Orc Allies and Village Farewells
Guardian: DerekWalker34
Once the village affairs were sorted, I went looking for the orc tribe. It was the one led by an orc chieftain named Balgo. For orcs, they seemed surprisingly disciplined, making them perfect cannon fodder if I could bend them to my will.
Coolong County was in the midst of aggressive expansion right now. We were pushing constant internal reforms while gearing up for outward conquest. Building economic power around Walker Trading Company was the foundation for the massive subjugation campaign to come.
I wasn't content with just one backwater territory. I'd expand my influence even further. The bigger my power grew, the more beauties I could claim. Beauties had always been the victor's spoils throughout history, after all.
To prepare for the future, I needed to raise a lot more troops. Walker territory's main forces right now were the new knight order I'd brought in and Tevez's Holy Knights. Tevez's Holy Knights were an all-gay unit—their captain was Coolong's primary force, stationed at the Lord's Castle.
That wasn't enough to overwhelm other territories. When it came to explosive military growth, nothing beat orcs. These guys had insane breeding rates; no matter how many got mulched on the battlefield, they bounced back fast.
Of course, handling a barbaric race like orcs wasn't easy, which was why few people actually used them as frontline troops. If I hadn't met this Balgo, I probably wouldn't have considered orcs for my army either.
When I reached Bloom Forest, where Balgo's tribe was holed up, a massive orc built like a muscle mountain greeted me. This was Balgo, their chieftain.
"I've been waiting."
Unlike other orcs whose voices oozed brute stupidity, Balgo's was almost human-like. Deep and resonant too—if his face was handsome, women would've swooned. Not bad for an orc.
"You're moving to Coolong County from now on. If humans spot you en route, you'll get wiped out, so be as stealthy as possible."
I'd brought a map for them. I tossed it to Balgo, who snatched it mid-air. But when he unfolded it, he couldn't hide his troubled expression.
"I can't read maps."
Reading maps isn't as simple as it seems. More precisely, navigating to a target using just a map and compass is tough without proper training. That's where orienteering comes in—a skill I'd picked up during dungeon hunter training. Lucky me.
"What a hassle. Guess I'll teach you myself."
"Thanks."
Balgo was as sharp as I'd hoped. You might think "smart for an orc" doesn't mean much, but this bastard picked up orienteering faster than I did, the cocky prick.
"Oh ho. So that's how you find your way. Human inventions are something else."
"How'd you navigate before?"
"Orcs don't find paths. Wherever orcs go becomes the path."
Classic brute response.
"Move carefully. Avoid all settlements, never use roads—stick to the mountains. Travel only at night. Hide in burrows during the day if you have to."
Balgo's orc horde wasn't small. Sneaking that many greenskins wouldn't be easy. I wondered how many would actually make it to Coolong.
"I'll send word to the people in Coolong County. Once you arrive, they'll tell you what to do next. If you cause any harm to the territory's people..."
I trailed off on purpose, and Balgo waved dismissively.
"I'll keep them tightly in check. No incidents."
"Spoken like a guy who gets it. I like you."
"We do kinda look alike, don't we?"
"Wanna die?"
"M-my bad."
Back at the house in Allen Village, Bianca was waiting out front. Her face was stormy, like she'd just had a fight with someone.
"Lord Walker!"
She lit up the moment she saw me, waving enthusiastically. She'd been waiting for me, clearly. I waved back.
Bianca's face brightened even more as she rushed over and latched onto my left arm like it was a trophy.
"Bianca! What the hell are you doing being rude to Lord Walker!?"
Rita, hands on her hips, scolded her sharply. Looked like Bianca's sour mood was Rita's fault.
"Lord Walker! Listen, my sister's not letting me leave the village!"
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
"I said I wanted to go with you, and she told me not to talk nonsense!"
Bianca nuzzled my arm like a kitten craving pets. It was blatantly provocative, screaming, 'This man's mine.' Her intent was clearly to rub it in Rita's face.
"Bianca! How long are you gonna act like a spoiled brat? You're being a nuisance to Lord Walker."
"No, Rita. I'm fine with it."
I reached out reassuringly, but Rita looked troubled. I got her position—your lifelong little sister suddenly wanting to run off with some outsider merchant? Of course you'd try to stop her; that's family duty.
But Bianca's already made up her mind. With that Hargen bastard dead, nothing's holding her back.
And she wasn't the only one leaving. Rita would come with me too. I'd make sure of it.
"Rita, Bianca says she's coming with me. And I've given her permission."
"Lord Walker, but she's too young. And she's a troublemaker, a total crybaby. She'll just cause you problems."
