Chapter 138: Harvest Day (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 138: Harvest Day (6)
The atmosphere around Cloud's party had completely changed.
Unlike Gis's party before them, they overwhelmed their surroundings with a fierce, aggressive aura.
The orcs fell silent.
All of them, from those who had been watching idly to those who were about to charge forward with Octan.
But this didn't mean they were afraid. They now saw Cloud's party not as prey, but as equals.
Imbuing their blades with sword aura, they awaited their great chieftain's command.
Lugar, the great chieftain who was supposed to give that command, felt a chill run down his spine. The moment he saw Cloud's smug grin, the scars etched into his body began to throb. His body remembered the defeat of that day.
And yet, the corners of Lugar's mouth curled upward.
He was a great warrior, acknowledged by the earth itself.
He was not a man to be broken by a single defeat.
Brother. You've grown stronger.
He had expected Cloud to have changed over time.
But I never imagined he'd have changed this much.
It was a pleasant miscalculation.
Lugar's hands itched to draw his great curved sword.
I want to fight.
He wanted to clash with everything he had built as a warrior since that day.
A warrior's desire shimmered before his eyes.
In the end, however, he did not draw his sword. It was because of Octan, who was being held hostage. Though he had been swiftly subdued due to his arrogance and carelessness, Octan was still a great warrior. The number of followers he commanded within the orc coalition was by no means small.
If Lugar chose to fight as a warrior here and Octan died as a result, the orc army would be thrown into chaos.
Octan's faction would fight amongst themselves to take his place, and in the worst-case scenario, it could lead to a civil war.
Thus, Lugar was forced to make a choice as the great chieftain.
He let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"Very well. I accept your proposal."
"Great Chieftain! What are you saying?!" an orc beside Lugar shouted in alarm.
"There's nothing to be gained by fighting in this situation. It's difficult to press our numerical advantage in this narrow corridor, and more importantly, Octan has been captured."
"Great Chieftain!! Don't worry about me! Kill these humans!!" Octan yelled, struggling under Neria's foot. Lugar shook his head.
"This is the great chieftain's decision. It's not for a defeated warrior to argue."
"..."
Octan's face contorted with rage and shame. But he fell silent, as it was true that he had been defeated.
No matter how careless he had been, a loss was a loss.
"Good. I'd rather not see any unnecessary bloodshed."
At Lugar's words, Cloud sheathed his sword. He pointed at Gis with his index finger.
"I'll be taking him back with me on my way out."
"Isn't that demand a bit excessive?"
"I'll leave his companions behind instead. We can discuss their ransom separately during the negotiations. Since they're all nobles, their ransoms will be quite hefty."
"By that logic, shouldn't this one, a hero, fetch an even higher price?"
"If you'd rather fight the Imperial Army than the Kingdom's, then by all means."
"..."
Lugar licked his lips, then grabbed Gis by the scruff of his neck and tossed him toward Cloud. He had no choice. As brave as the orc coalition was, they were no match for the Imperial Army.
The moment tens of thousands of well-trained elite Imperial soldiers and the Platinum Knight Order were deployed, the orc coalition would crumble like autumn leaves in the wind.
"When will we renegotiate?"
"First, we'll need some time to sort things out from today. Let's meet in three days. I hope the atmosphere will be a little less hostile then."
And maybe we can share a drink, Cloud added silently as he grabbed Gis by the hair.
.
.
.
.
.
.
As promised, Cloud's party took Gis and left. They used the secret passage they had entered through, not the main gate, and the orcs sealed it behind them.
Gis's two companions, who had been on the run, were also captured.
Capturing them had been quite a struggle, but the two surrendered when they were told they would be released once their ransom was paid.
Meanwhile, the person most affected by this incident was Octan.
The leader of a major faction had suffered the humiliation of having both his arms severed in front of elite warriors.
And in a single clash.
The fact that he had been careless and his opponent was a hero was no excuse. Rumors spread quickly, and many orcs were disappointed in him or turned their backs on him.
The only ones who remained loyal were his closest confidants and his own tribe members.
"Chieftain. What will you do now?" asked Luken, one of his confidants.
"What do you mean, what will I do?"
"Don't play dumb. You've lost the trust of many warriors because of this. Lugar didn't gain any more trust, but he didn't lose any either. If this continues, things might actually end peacefully, just as he wants."
"That can't happen."
He tore savagely into a roasted pig's leg.
His severed arms had been healed long ago.
"This is the first and last chance He has given us. If we let this opportunity slip away, we orcs will continue to be dragged around by humans. If that happens, there will be no more hope for the orcs."
A barren land where not a single blade of grass grew outside the oases.
It was no place for living beings to survive.
Countless attempts by their ancestors to escape this land had all ended in failure.
All because of the human nation known as the Empire.
The Empire's mighty army was a great wall blocking their path.
Therefore, maintaining the status quo was the best the orcs could do.
But things were different now.
A being as powerful as the Empire itself had extended a hand to Octan.
If he could use this opportunity well, he and his people could be liberated from this land of death.
Their descendants would flourish on fertile soil.
"For the sake of our clan, I must seize this chance."
And to seize that chance, he had to kill all the human prisoners.
*
A throbbing pain.
Darkness before his eyes.
Gis soon realized it was because his eyelids were closed.
Even after figuring it out, he didn't open his eyes.
He calmly recalled his memories from before he lost consciousness.
