Chapter 129
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129
As his reminiscence came to an end, a bitter groan escaped his lips.
Outside the barracks, thunderous cheers echoed. Amidst the chaotic clamor, a few recognizable words could be heard.
Logwood, Kaku, Gomar, Rashak…
They were the names of renowned Orc warriors, their great ancestors. The speech was an endless invocation of their names, swelling the atmosphere to a fever pitch. Amidst it all, a new Orc chieftain was born.
A new chieftain of the Woldur tribe was being chosen to succeed Gakundar.
‘Gakundar probably thought he was the one and only chieftain of the Woldur, that no one could ever replace him.’
But the Woldur warriors weren't loyal to Gakundar himself. They were loyal to his strength.
Now that the Woldur's treasure had been safely recovered, any warrior strong enough to wield it and unite the tribes could become the new chieftain.
Kurak stood up. He was completely unharmed, without a single scratch. His favorite red axe was there as well, its blade sharp and gleaming, not dulled in the slightest.
Kurak, who should have died at Swallow's hands that day, was still alive.
He hadn't survived because he was strong—at that moment, he had been utterly powerless.
No, Swallow himself had spared him.
It was all due to Swallow's whim.
On the brink of death.
Just as the boiling darkness erupted from the ground to swallow him whole…
"Hey, you."
"Didn't you say you could destroy the Empire in a month?"
Swallow had spoken as if a fun idea had just struck him.
"If that was your offer to settle the score, then prove it. I've decided what I want. Food. Simple, right?"
"Bring me twenty times that amount."
"The deadline is one month. No, three weeks should be enough."
It was an absurd demand.
Or perhaps, it wasn't.
Twenty times the amount of food stored in the Primordial Core—a quantity so vast that even Gakundar had coveted it. It was a ridiculous amount, but there was one place where it could be obtained.
The Empire.
It had to be the Empire.
If they conquered the Empire, they could secure that much food.
They had to.
When Kurak asked what would happen if they failed, Swallow answered immediately, as if he'd already decided.
"It's too much of a hassle for me to move."
"And there's no reason for me to do it myself."
"...Yes, that sounds good."
"I'll unleash the 'Black Tentacles' on Nilkumbal."
Swallow had then added a few explanations.
He told a story of a past calamity, a myth about a single monster that had nearly wiped out an entire continent—a myth where, surprisingly, Swallow was not the culprit.
When Swallow finished his tale with a faint smile, Kurak knew exactly what he was thinking.
Ah, he's definitely enjoying the orcs' panicked expressions.
After about ten seconds, Daru, who had been waiting outside, pulled back the tent flap and entered. Kurak had ordered him to investigate the connection between the 'Black Tentacles' and the myth Swallow had told.
"My greetings to the Legion Commander."
After a brief formality, Daru got straight to his report.
"The monster that once tried to swallow the continent... it is the Black Tentacles."
"...I see."
"Not just Nilkumbal, but all Orcs on the continent could face extinction. Perhaps not just the Orcs, either."
"That's more than enough."
The fate of the Orcs now hung in the balance.
Fine. His heart pounded, but he felt no fear. There was only the path forward. It was a war that was bound to happen anyway, and failure still meant death. There was no reason to hesitate.
He donned the pauldrons of the Legion Commander, picked up the massive red axe that was his symbol, and strode forward.
As he stepped out of the barracks, five Orcs stood waiting with bowed heads. They were the chieftains of the five great tribes. With the new chieftain of the Woldur just returning from his speech, all of them were now assembled.
Kurak's barracks sat atop a high hill, so he only had to take a few steps to look down upon the vast land below.
One hundred thousand Orc warriors stood there.
And behind them were hundreds of thousands of their family members and non-combatants, all eagerly awaiting the warriors' victory.
They had made their camp in Nilkumbal itself.
The moment Kurak showed his face, the hundreds of thousands of Orcs below erupted in a collective roar.
It was a chaotic sound, loud enough to be heard for kilometers.
Though they belonged to different tribes with different battle cries, all the sounds blended into one massive roar.
