Chapter 40: He’s a Real Monster (4)
Chapter 40: He’s a Real Monster (4)
The next day.
“Ahem. I apologize for my behavior yesterday.”
“Not at all. It’s quite alright.”
Turanta and the others met again the following day, once the Orc had slept off his hangover.
“Hahaha! It’s been decades since I last tasted alcohol. I simply couldn’t help myself.”
“Well, that is certainly understandable.”
“Hahahaha!”
“Hahahaha!”
Unlike the day before, the atmosphere was warm and friendly—except for Patrick, who sat between them with a sour expression.
“What’s so funny? You’re just an Orc who passed out after chugging too much booze.”
“Ahem. Like I said, it’s been decades, so...”
“Does that mean you should drink until your tongue ties itself in knots right before an important meeting?”
“……”
Turanta had no retort.
But what could he do? Orcs loved alcohol, but they lacked the ability to brew it. They didn't farm, nor were they much for gathering. While they might have been able to gather wild berries, they lacked the fermentation techniques to turn them into wine.
On the rare occasion they found something like naturally fermented mead in the wild, it was considered a supreme treasure. Having been given the chance to drink his fill, he’d decided it was a good day to drink himself to death.
“Ahem. Anyway, let us proceed with our discussion. I am Baron Jeycol Schneider, the Lord of the Schneider Territory.”
“I am Turanta, Chief of the Red Rock Tribe.”
“First, I would like to thank you for accepting my son’s... rather bold proposal, Chief Turanta.”
“...May I ask one thing?”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Are the two of you truly father and son?”
“……”
The image of Baron Schneider that Turanta had conjured in his head during the journey was nothing like this. What kind of being would have sired and raised someone as violent, fierce, and wicked as Patrick? He’d imagined someone several times more evil and cunning.
He had arrived feeling incredibly tense, thinking that if he didn't keep his wits about him, his entire tribe might suffer. Well, he’d lost that battle to the booze, but still.
Regardless, the Baron Schneider he saw now was a completely different person. How did such a devil come from a man like this? The Baron seemed like such a kind, virtuous soul. It was only natural to doubt their blood relation.
“Hey, old man, what’s that supposed to—”
“You stay quiet.”
Patrick tried to snap back, but Baron Schneider suppressed his son first. He then looked at Turanta and spoke.
“It seems my son has been quite unreasonable and pushy with you.”
“Ahem...”
Turanta couldn't bring himself to say, "No, not at all." Orcs were naturally poor liars. Instead, he gave a bitter smile.
“Your son is undoubtedly a great warrior. And my tribe certainly owes that great warrior a significant debt.”
“I’ve heard the stories, but did my son truly take down a King Ogre? Perhaps the other Orc warriors did the heavy lifting and my son merely assisted...?”
“I saw it with my own two eyes. That great warrior’s strike brought the King Ogre to its death. We brought the King Ogre’s carcass with us, so you may verify it yourself.”
“Good heavens...”
Baron Schneider looked at his son as if seeing him in a new light. He knew Patrick was strong. Indeed, the term 'sword prodigy' was fitting for his son. But even so, to think he’d actually taken down a King Ogre. 'Genius' didn't even begin to cover it.
“Ahem. To get to the point, we have come here to share our lives on this land, as requested by that great warrior, Patrick Schneider. However...”
Turanta paused for a moment before continuing.
“We cannot share our lives with your people unless two conditions are met.”
“Two conditions. Please, name them.”
“First, the humans must not fear or despise us.”
“I can guarantee that. Personally, I hold no prejudice against the Orc race. I will issue a proclamation to all my subjects strictly forbidding any discrimination against Orcs.”
“And what will you do if a human defies that order?”
“Well, in that case...”
As Baron Schneider hesitated for a moment, Patrick, standing beside him, spoke up.
“Defying the Lord’s orders like a rude brat? We’ll hang them upside down and beat the crap out of them.”
“Yes. Upside... Ahem. They will be severely punished. I guarantee this in the name of Jeycol Schneider, the man responsible for this land.”
Baron Schneider shot a quick glare at his interrupting son, but he understood that strict adherence to the proclamation was necessary to integrate the Orcs. And in truth, he didn't think it would be much of an issue.
From the perspective of my people, who are constantly harrassed by monsters, few would refuse the addition of Orc warriors.
If it meant being safe from monsters, the people might even accept demons, let alone Orcs. That was how serious the monster threat was in the Schneider Territory.
“Very well. I shall trust the Lord on that matter. However, there is one more issue.”
“Please, tell me.”
“The question of ‘what benefit do we provide each other by being together?’”
“That is...”
Baron Schneider was taken aback. He hadn't expected a discussion of 'benefit' to come from the mouth of an Orc, a race known as a tribe of warriors.
Turanta spoke to the flustered Baron.
“I am not merely saying we wish to receive something. Tell us also what we can provide for you.”
“...Why is that so important?”
“A relationship where neither side can do anything for the other cannot be called an equal symbiosis. It is merely one side looking after the other.”
“……”
“I believe that to share a life as neighbors, it must not be such a one-sided relationship. To be together means to maintain an equal standing.”
Baron Schneider nodded at Turanta’s words. It made sense. A relationship where one side unilaterally cared for the other could never last.
At first glance, talking about mutual benefit might sound materialistic. But looking at it another way, providing a benefit meant becoming a necessary existence to the other. If one truly looked toward the distant future, preparing for such an equal, symbiotic relationship was exactly what was needed.
