed that the surrounding scenery was a blur, but I couldn’t help but recognize the path the Great Tribe Leader was taking.
“The Warrior’s Exam…”
“The path of hardship.”
It wasn’t the easy path we usually took, but the one used to pass the Warrior’s Exam. The scorching desert and the harsh climate—it was the path that had forged me and all the Green Skins who came before. Unlike back then, the blazing sun and the desert beasts were no longer a problem. What was once so difficult had now become trivial, yet the path brought back many memories.
“It seems his memories must remain…”
“Most likely. The brothers I encountered in the Brother’s Land also remembered various things, though only in part.”
“Is that so…”
“The Great Tribe Leader will remember as well.”
After confirming that the Great Tribe Leader had deliberately taken this path, I realized that their command system must be incredibly simplistic. The command given to Agar was probably to ‘head north and attack the living.’ The former Great Tribe Leader Agar must have unconsciously chosen the most familiar path.
“Have you walked this path before?”
“I have. I walked it with Agar and Storm Shadow. It was when we were searching for a land to settle. Agar wasn’t the Great Tribe Leader back then. He was an ordinary Orc chieftain. Yes, very ordinary. A very common… kind of Orc.”
A faint smile touched his lips. He was probably recalling things from the past.
I remembered, too. I walked this land with Goff. There were Green Skins who collapsed, unable to adapt to the environment, and those who could no longer walk. We carried them on our backs, and we walked on, burying those who had fallen. We even ate them to move forward.
This environment tempered us and made us strong. How to find food, how to find water, how to find the way—we learned many things. But perhaps the most important thing we learned was how to live.
A test of strength, wisdom, and honor. This path taught us much and made us realize much. Perhaps the reason Agar called us here was because he wanted us to realize what he himself had felt.
Sand Glave, too, must have learned a great deal in this place.
“Agar was a special Green Skin. He was like that from the first moment I saw him here. He valued things we couldn’t understand.”
“Hmm…”
“He would return small beasts that had strayed from their packs… and he would avoid fights with humans. He even hid and showed mercy to his enemies. To me, it was incomprehensible. Back then, I yearned for conflict. I always wanted to charge at humans, always wanted to fight.”
Walking this path seemed to be making him sentimental. Given his personality, that was certainly how he must have been. The Orcs of the South, like the Werewolves of the North, are the most belligerent Green Skin tribe I know. Until recently—no, even now, that belief hasn’t changed.
“We had our disagreements, too. There were times I separated from Agar, and times we actually came to blows. I was never on good terms with Agar’s clan members, either.”
This was something I hadn’t heard before.
“I think I must have seemed like a fool to them. But contrary to my own thoughts, he respected me.”
“He wouldn’t have thought that.”
“No, the me of back then truly was a fool. I charged in recklessly and got my clan members killed. I lacked patience. I had no tolerance. Nothing pleased me, and the sight of an ordinary Orc acting special constantly grated on my nerves.”
“…”
“Many Green Skins followed him. It sounds ridiculous and childish, but I was jealous of him. Me, Sand Glave… I thought our strength was similar. And in truth, it was very similar. There were even times I defeated an enemy he could not. It was the same then. I looked down on him, but he praised my achievements and elevated my name before the other Green Skins. He even praised me in front of his own clan members.”
“I see.”
“Storm Shadow never liked me much. I can understand why, of course. I was uncontrollable and a fool.”
They were different from me, Goff, and Black Spear, but I thought the three of them might have been like us. Our personalities are different, and we were born in different eras. But for some reason, I was reminded of us. It was probably because the path we were on was the path of hardship.
“Many Green Skins came here. Great Tribe Leader Agar accepted them one by one—the Minotaurs of the plains, the Werewolves of the North, the Green Goblins, the Orcs of the North, the Trolls of the East, and the countless Green Skins who now support this continent. Great Tribe Leader Agar… he always acted for their sake. He always worried, always thought, and always sacrificed.”
“I see…”
“While he was governing his people, I was growing stronger. To me, strength was everything. I thought that if I was strong, the other Green Skins would look at me. But… at some point, Agar began to seem immense to me, too… It’s the same with Storm Shadow now. He, too, is immense. It’s not just because of the title of Great Tribe Leader… I know now that it’s not simply because of their position… They are great. Truly great.”
“To me, you also seem great, Sand Glave.”