Kurak slammed his red axe into the ground. Amidst the cheers, rhythmic shockwaves pulsed out—thud, thud. The shockwaves gradually chipped away at the noise. The sound slowly died, but the fervent energy remained.
By the time the cheering stopped completely, every eye was locked on Kurak.
This time, out of the hundreds of thousands of Orcs on the vast plains, only Kurak spoke.
…Crude warriors had no need for grand speeches.
"It is war."
His voice was calm. His tone wasn't particularly loud, but amplification magic carried his words to every corner of the plain.
"War!!"
"The humans! We march on the humans!!"
And just like that, the cheers exploded once more.
If they could conquer the Empire, that place would become the new Nilkumbal.
*
It had been a long time.
Far too long.
Every time he stepped out of the carriage and looked around, that was the only thought that filled his mind. Yet his emotions were complicated. He wasn't particularly happy.
‘By now, these memories should have been softened by time…’
Never had the word 'bittersweet' felt so fitting.
Returning to a battlefield where both enemies and comrades had died felt exactly like this.
"I knew I shouldn't have come."
"How many times have you said that now? Sigh, my ears are practically bleeding."
They were in Riaze, specifically within the inner walls that encircled the Imperial Palace.
The carriage carrying Rashumer, Uin, and Barisik came to a halt at the entrance of the Dungeon Subjugation Union Headquarters.
"I am Garot Azaneljia. I know this wasn't an easy decision, so thank you for coming."
"You knew it wasn't easy, yet you dragged this old man out here anyway. The youth these days are truly wicked."
Rashumer was more mentally than physically exhausted and had hoped for some time to collect himself, but the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights clearly had no intention of accommodating him.
Guided by Garot, Rashumer grumbled as he followed her.
He wondered if they might teleport him to their destination, but Garot simply led the way in silence. She had even bypassed the shortest route, deliberately choosing a longer one. It seemed to be her own way of showing consideration, allowing him to look around the building.
"The Commander is waiting."
"Not even a moment to catch my breath."
Rashumer chuckled. At his chuckle, Garot's eyes narrowed slightly. She opened the door, then immediately took her leave.
Rashumer paused, sensing the heavy atmosphere leaking through the crack in the door. Only after shaking off his stray thoughts did he push it open and enter the office.
"Welcome, Sir Rashumer."
It was Ar, the man he had spoken with through the crystal ball.
"I guessed your age from your voice, but you're much younger than I expected. I can't tell if you're exceptionally talented or if the Empire has simply run out of capable people."
A muffled chuckle was the only response. As Rashumer approached, he frowned slightly.
Ar was hanging his head low.
Regardless of rank, it was bad manners to summon someone only to keep one's head bowed. Rashumer wasn't a stickler for etiquette, but seeing Ar—a man whose position demanded it—behave this way was naturally suspicious.
"...What are you doing?"
Only then did Ar slowly raise his face.
When their eyes met, Rashumer's expression hardened. The area around Ar's eyes was being eaten away by something black.
"You... Don't tell me..."
With a smile that feigned gentleness, Ar replied in a quiet voice, "I am Ar Edelbreas Galf Rivisten, the one who summoned you, Sir Rashumer."
He was being consumed by something black.
It was a symptom Rashumer had never seen before, yet he was certain of it. He even had a faint inkling as to the cause.
"Is it Swallow?"
A slight twitch of Ar's brow shifted the entire atmosphere. That alone was answer enough.
After a brief silence, Rashumer murmured softly, "I didn't realize the one who couldn't afford to wait for Uin's growth was you, Ar."
"My body won't last much longer. A few months at most. It could end as early as tomorrow."
"Do you want to defeat Swallow so badly that you'd throw your own life away?"
"I love the Empire."
"Your love is terribly twisted."
Ar smiled faintly.
One of his eyes, consumed by the corruption, was pitch-black from sclera to pupil, reflecting no light at all. Yet, even in the shadow cast over his face, his smile was bright. It was pure—and because of its purity, his true thoughts were impossible to read.
