Chapter 22: Dances with Orcs! (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 22: Dances with Orcs! (3)
Once the commotion died down, we decided to move immediately. There was nothing to be gained by delaying.
"Tsk, nothing edible washed up with us."
"There's food right here."
I offered Howl a piece of jerky marinated in garlic juice.
Howl recoiled in disgust.
"Ah, shit. How did you manage to bring that with you?"
"I had it tied to my waist. It's a little wet, but it's better than nothing."
"No, thank you. I've been eating that for days... I'm not eating it."
"Suit yourself. It doesn't look like anyone else has anything to pack, so we'll leave right away. Follow me closely, and if you spot anything on the way, speak up immediately."
We began to move.
With Howl and me being the most capable fighters, we led the group from the front and rear.
"It's so hot..."
As we continued, the people following behind us began to mutter one by one. I glanced back to see them all drenched in sweat, repeating the same word over and over: "Hot."
I judged that if we kept on like this, we'd start losing people.
We decided to take a short break.
As everyone collapsed to the ground to rest, Howl approached me.
"How much further do you think we have to go?"
"I don't know either."
"...You don't know? You told us to go without even knowing when we'd arrive?"
"Do I need to know that to say it? It was obviously the only way."
"That's true, but... haah. Is this place always this empty?" Howl said with a sigh, looking around.
The surroundings consisted of withered trees, a desolate landscape, and the occasional scorpion. There was nothing else.
"This is Orc territory. What did you expect? If it were any different, would they have resorted to raiding?"
The Orc territory was located on the western part of the continent.
The sun was hot enough to bring a desert to mind. The parched earth was devoid of moisture, so brittle it crumbled underfoot.
Naturally, it wasn't land where one could farm properly. As a result, the Orcs constantly suffered from food shortages.
To survive, they chose to plunder.
Once a year.
When harvest season arrived, warriors from every Orc tribe would gather to form a massive army.
This army would then tour the kingdoms, demanding a portion of their harvested grain if they wanted to avoid war.
It was basically a shakedown.
It was an outrageous demand, but the kingdoms paid up. They were reluctant to suffer the damages of fighting the Orc horde.
Besides, they said we couldn't win even if we fought.
An NPC in the game had once said that if it weren't for the Empire's intervention, the three kingdoms would have fallen to the Orcs long ago.
But this guy... he's a vampire, and he doesn't know about Orc territory?
Seeing as he was still alive after eating so much garlic, he had to be a high-ranking one. That meant he'd lived for a long time and had surely visited Orc territory at least once.
Which meant his current act was just that—an act.
What a shady bastard. I need to get rid of him soon.
Unfortunately, I couldn't kill him in my current state. It would be simple if I used my old techniques, but he wasn't worth the trouble.
In many ways, he was a damned nuisance.
I should ask Lina to make a concentrated garlic extract later.
If he could stomach even that, then I'd have no choice. I'd have to acknowledge his grit and just let him tag along.
As I was lost in thought, Howl spoke with a serious expression.
"So what do we do now? Getting to the border is one thing, but we're going to starve to death before that."
"Ah, don't worry about that. I have a plan."
*
"This was your plan?"
Howl stared at me with an expression that was equal parts dumbfounded and completely unsurprised.
"Intrusi!"
Orcs mounted on camels and giant scorpions aimed their spears at us.
I spoke to Howl in a low voice, just loud enough for him to hear.
"Did you really think we could get to the border without ever running into Orcs? A group of over twenty people?"
We're not the damn FBI. How could we pull that off?
"Seguire!"
An Orc mounted on a giant scorpion shouted and began to move.
"What's he saying?"
"Probably 'follow me.' Everyone, don't be scared. Just follow them."
"You... you crazy bastard, you've led me to my death! I knew I shouldn't have followed your orders. I should have taken control... Eek?!"
A sharp spear tip was pressed against the neck of Calios, who had been shouting his head off.
"tranquillamente"
"What about that one?"
"Probably 'shut up.' Hey, Mr. Calios, let's keep it down. You too, everyone. If we want to resolve this peacefully, you all need to be quiet. I hope none of you get any funny ideas and do something stupid. Now, let's go."
I walked behind the scorpion-riding Orc. Howl followed me, and after a moment's hesitation, the others did as well.
The Orcs moved in a formation that surrounded us.
