Chapter 140: The Day of Harvest (8)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 140: The Day of Harvest (8)
“We would like you to provide land for the orcs to settle.”
Those were the first words out of Lugar’s mouth as the negotiations began.
A silence fell over the room.
I cautiously asked him, “That’s completely different from the terms you offered before. Last time, you asked for an increase in the amount of food provided. Why the sudden demand for land?”
“The situation has changed,” Lugar said, shaking his head.
“All the tribes are furious that you humans and my brother tried to kidnap our shaman. This is the least we can ask for to appease them.”
“…How much do you want?”
“To grow enough grain to satisfy all the tribes, we’ll need about twice the territory of this city.”
Lugar’s sheer audacity left me speechless for a moment.
What?
Twice the size of the duchy?
‘He’d be lucky to get a county.’
What a load of nonsense.
“How can he say something so shameless… This was a waste of time. Sir Heroes, let us return. Any further conversation seems meaningless.”
See?
Even the vampire noble is pissed off, calling it bullshit.
Before I could calm him down, Octan, who was sitting beside Lugar, interjected.
“Shameless? That’s rich, coming from those who couldn’t even resist us and lost their territory.”
“Things are different now. When we defended against your invasion, we only had Avila’s soldiers. Now, the forces of two kingdoms are gathered in one place.”
“We’ve changed as well. All our warriors are enraged by the insults you’ve given us. An orc’s fury is like fire. It burns everything it touches. We are giving you a chance—a chance for you humans to prolong your lives.”
“Aren’t you overestimating yourselves? Do you truly believe you’ll become stronger just because you’re angry? Don’t make me laugh. Being swayed by emotion prevents one from using their full strength. This is even more true for an army. The power of an army is influenced not by rage, but by cold, hard reason.”
“What would a worthless husk like you know about fighting?”
Octan scoffed, a smirk on his face. The vampire’s calm expression twisted in fury, his pride clearly wounded by the orc’s mockery.
“You savages who prey on your own kind because you have nothing to eat…”
“You got a death wish, husk?”
Scrape. Octan pushed his chair back and stood up.
“Try me, if you can.”
Not to be outdone, the vampire also rose to his feet. The two men glared daggers at each other, the air thick with the promise of an imminent brawl. Are these fuckers trying to ruin the negotiations again?
Not on my watch.
I slammed my fist on the table.
CRACK!
The table split in two and collapsed to the floor, and the noisy atmosphere instantly fell silent.
‘…I think I understand why Frillite smashed the table when Gis and I were arguing.’
It’s way too effective.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on me, I spoke.
“Twice the duchy’s territory is too much. Offer another condition. That can’t be all you have, right?”
It was a common negotiation tactic: make an absurd demand to raise the bar, and when it’s rejected, act as if you have no choice but to present your real, more reasonable condition to seal the deal.
It was a simple psychological game they were playing.
“There are no other conditions. We need nothing but land, brother.”
Hmm, guess not.
So he really did want the land.
“And if these negotiations also fail, we will no longer treat the captured humans as prisoners of war.”
Gis was the first to react to Lugar’s follow-up.
“Not treat them as prisoners? What are you going to do then?”
“We will work the captured humans as slaves, not prisoners. And as for the human wenches who dared to try and kidnap our shaman, they will be punished according to the laws of our orcs.”
“The fuck did you just say, you bastard?!”
Gis’s hand shot to his waist, but it only grasped at empty air. We had all been required to surrender our weapons before entering the negotiation room.
With no weapon to grab, Gis stood there, unsure of what to do. Lugar smirked.
“Can’t even think of fighting without a blade in your hand? I thought you were a persistent one, but I was wrong. You’re just a coward. Are all the heroes of this age like that?”
“You son of a…”
Gis grabbed a chair. Before he could throw it at Lugar, I kicked him.
“Guhk…!”
Gis dropped the chair and rolled on the floor. I prepared a counter, expecting him to jump right back up and charge at me. But he didn’t even try to get up, remaining on the ground and groaning in pain.
‘Right. His burns haven’t fully healed.’
His Saint Candidate was being held by the orcs. Since Marietta and I hadn’t visited him since that day, his burns were likely still in the same state.
I awkwardly relaxed my counter stance.
Pointing at Gis, I said to Lugar, “He’s just trash. It’s not that all heroes of this era are trash.”
“I never went so far as to call him trash… but I apologize for my slip of the tongue. I forgot for a moment that you are also a Hero, brother.”
“Good. Anyway, you’ve changed a lot.”
Where did the fool who let the guard captain walk all over him go? In his place stood this dignified Great Chieftain.
“I am no longer the chieftain of a single tribe, but the Great Chieftain of all orc tribes. I bear the responsibility that comes with such a grand title. I had no choice but to change.”