"This is the list I promised."
After a light chuckle, Ar handed over a secret letter. Taking it, Rashumer checked the wax seal and saw a magic circle engraved just beneath it.
"These are the profiles of the two individuals you failed to deal with in the past, Sir Rashumer. The details of the incidents are also enclosed, so I leave the judgment to you."
The sealing method was just as elaborate. A high-level magic circle was engraved beneath the wax, designed to imprint the letter's contents directly into the reader's mind before the document itself burned to ash.
Having no reason to refuse, Rashumer tucked the letter into his breast pocket. At the same time, he gave Ar a puzzled look.
"I'm grateful, but are you sure it's alright for me to receive this so soon? Wasn't this your trump card to keep me at your beck and call? I thought you wouldn't hand it over until everything was finished."
"I judged that building immediate trust would be more beneficial. Besides, things could get complicated if those two find out you've come to Riaze."
"...You've thought that far ahead?"
"Above all, the card I trust most is not this letter, but your heart, Sir Rashumer. Didn't you come all this way to prevent Lady Uin from making the same mistake you once did?"
"Haha, you really are something else."
This time, Rashumer laughed in disbelief. As Ar tried to return the smile, his body suddenly swayed.
"You don't look well. Do you need a hand?"
"...I am fine. I apologize for showing you such an unsightly state."
Rashumer's eyes darted around the office. While the room was generally tidy, Ar's desk was a mess. Shards of a teacup were scattered on the floor beneath it like fallen petals.
Is it madness? After a brief thought, Rashumer addressed the now-composed Ar.
"You said I wouldn't necessarily have to participate in the battle against Swallow."
"I won't force you into other battles, either. However, you must officially be affiliated with the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights. And you must strictly keep the promise we discussed."
He'd asked him to become Uin's master, hadn't he?
From the moment Rashumer learned that the past remained unsettled and realized Uin's current situation, his mind had been made up. After pretending to ponder for a moment, he replied.
"...Very well, Lord Ar. I will gladly become your knight. I swear here and now to do my utmost to teach Uin."
"Thank you for granting such a difficult request."
"But you must understand one thing clearly."
Ar's goal was to defeat Swallow. And judging by his actions, he intended to place Uin at the center of that plan.
‘Uin is certainly strong. But…’
"Even if I teach Uin, she cannot defeat Swallow."
"I know."
"...Then why ask me to teach her? To raise her nonexistent chances of winning by a fraction of a percent?"
"Everything has a proper order. You helping Lady Uin grow is merely one step in that process, Sir Rashumer."
Having said that, Ar looked at Rashumer.
Through his one good eye, he could see that the man sitting opposite him was not pleased. A suspicious gaze swept over Ar's entire body.
"It is for the sake of the Empire, and for Lady Uin."
"...Well, I suppose you have your reasons. Very well."
"I am deeply grateful."
Ar bowed his head.
"Now then."
Raising his head, Ar slowly stood up.
"Before we begin, there is something I must share with both of you."
At Ar's words, Rashumer's expression momentarily stiffened. But it didn't last long. Gradually regaining his composure, he muttered, "...So there were indeed two of you."
He had felt a gaze on him ever since he entered the room.
It was a strange, unpleasant sensation. Normally, a gaze was accompanied by a presence, but he couldn't feel any presence at all. It was as if only the gaze itself was brushing against his skin.
Even when he had briefly looked away during Ar's episode, he had still felt it, which finally confirmed his suspicion.
—Someone was staring at him while completely erasing their presence.
The only reason Rashumer hadn't reacted was because he felt no hostility in that gaze.
"Sir Sian."
At Ar's call, a man who had been hiding his presence slowly revealed himself from behind a curtain.
Judging by his position, he hadn't been hiding in a corner. He had been openly watching their conversation the entire time, but Rashumer had simply been unaware of him.
It was undoubtedly the effect of the magic called <Unconsciousness>.
It was a high-level spell that not just anyone could use, but the man before him was clearly more than capable of it.