"What's the plan now?"
"What do you mean? Like I said, we'll negotiate a peaceful resolution."
"Is that even possible?"
As Howl said this, he glanced at the Orcs, his look clearly asking if it was possible to reason with such ignorant brutes.
The thought was so absurd I couldn't even manage a dry laugh. A vampire is a vampire, I guess, to so easily look down on another race.
"Orcs aren't as stupid as they look. They know how to weigh their options. If they didn't, the Empire would have driven them to extinction long ago."
"Hmm... I suppose that's true."
Howl nodded with a reluctant expression. The Empire's prestige was so great that even he, a vampire, had to acknowledge it.
To be precise, it was the prestige of the Platinum Knight Order, the knights under the Empire's command.
The Platinum Knight Order.
The sharpest sword of the Empire.
A military force capable of destroying an entire kingdom on its own, without any other support.
If they were to ever charge at the vampires with silver swords in hand, the vampires would be wiped from the continent, unless the Blood King himself intervened.
"So don't worry and just walk."
Howl nodded as if he had no other choice.
*
A scorching sun and parched land.
If that was all there was, the Orcs would never have survived, no matter how much they plundered.
But the Orcs did survive.
Because there was something that allowed them to.
An oasis.
A large pool of water found in the middle of the arid land.
However, it was on a different level from a normal oasis on Earth, both in size and effect. Not only was it much larger than one might expect, but the water in this world's oases was actually drinkable.
The water quality was so good that you could drink it straight without boiling it.
It was a very fantasy-like setting, but this was said to be the secret to the Orcs' survival.
They could farm by the oasis and secure drinking water.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough, which was why they resorted to raiding.
"E-Excuse me. Are you sure this is okay?"
As I was yawning, someone with a face full of anxiety tugged on my collar.
Being surrounded by Orcs and dragged to the center of their tribe must have been incredibly unnerving.
I smiled to reassure her.
"It's fine. Just trust me."
"I want to, but..."
She looked around with fear in her eyes. Following her gaze, I saw that besides the Orc warriors surrounding us, other Orcs were beginning to gather one by one.
But there was no need to be too concerned.
Their auras were pathetic compared to the Orc warriors.
They were no different from slightly large humans.
"Are you the ones? The humans who brazenly trespassed on our tribe's territory?"
A voice came from within a large tent. The Orc that emerged was larger than the others.
He stood about 2.5 meters tall with thick muscles.
A black tattoo was etched onto his right shoulder.
The aura this Orc radiated was far more powerful than that of the other Orcs, even the warriors.
"O-Orcs can speak our language?"
"I'm scared..."
"Hic..."
The already tense people were terrified by the appearance of the massive Orc.
After calming them down, I asked the Orc, "Are you the chieftain of this tribe?"
"I am. I am Lugar, son of Roxar. Chieftain of the Wolf Fang Tribe."
"I am Cloud. Lugar, son of Roxar, I challenge you to a duel."
*
"I am Cloud. Lugar, son of Roxar, I challenge you to a duel."
At Cloud's sudden declaration, everyone in his party except for him froze.
A duel?
Did he mean to fight that powerful-looking Orc?
Lugar, on the other hand, looked at Cloud with interest.
He was surprised that this human knew about Orcish duels.
"A duel. Why should I have to duel you?"
"For an Orc warrior, is a duel not an honorable fight to display one's pure strength?"
"It is. And you are not an Orc."
"Does not being an Orc matter? I am an honorable warrior, always prepared to meet an honorable death. Are you, perhaps, not prepared? Lugar, son of Roxar."
"The position of chieftain is not so trivial as to be swayed by such petty provocations. I ask again. Is there any need for me to duel an insect I could kill with a single word?"
Cloud reached into his coat. The moment he did, an Orc beside him moved to swing his spear, but Lugar raised a hand to stop him.
What Cloud pulled out were six heavy-looking pouches.
"500,000 Gold each. 3 million Gold in total. I will wager this on the duel. If you win, you may take this money."
At the words "3 million Gold," the eyes of everyone except Howl widened. Most of them had never even held 10,000 Gold, let alone 3 million.
The same was true for Calios, the heir to a viscount family. It wasn't that his family didn't have 3 million Gold.
But they didn't have 3 million Gold in cash.