So, the position makes the man?
“I get it. But that aside, the condition you’ve proposed is incredibly rude and absurd. Honestly, it sounds like you’re asking for a war.”
“That is not my intention. But if it cannot be avoided, then we must.”
Lugar nodded with a serious expression.
I let out an involuntary, dry laugh.
I really don’t know where he gets this confidence.
He does seem stronger than before. Is that where it’s coming from?
“Fine. Like you said, if we can’t avoid it, we’ll have to fight. What can you do? Still, I’d prefer to shed as little blood as possible. So let’s do this.”
.
.
.
.
.
.
After the negotiations, Octan returned to his tribe. His confidant, Luken, approached him with a sheepish look on his face and asked, “How did the negotiations go?”
“He suggested we settle it with a duel.”
“Pardon?”
“Exactly as it sounds. He said he couldn’t accept our terms, but he didn’t want to shed unnecessary blood either, so he proposed a duel.”
Octan continued, his own voice laced with disbelief.
“Starting tomorrow, there will be three duels, one per day. The side that wins two duels will be the victor. If we win, the territory of this city becomes ours. If the humans win, they get their prisoners back safely.”
“…Are we really doing that? The Great Chieftain agreed to it?”
“He did.”
Luken sighed.
“The fate of our people is at stake… This isn’t some child’s game. What is the meaning of this…?”
“Still, it’s not a bad deal for us.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the Great Chieftain’s duel is scheduled for the last day. That foolish Hero used up the Great Chieftain’s Dragon Scale pattern, didn’t he? It will take about two weeks for him to be able to use it again. That means the biggest thorn in our side will be gone for two weeks.”
Luken’s expression hardened.
“Are you truly planning to go through with this? Even without resorting to such methods…”
“Luken, trust me. This is the best way.”
Octan placed a hand on Luken’s shoulder.
“Once He descends, everything will be fine.”
Faced with such conviction, Luken could only nod.
*
After much discussion, we agreed to settle things with three duels. If the human side won, the hostages would be returned safely. If the orc side won, they would be given Avila and its territories. I felt bad for Duke Pabir, but this was the best way to rescue the hostages.
And on second thought, I had nothing to feel sorry about.
All we have to do is win, right?
We win, get the hostages back, and then we can go to war with peace of mind!
‘Though it seems war is unavoidable one way or another.’
Lugar had his own position to consider, so it couldn’t be helped. To solidify his standing as Great Chieftain, he couldn’t afford to look weak against the humans.
Lost in thought, I returned to Cassia’s tent.
I went to her tent instead of my own because she had been in an unstable state ever since that day.
Every night, she would drink, cry, and fall asleep. She’d wake up suffering from a hangover, only to start drinking, crying, and sleeping again when night fell.
How could I just leave her like that?
I was so worried she might hang herself while I was away that I couldn’t leave her alone.
‘What if she’s gone when I get back?’
An ominous thought spurred me to hurry, and I quickly lifted the tent flap and went inside. Thankfully, she hadn’t disappeared.
She was just quietly drinking by herself.
‘Hah.’
Day drinking now, too?
You’ve really hit rock bottom, haven’t you.
I let out a deep sigh, wondering what to do with her. Noticing my presence, she finally turned her gaze to me.
“Why are you sighing as soon as you get here? Did something bad happen?”
“Yes, there is. Right in front of my eyes.”
She glanced around before pointing a finger at herself.
“Me?”
“Yes. You. What are you going to do, drinking like this all the time? You’re going to drink yourself to death.”
“My liver is well-trained. This much is nothing.”
“Yeah, right.”
“It’s true. When I was younger, I could drink five bottles of wine and still be fine.”
“You think then and now are the same? You need to consider your age… Don’t. It won’t hurt if you hit your head with that bottle, so just stop. Hey. I said stop.”
Only after my stern warning did Cassia right the wine bottle she had been holding upside down.
After pulling the cork, she chugged the wine as if it were water.
Having finished the entire bottle, she said, “Don’t be like that. I’ll be going back tomorrow.”
“…Looks like you’ve finally pulled yourself together?”
Cassia gave a faint smile.
“No. This empty feeling in my chest is still here. How could I be okay after just a few days? It’s just… I think it’s about time I went back. There’s nothing more for me to do here, and I’m just being a burden to you.”
She slowly lay down, resting her head on my thigh. Her face, slightly flushed and hazy from the alcohol, looked up at me.
“Can I ask you for one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Please, comfort me.”
“…”
“I’m having a really hard time. Just until I leave tomorrow…”
Cassia reached out and caressed my cheek. I nodded. She wrapped her arms around my neck and slowly lifted her face.
In the next moment, her lips met mine.