“There’s no need for flattery. Blood Dagger, you’re a strange one.”
“…”
“You seem similar to me… yet you also remind me of Agar.”
“That’s high praise.”
“It’s not a compliment. You’re smart. That’s a fact all Green Skins know. You actually changed Green Skin society. You pushed for coexistence with humans and brought about many changes. I thought those changes were negative. It might be because I saw Agar’s shadow in you. It was an inferiority complex.”
I was glad he hadn’t shown it. I let the corner of my mouth lift slightly.
“Maybe it was a kind of self-loathing. Because you’re greedy, like me. You want to become stronger, you want to fight, and you move for your own gain.”
“You’ve seen right through me.”
I’d thought he wasn’t a particularly smart one, but his insight was greater than I expected. Storm Shadow probably feels the same way when he looks at me.
“He saved my life several times.”
“…”
“At the time, it was an incredibly unpleasant feeling.”
“…”
“I thought he had thrown away my chance to die with honor. Whenever I bared my fangs at Agar, he would look at me and mutter. Someday… someday you will be the one to do great things for the tribe, he’d say. Even though I was not great.”
“Is that so.”
“A great battle took place, and the Land of Glory was established. It was a land built on the blood of warriors. My clan members and my brothers were overjoyed that they could finally settle down. It might sound funny to you, but at that moment, I was glad I hadn’t died. I was glad Agar had saved my life. Seeing all the Green Skins drinking and celebrating… that’s what made me think it.”
He sighed, then spoke again.
“I can never forget the sight of Agar that day. He raised his hammer, saved countless of our kin, reduced needless sacrifice, and after a long struggle, achieved what he desired. I decided to follow him that day. Because I thought… if it had been me… if it had been me, would any of this have been possible? There would have surely been many more deaths. Needless blood would have been shed, and the Green Skins might have died for nothing.”
As time passed, his story went on and on. The scenery kept changing, and the suddenly talkative Sand Glave continued to unravel his tale.
It was not a grand story. It was a story about a man who was jealous of and respected another man.
“He was a mountain I could not overcome. But that didn’t mean I didn’t want to fight him. I thought about it every day. Crossing blades with the man I respected and envied… I thought about it every single day. I was scared, and I was ashamed. Because I didn’t think I was worthy of crossing blades with him.”
I felt his movements growing faster and faster. Having chased him this far, there was no way Sand Glave couldn’t feel it too. We had been running for some time. He had sensed it—up ahead was the former Great Tribe Leader, Agar.
“Do not interfere.”
“…”
“This is the burden of my entire life. It is my chance to cross blades with the one I have respected and followed my whole life. Even if I am struck down and die miserably, do not lay a hand on Great Tribe Leader Agar until I am dead.”
Only then did I understand why he had told me such a long story. I didn’t answer, and he muttered once more.
“This is a Sacred Duel.”
Little by little, the presence of the great one began to feel immense. It was the face I had seen for the first time. His intelligent eyes had turned black, but the strangely subdued atmosphere told me that this was the former Great Tribe Leader, Agar.
The end of the great desert—no, its beginning.
The figure, quietly holding a hammer in one hand, seemed to sense us approaching and slowly turned his head. A look of surprise flashed across his face, but he soon bit his lip and gripped his hammer.
The Orc of the South, Sand Glave. His eyes were turning redder and redder.
Whether it was… whether it was the excitement of battle, or longing for his old brother, I could not tell. But his breathing grew rougher, and his muscles tensed.
“You… were right, Sand Glave.”
A quiet but heavy voice flowed out. The voice of Great Tribe Leader Agar, visible in the distance, miraculously flew through the air and struck my ears.
Sand Glave did not bother to answer.
It wasn’t exactly a reply, but… he spat out the words he had held in his heart for so long.
At first, it was a small voice… lacking confidence.
“I have come.”
But soon, that voice began to echo thunderously in all directions.
“I HAVE COME! MY RESPECTED, OLD BROTHER! TO CROSS BLADES WITH YOU!”
In an instant, Sand Glave shot forward. He charged, a sad expression on his face, holding his great glaive.
The former Great Tribe Leader Agar, who had been biting his lip, watched Sand Glave and slowly opened his mouth to speak. For some reason, his voice was tinged with a smile.
“Welcome, my old brother.”
I began to watch them from a distance. And with the clash of the great glaive and the hammer, the desert began to weep.