He had gone along with Cloud's plan to kidnap the shaman. But Gis had no intention of following Cloud's plan. His mind was filled with nothing but a desire for revenge against the orc great chieftain who had insulted him.
I went straight for the assassination.
Among all the heroes, Gis was the most skilled in stealth attacks.
Reaching the great chieftain's room hadn't been difficult.
Nor had moving his dagger to the front of the chieftain's neck.
The problem occurred the moment the dagger touched the orc's skin.
Instead of piercing the flesh, the dagger melted away in a black flame that suddenly enveloped the orc's skin.
What happened after that was simple.
The great chieftain opened his eyes. Flustered by the incomprehensible phenomenon, Gis lost the initiative and was defeated.
Dammit. I thought I had figured out all of their strange powers.
To think he had another trick up his sleeve.
One that could even stop an assassination.
Fuck. This is so unfair.
The power emanating from the tattoos etched onto some of the orcs' bodies.
It was an illogical power that defied his common sense.
Especially the black flame the great chieftain used.
Hadn't he suffered enough trying to heal the wound from it, which had resisted his divine power?
Why do things like orcs have something like that? Why those fucking morons! I could use it so much better!
He had lost not because of skill, but because of that unknown power. If they had fought fairly, skill against skill, he would have won. If he'd had that power, an orc like that would have been no match for him.
And maybe... if he honed that power...
He might even be able to defeat Frillite.
The thought made Gis even more furious. If this weren't an enemy camp, he would have smashed everything in sight.
After fuming for a long while, he gritted his teeth and reined in his emotions.
First, he had to get out of here.
Just as he thought that...
"Hero, how are you feeling? Are you any better?"
"I'm not sure. I'm a layman when it comes to this... Saint Candidate, could you please take another look?"
"Of course. It's no trouble at all."
He heard clear voices that no orc could ever produce. One of them was a voice Gis knew well.
The human who would reappear just when he was starting to forget her, hammering her existence back into his mind.
The only beauty Gis, a man who couldn't resist a pretty woman, truly despised.
Gis's eyes flew open and he shot up.
"Eek?!"
Ignoring the startled Saint Candidate, he shook his head frantically, scanning his surroundings.
He wasn't in the orcs' stronghold, but inside his own tent.
"What the fuck?"
How did this happen?
I'm sure I lost to that bastard and passed out.
So why did I wake up back in my tent?
It was a situation he couldn't possibly comprehend on his own.
He turned his head toward the Saint Candidate to demand an explanation.
Gis's brow furrowed.
"Who are you?"
He had assumed it was his Saint Candidate, but the woman before him was a complete stranger.
"Ah... I'm Marietta, the Saint Candidate in Hero Cloud's party."
"Marietta?"
The name was vaguely familiar.
Then he remembered.
"Aren't you the Saint Candidate from that bastard Lorian's group? Why is a bitch like you in Cloud's party? What happened to that bitch Ophelia? Did you two trade places or something?"
"It's... very complicated to explain..."
As Marietta trailed off with a troubled expression, Gis scowled.
"Stop stuttering like an idiot."
It would be faster to ask his own woman, who was probably outside, than to get an explanation from this girl.
With that thought, Gis moved to leave the tent.
"Wait!"
The woman he had been deliberately ignoring until now grabbed his arm. Displeasure and irritation began to skyrocket.
"Let go."
Gis said flatly, trying his best to hold back.
"Your wounds haven't fully healed yet."
Whether she was clueless or just pretending not to know, she didn't let go of him.
"Let go."
"You still need more treatment. Thankfully, the Saint Candidate said you'll be fine after a few more sessions—"
"I said let go, goddammit!"
"Kyaa!"
Finally losing his patience, Gis violently swung his arm. There was no way a slender woman could withstand a hero's strength. Cassia was thrown back, her back slamming against the bed.
Seeing this, Gis flinched for a moment. But it was fleeting. He turned his back on her, averting his gaze, and headed for the tent's exit.
"W-Wait!"
Ignoring the pain in her back, Cassia ran and grabbed Gis's arm once more.
Gis was about to shove her away again, but the memory of her hitting the bed made him take a deep breath, trying to shake off his annoyance.
"I'll get it treated later, so let go."
"You say that, but you won't, will you? Your mother heard about it. That you did something incredibly reckless this time!"
"What?"
Gis spun around.
"What did you just say?"
The look in Gis's eyes as he glared at Cassia was utterly murderous. It was enough to frighten even her, a woman who had been through many hardships. But she reminded herself that she was his mother and forced her heavy lips to move.
"I-I said your mother knows. That this time, you—"
"Who said you're my mother?"
"Huh...?"
Gis's words hit her like a physical blow.
Cassia's heart sank.
"What... what do you mean, who's your mother...? I... I gave birth to you. It's only natural, isn't it...?"
Gis snorted.
"Natural, my ass... You're not my mother, lady. So don't go around telling people you are. Got it?"
Gis shook off Cassia's limp arm. Leaving her frozen in place, her eyes trembling, he started walking toward the exit.
But he didn't get more than three steps before he was grabbed again.
"S-Son, wait a—"
"Goddammit!!!"
Gis finally exploded, habitually raising his left hand. Before he could swing it, his wrist was caught by another hand.
"You're really something else. How can you wake up and immediately think of hitting your own mother?"
Cloud was genuinely impressed.