#2 How to Handle Heroines (Noa - Sports Bra Illustration) (2)
"Chwik-! My king! You've come!"
The orc Barosy greeted me enthusiastically as I stepped out of the hotel. He rushed up to me and bowed so deeply it looked like he was about to smash his head into the ground, then gazed up at me with sparkling eyes that seemed out of place on an orc.
"It's fine, stand up."
I helped Barosy to his feet with moderate effort. If I didn't tell him properly, he might stay like that, banging his head all day. It was great that he'd pledged his loyalty, but this was a bit much.
"You're overdoing it one by one. Not as bad as Lete, but at least treat me as casually as you do Mea."
"I'll try, my king. But every time I see you, I can't hold back my joy...!"
Barosy trailed off mid-sentence and suddenly looked up at the sky. He was pressing the corners of his eyes—it seemed tears had welled up in that brief moment. Where in our conversation was there a reason to cry? I just couldn't understand this orc's emotions.
Is the power of Persuasion really that strong?
My retainer Lete had effortlessly slaughtered and repelled the orcs. To survive, they had no choice but to submit to me. But their obedience went beyond mere force and fear—they all followed me with genuine hearts. They rejoiced at my praise, and even a mild scolding from me made them teary-eyed. Watching a massive, burly orc cry wasn't exactly pleasant...
Regardless of the circumstances, their loyalty was real, and that was no bad thing. They accepted any order without complaint and worked day and night just to earn my praise. There was no way that attitude could be a problem.
"No shortages on food, right? Does it suit your tastes?"
"Of course! I've never tasted food this delicious in my life! And eating our fill like this... it's been so long...!"
"Good, good. Glad to hear it. We can't let the workers go hungry. Only slaves get worked on empty stomachs."
They were now my precious citizens. Even if they showed outstanding efficiency as laborers, they were still the people I ruled over and needed to keep happy. Fortunately, orcs were simple creatures—fill their bellies, and they were generally content. As long as we provided ample food and bedding, betrayal or defection wasn't a concern.
I asked about their sleeping arrangements, any other needs or discomforts, and so on as we moved to a new area. The spot we'd seen huts in the square earlier were old constructions; the buildings I'd ordered this time were grouped in a separate designated zone.
We arrived. Barosy pointed out each large wooden structure in turn and explained.
"These are built as you commanded, my king."
There wasn't much to explain. I'd only vaguely ordered them built without specifying exact purposes or providing proper guidelines—just abstract instructions. Yet they'd produced exactly the shapes I wanted. I'd thought orcs were dumb with no craftsmanship, but maybe I needed to revise that opinion.
"Lady Mea provided blueprints and helped with magic. Otherwise, we couldn't have made them like this."
Of course. No need to change my view, then. Still, Mea had delivered even more satisfactory results than I'd imagined. This is why you need a brain for assignments.
"What are these buildings for, Gaon?"
Lete asked, so I explained—to her and Barosy together.
"This side is food storage. The outpost produces food resources, but there's a limit to how much we can stockpile. Felt like a waste, you know."
The various cooked meals produced at the outpost were all part of the base bonus—self-generated food resources. For just me, Lete, and Mea, it was more than enough (Mea didn't even need to eat). But after taking in the orcs, things changed a bit. They could do three or four times the work of an average man, but they ate just as much. Still, food was plentiful for now. Lete's slaughter and the hotel's defenses had reduced their numbers to about twenty—half the original.
We had resources to feed around a hundred comfortably. But if the population grew beyond that someday, we'd eventually run short at this rate.
"So we're preparing ahead."
"I see."
"Chwik! As expected of my king! Such keen foresight! We orcs of the wild plains would breed thoughtlessly, so we'd periodically go on expeditions to cull our numbers...! Chwik-!"
Barosy huffed great blasts from his nostrils, visibly moved. More like, stop breeding so thoughtlessly. Or was that just normal for orcs? For building a proper nation, I was counting on their fertility to some extent. But we'd need to watch for uncontrolled breeding without preparations later.
Food storage... We'll upgrade to a stone ice storage later.
A stone ice storage would preserve food much longer. It required specialized technicians and magic research, so for now, we'd use resource magic. No spare resource magic at the moment, though—it'd have to wait.
Incidentally, building this food storage now, when we didn't urgently need it, was of course thanks to the strategy guide author's advice. No need to explain that here.
'Food Storage' has been completed.
Food resource bonus added.
Once I assigned the facility's purpose, that message appeared. Did facilities only complete once I recognized them? A system like that, maybe.
Afterward, I inspected the other buildings Barosy had built as ordered, assigning each a use. Messages popped up each time, notifying completion and bonuses. The orcs' construction speed was miraculous—they'd whipped them up in days. Wood came from nearby trees, and shortages were covered by resource magic.
The issue was their lack of craftsmanship; they could only build Lv.1-level structures. Even upgrading urgent ones with resource magic... We'd need technicians with 'construction' or 'craftsmanship' abilities soon.
I'll think about it slowly.
Finally, we reached the last building the orcs had built. This one was especially important—unlike the others, which I'd half-doubted from the strategy guide, this was vividly impressed in my memory as something the strategy guide author had emphasized...
Am I getting dementia from all those daily overtime hours?
My memories were all fuzzy; I couldn't be sure. Was this even right? But so far, those hazy recollections from the strategy guide had served me well. I had to rely on them, unreliable as they were. Otherwise, I'd be eliminated in this harsh world in an instant.
Just before arriving at that final building.
"Master."
Number 2, who'd been following silently, called out to me.
"Intruders."
Semen I'd just put inside her was trickling down her thighs from under the maid's short skirt...
* * *
Holy Knight Noa and her reconnaissance squad had been stationed near the forest in a village for quite some time, continuing their scouting mission.
The mission dragged on not because the forest was vast and easy to get lost in. Mad beasts occasionally lost their minds and attacked, but that wasn't a big issue either.
The Bewitching Forest was thick with potent poison. Even a holy knight like Noa risked danger from prolonged exposure—ordinary folk couldn't last half a day. After scouting, they needed time to purge the toxins, and they picked low-toxin days, inevitably stretching the mission.
But it was nearing its end. No major findings yet, but their supplies were running low. They could collect 'donations' from villagers, but Noa didn't want to.
"And it's not good for a holy knight to be away too long. Even if you're just an apprentice."
"Yes, Lady Noa."
At night, Noa responded to her vice's suggestion. The vice had only proposed it to push the investigation, with no intent to exploit villagers. She was a devout goddess follower too, and Noa felt a bit relieved at the new holy knight's refusal of such folly. Still, the vice knew sometimes it was necessary. For critical missions, they'd seize half the villagers' food to continue. That was extreme, reserved for national threats—like the prophesied descent of the King of Ruin...
"But I don't want to leave without a proper investigation. Sis—Lady Lemon definitely saw something in her dream."
"You mean Saintess Lemon."
"Yeah. If it was just a random dream, I'd want to tell her it's fine and she can relax."
To do that, they needed a thorough probe. Noa checked the map she'd mapped with Vice Reisi. The dense forest and shifting terrain from toxins made surveying hard, but they had a rough outline.
"Tomorrow, we'll push into this inner area. It'll be a stretch deeper in, so everyone, pray up and prepare."
"Yes, Lady Noa."
After a night's prep, Holy Knight Noa and her squad headed into the Bewitching Forest again.
And deep inside that forest—they encountered them.
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