Haha. This man is a far better leader than I am.
Baron Schneider thought he was free of prejudice against Orcs, but admitting that Turanta was a superior leader left a bitter taste in his mouth. He wasn't jealous of the other’s excellence, but he couldn't help but feel shame and regret over his own shortcomings.
That was when Patrick stepped in.
“I think I should handle this part... Father, is that alright?”
“You?”
“Since I’m the one who pushed for this, it’s only right that I adjust the details.”
And because my pushover father is way too vulnerable to these kinds of things.
Baron Schneider nodded at Patrick’s words. “Very well. You take the lead.”
“Yes. Thank you. Now then, Chief Turanta.”
Patrick looked at Turanta and grinned. It was the expression of a gambler wondering how to fleece a sucker who had just joined the table.
“First, what we want from you is safety. There are far too many monsters around our territory. Just dealing with those monsters would be a huge benefit for us.”
“I know that. But, Great Warrior, what then shall the Orcs of the Red Rock Tribe receive?”
“Well. If what we receive is safety, then what you receive... how about civilization?”
“Civilization?”
“Yes. We will move you out of those leather tents and build safe houses for you to live in.”
“Dwellings... Truthfully, we have little need for such things.”
“It’s better than not having them.”
“That is true, but...”
“And it’s not just housing. We can also supply you with iron weapons.”
“Iron weapons are too light. We have no use for them.”
“You’ll need them soon enough.”
“Hmm?”
“No, well, that’s a separate story. Actually, there’s plenty of other things we can provide. Like the superior food culture of humans.”
“Food culture? Food?”
“Yes. The human food you ate at the banquet yesterday—didn't it taste significantly different from just roasting meat over a fire?”
“Mmm...”
“Furthermore, alcohol is strictly a part of food culture.”
“Alcohol?”
At those words, Turanta’s eyes snapped wide open.
Alcohol. Something Orcs loved dearly, but a treasure they could never obtain once their contact with the outside world had ceased. He could be provided with that alcohol. And delicious human food to boot.
Patrick grinned. “What do you think? Is this a beneficial enough relationship for both sides?”
“Mmm, it is benefit enough.”
“Then shall we draw up the contract?”
“Let’s do it!”
Seeing Turanta’s enthusiastic response, Patrick pulled a sheet of paper from his robe as if he’d been waiting for this exact moment. He even brought out an ink pad.
“Now, first, Chief, leave your thumbprint here...”
Thump!
“And Father. Press your seal here. Come on, right here.”
“Wait, let me at least read it first...”
“Oh, come on. Don't be such a wet blanket. You’re supposed to sign contracts without reading them.”
“Isn't that the logic of a swindler?”
“Trust your son. Now, let’s press the seal. Right here. Press hard.”
“You little brat!”
In the end, Patrick grabbed his father’s wrist and pressed the family seal—which was on his ring—firmly onto the paper. He then tucked the contract into his robe with a smirk.
“There. With this, the alliance between the Red Rock Tribe and the Schneider family is officially formed.”
Patrick’s grin widened. “Let’s get along great from now on. Great!”
Seeing that smile, Baron Schneider and Turanta both had the exact same thought at the same time.
Why do I feel so uneasy?
Why do I feel so uneasy?
* * *
A few days later.
A formal proclamation was issued to the people in the name of the Lord.
“We’re going to be living with the Red Rock Orcs from now on?”
“What? With Orcs?”
“Is that okay? Will it be alright?”
The people were somewhat anxious at first. However, once they learned that the Young Master, Patrick, was the one driving this, public opinion shifted instantly.
“Ah, it’s the Young Master’s doing.”
“Then it must be a good thing. It’ll work out.”
“Exactly. Let’s cooperate actively.”
“Right, right.”
Currently, the people of the Schneider Territory were so blindly supportive of Patrick that they would have joined in even if he’d told them to dance naked for three days and four nights.
Thus, most of the residents agreed to live with the Orcs, and it didn't take long for them to realize the benefits of the arrangement.
“Oh, look over there.”
“It’s the Orc warriors. What did they catch?”
“Looks like an Owlbear. They caught a big one.”
“Hahaha. Those Orc warriors really are strong. I thought no one in our territory except the Young Master could take down a beast like that.”
The Orcs searched the surrounding areas of the territory extensively, subjugating monsters. For the Orcs, monster subjugation was both hunting for survival and training for combat—it was simply what they did.
However, because they did so, the lives of the people became significantly more stable. While Patrick had patrolled diligently before, there were limits to what one person could do.
But with the Orcs involved, the effect was undeniable. It became difficult to find even a single Goblin or Kobold in the forests around the territory.
The monsters the Orcs caught were brought back to the village and systematically butchered. The meat went to the Orcs, while the parts that could be sold, like hides or claws, went to the humans.
In exchange for these byproducts, the humans provided the Orcs with various goods. Mostly basic seasonings like salt and sugar, and a few convenient daily necessities.
And they took a lot of alcohol.
They didn't even need expensive liquor. What the Orcs wanted was the cheapest, strongest kind of rotgut. In fact, if they were given high-end wine or spirits, they would grimace and refuse.
Regardless, it was a trade where both sides got exactly what they wanted.
As this relationship continued, the people of the territory quickly adapted to the presence of the Orcs.