To prepare that much cash, they would have to sell a significant number of slaves and land.
To see such a sum produced so easily from Cloud's hands was nothing short of astonishing.
Damn it, he really is someone important...!
Calios deeply regretted his past self for running his mouth so foolishly.
But what was important to Cloud wasn't the others' reactions.
"Stop pretending to be unfazed. Do you think I know nothing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Still playing dumb? You Orcs buy the food you lack from the Empire."
"...You knew that much."
They farmed around the oasis and plundered food from the kingdoms. Even so, they were always short on food.
The harvests weren't always bountiful, and the weaker a tribe's influence, the smaller their share of the plunder.
Therefore, most Orc tribes took whatever they had of value to the Empire's border and traded it for food.
Given the tribe's situation, the massive sum of 3 million Gold was like a very tempting fruit.
"What do you want if you win the duel?"
"The lives of myself and my companions, food and a place to sleep for one day, and a guide to the border."
Cloud never intended to reach the border on his own.
How could he, with no food and no knowledge of the way?
It might have been possible if he were alone, but he had too much baggage following him. That's why he chose to duel an Orc. Accepting the outcome of a duel was one of the Orcs' oldest traditions.
Besides, he had to visit an Orc tribe eventually. He had to claim the opportunity meant for Gis before he could.
"How about this? If you give me that money, I will grant you everything you just said. I will give you food and a place to sleep, and I will provide a guide to the border. I swear it on my name as chieftain."
At Lugar's proposal, the faces of the people brightened.
They thought they had found an easy way to survive.
But their expressions darkened again at Cloud's next words, which came with a smirk.
"You can't be serious. Do you really think all that is worth 3 million Gold?"
"I can kill you right now and take it."
"Go ahead. In a duel."
"I mean that I don't need to lift a finger."
"So you're scared."
"I'll say it again, the position of chieftain is not so trivial as to be moved by your provocations. Make your choice. Hand over the money and live, or die and hand it over."
At Lugar's threat, the people's faces grew even darker than before.
They wanted Cloud to give him the 3 million Gold.
It was a jaw-dropping amount of money, but so what?
It wasn't their money.
Calios nudged Cloud's side.
"H-Hey... things are getting dangerous. How about you just give him the money? No matter how much it is, it's not more precious than your life, is it?"
"Then shall I put this 3 million Gold on the Goldenbaum family's tab?"
"Wh-What?! Why would you put it on my family's tab?!"
"It's money spent to save the direct heir of your family, so of course I should. What, you don't like it?"
"...It's not that I don't like it... but if I return with such a massive debt, my position as heir might become a little precarious..."
"Then shut up and stay quiet. The same goes for everyone else. Only those who can repay 3 million Gold, raise your hand."
Krapa almost raised his hand but stopped himself.
Right now, he wasn't Hailey's confidant, but Cloud's companion, Howl.
After confirming that everyone was quiet, Cloud turned his gaze back to Lugar and spoke.
"A group of humans, stranded and captured, wagered everything they had to challenge the chieftain to a duel in a last-ditch effort to find a sliver of hope. But the chieftain refused and had his tribesmen slaughter the defenseless humans. What honorable Orc warriors you are. Am I wrong?"
"I thought I told you provocations wouldn't work."
"You did. You said the chieftain's position wouldn't be swayed by clumsy taunts, didn't you? But now, it will be."
"What?"
"Even if you order your men to slaughter us, I will survive. I have the ability to get myself out. And then I will tell every Orc tribe but this one of your disgraceful conduct. They will mock and despise you and your ancestors. Let's see how weighty the chieftain's seat feels then."
"Are you trying to die?"
An unsettling aura flowed from Lugar. It was pure hostility. Faced with the killing intent radiating from the powerful warrior, the people trembled in fear.
But Cloud's expression remained cold.
"As I said, I will not die here."
"...The other tribes will not believe your words."
"I will make them believe. Even if it means using all 3 million Gold."
"Wouldn't it be better to quietly hand over the 3 million Gold and leave safely?"
Lugar's voice was now devoid of hostility. At that, Cloud relaxed his expression, shrugged, and said, "Just as you value honor, I value my pride."
Seeing Cloud's sly grin, Lugar sighed and nodded.
"Fine, I accept the duel. Any of you who wish to challenge me may do so. I will take you all on."