"Sis always treats me like a kid! You and Drobin gang up on me! I'm grown up now! Old enough to do adult stuff with a guy!"
Bianca shrieked defiantly. Rita clapped her hands over her mouth, face flushing as she stammered.
"B-Bianca! You can't just say stuff like that!"
"Hmph! Once you're past fifteen, you graduate from virginity! You're just too uptight, sis!"
"Uptight!? It's not normal for an unmarried girl to fool around! That's slutty!"
"See? You're so stuffy. This village suits you, maybe, but not me. I'm leaving with Lord Walker."
She clung to my arm even tighter, smirking triumphantly as she counterattacked.
"Sis, you jealous of me?"
"W-what?"
"You don't really wanna spend your life in this dump, right? Every time a city merchant came, you'd hang on their stories! You wanna see the world too, don't you?"
"N-no... I like our village."
Her words said one thing, but Rita's eyes wavered. Craving a bigger world was human nature. Sure, some settled for less, but only those with broken wings. Rita's were still intact, as far as I could tell.
"Then come with me! It's a waste to rot here forever!"
"W-what?"
Rita's face twisted in conflict. Bianca was doing my work for me without me lifting a finger. She shot me a sly grin.
This girl figured out what I wanted and acted on it herself. Riding my coattails to boost her value. Smarter than I'd given her credit for.
"N-no, I'll stay in the village. Drobin's here..."
"Oh? Too bad."
"T-too bad? Bianca! You're really leaving your home?"
"It's not forever. Can't my little sis go see the world without you hating it?"
From her tone, she didn't sound like coming back was on the table.
"It's not hate—I'm worried. It's dangerous out there."
"With Lord Walker? And Luna and Kelly? Might be safer than the village."
Rita had no comeback to Bianca's solid point.
"Lord Walker, let's head inside. You've been standing out here too long."
Bianca tugged my arm, pulling me toward the house. Rita started to protest, but I ignored her and went in with Bianca.
Two more days passed. I spent them ravaging Bianca's lips and asshole.
Drobin had officially taken over as village chief. But it seemed like being chief came with a mountain of work. The previous chief, Gibs, had left a trail of messes.
"Finances are a disaster, and there are ties to corruption everywhere. Sigh... So much to fix."
His face, which I hadn't seen in days, was utterly drained.
But fate wasn't done piling on. An investigator from the Lord's Castle showed up. No report back from the dispatched Pallax.
I'd prepared for this. Dumped the territory troops' weapons and gear near the orc village in Bloom Forest, along with their "corpses." Made it look like they'd died fighting orcs.
Of course, a squad including multiple sword users getting wiped by orcs didn't add up easily. The investigator grilled them relentlessly. Drobin took the heat, not me.
"This stinks. No way that many troops die to a simple orc hunt, right?"
"Haha, that's everything I know. After Captain Pallax headed out to subjugate the orcs, contact just... stopped."
I could practically see Drobin's white hairs multiplying, but I tuned it out. The investigator left after two days, but his vibe screamed he wasn't done. A full probe team was coming.
"This won't do. Rita, leave the village for a bit."
"What!? Drobin, what are you saying?"
"That investigator eyed us suspiciously. No hard evidence, so he couldn't pin anything, but if they bring mages or alchemists... our tracks might show."
"Th-then..."
"Worst case only. The whole village would burn if it came to that."
I watched their grim exchange from the side. Technically my fault, but no one blamed me. Without me, the village would've been orc chow already.
"Th-then you run too, Drobin!"
"No. That'd be admitting guilt."
If the chief fled, the villagers would pay. Heads on pikes in Bloom Forest. Mass flight? Easy to track, same end.
"But how can I leave you behind?"
"It's not running. Just precaution. Enough time's passed since the incident—magic or alchemy probably won't pick up traces now. Come back then."
"But..."
Rita agonized.
"Just a short hideout. It'll be fine. Lord Walker, sorry to impose, but could you look after Rita for a bit?"
"No problem."
Drobin forced a smile. The village might be okay, but Rita? Hooked on my cock, she'd never come back. Probably.
The day to leave Allen Village finally arrived. Two more people joined: Rita and Bianca.
"Drobin..."
Rita hesitated before the wagon. Drobin gave a bitter smile and handed her a worn necklace.
"Don't worry. It'll be fine. Take this."
"This is..."
"My talisman. From my father. Hunter talismans are special—said to save you from death once."
"Drobin, I'll come back. Wait just a month."
"Yeah!"
They gazed at each other brightly. Bianca just leaned on my arm.
"Phew~ Finally back on the road. Felt like a long vacation."
Kelly beamed. Yeah. Time to move again.
This wraps it up here.
I returned to reality.