Underground Ruins (4)
Though he was observing from afar, Owen was certain.
‘It’s definitely a True Dragon. It must have made this island its nest. I don’t know when it was active, but it’s undoubtedly an ancient dragon that died long ago.’
The orcs had likely built a temple there after the beast’s death.
They were famous for erecting Dragon Cult shrines in the nests of dead True Dragons.
“Lord Karaku, can you tell where on the island this is?”
Karaku stroked his beard thoughtfully at Owen’s question before answering.
“The outer fortress area. That bastard Kaladashyr. He was gunning for this cavern from the start.”
“Is that so?”
“No doubt about it. There are multiple paths to the ruins from the outer fortress area. But the one Kaladashyr was digging leads straight here—the shortest route.”
“He may have arrived far faster than we anticipated.”
“Not good. Without the dragon, we would’ve missed our chance entirely.”
Yet this place didn’t seem to have been used for Maou worship after the Dragon Cult’s fall.
There were no traces of human sacrifices or ominous demon symbols anywhere on the descent.
Owen raised the point.
“This cavern doesn’t seem connected to the demons. Why would the Great Chieftain come to a place with the bones of a dead True Dragon?”
“Hmm… What could he want with dragon bones…?”
As Karaku pondered the situation, Owen suddenly felt his heart tremble.
“Ugh!”
It was an unnatural sensation, as if reacting to something.
He wondered what it was, but there was no time to dwell.
Stopping the Great Chieftain swiftly seemed the wisest course.
“There are plenty of orcs not participating in the ritual.”
Owen pointed ahead as he spoke.
About five hundred orcs crowded the vast underground cavern, but only around a hundred were in the ritual.
The rest watched silently, unable to hide their unease.
“Indeed. Proud warriors wouldn’t take kindly to such depraved rites. Good—we’ll use them.”
“What’s your plan?”
“Raise the issue of this wicked ritual, then drag it into a trial by combat.”
It was a thoroughly orcish solution.
They settled disputes with duels, where might made right—a perfect reflection of their beliefs.
Humans had done it often in the past, but the Church of Light banned it outright, and the tradition faded.
Orcs, however, still held trial by combat as a core custom.
“A Great Chieftain who claims to uphold tradition can’t refuse.”
“You know your stuff. The issue is qualification—but I should be fine.”
If the trial by combat was valid, the opponent couldn’t refuse.
But at Great Chieftain level, not just anyone could challenge.
Otherwise, they’d be dueling year-round.
“Will it work? I thought you’d lost your position, Lord Karaku…”
“That’s the problem. But if my brothers back me, it changes everything.”
Karaku was no longer a legion commander.
But he was still a heavyweight.
If the orcs here agreed to the trial, the Great Chieftain couldn’t dodge it without losing face.
In the end, Owen agreed with Karaku’s plan.
A frontal clash wasn’t feasible as things stood.
‘If I could use the medium Similis Dragon, it’d be doable, but Luke lost control after recovering from his body modifications. A duel’s cleaner.’
Owen relayed the plan, then stepped forward with Karaku.
As he walked, Karaku clashed the messer in his left hand against the mace in his right, creating a racket.
Clang! Claaang!
Even with torches lighting every corner, the underground gloom made the sparks from the weapons vividly clear.
The crashing drew every eye—the ritual-leading Great Chieftain and all the orcs turned to Karaku.
“Intruders!”
“Dark elves!”
Karaku led, the rest following behind.
The orcs erupted in uproar, grabbing their weapons.
But some recognized Karaku.
They couldn’t hide their shock.
“Isn’t that Lord Karaku?”
“No way! He’s alive!”
“White hair and scars all over his face—no mistaking it!”
“The Undefeated Legion Commander! Glendower’s Nightmare!”
The last bit irked Owen.
‘I’ve been wronged so bad…’
As the orcs buzzed, a booming laugh exploded.
“Krahahahaha! What have we here? Our great legion commander graces us!”
It was Great Chieftain Kaladashyr.
Taller and bulkier than the rest due to his ogre blood, he threw his arms wide and bellowed. Then he gripped a massive magic staff in his left hand and strode forward.
The wary orcs parted like the Red Sea.
In truth, the Great Chieftain was startled by Karaku’s sudden appearance.
‘How did he reach Margel Island?’
No explanation came no matter how he racked his brain.
He had no choice but to feign composure.
“Aged legion commander! You who surrendered your undefeated name to me! What brings your creaking bones here now?”
His massive frame boomed like thunder.
The orcs who’d greeted Karaku warmly fell silent in awe of his authority.
The Great Chieftain oozed charisma and held rank and glory.
Karaku, by contrast, was a fugitive clinging to past fame.
Some orcs who’d briefly hoped at his arrival faced reality.
But heroes weren’t heroes for nothing.
Unfazed by the mood, Karaku thrust his mace forward and roared.
“Kaladashyr! One seated as Great Chieftain, tainted by demon power, leads all astray. I, Karaku, by rightful claim, demand you step down—and challenge you to trial by combat!”
The orcs gasped in shock.
“Trial by combat? Against the Great Chieftain!”
“Such spirit!”
Most couldn’t help but admire Karaku.
No one qualified had dared challenge the Great Chieftain until now.
Of course, he couldn’t tolerate the atmosphere.
“Absurd! You’re no legion commander! You lack standing, you worthless old fool!”
Karaku had expected as much.
Instead of arguing, he appealed to the surrounding orcs.
“Behold! If Kaladashyr hid his evil, perhaps—but he flaunts that filthy power! Will you condone it?”
“……”
“It’s shameful for warriors, yet you block an old one seeking to right it? Do I lack standing? I’d hear the answer not from the Great Chieftain, but from my brothers!”
Karaku’s fervent plea shifted the judgment of his qualification to the orcs.
“He’s right!”
“We back you!”
As agreements rose, the Great Chieftain exploded.
“You— you!”
He barely restrained the urge to smash their skulls and countered.
“Hear me, warriors of the plains! I admit using some demon power. But don’t forget—who saved countless lives when the King of the Great Ocean struck?”
Indeed, many owed their lives to the Great Chieftain during the turtle dragon’s assault.
“I know some here would heed that old man over me. But as your Great Chieftain, I declare—”
He slammed his huge staff into the ground.
Thud!
Authority radiated from him; some orcs prostrated themselves in sheer, reverent awe..
“I will lead the orcs to victory!”
Cheers erupted.
“Krooooaaah!”
Savoring the adulation, the Great Chieftain denounced Karaku.
“That old fool is a failed generation! Spokesman for losers, a walking corpse. Recall the previous Great Chieftain! Honorable warrior—yet how did he end? Fallen to the vile human-demon plot!”
Anger boiled in the orcs.
The prior Great Chieftain’s death still enraged them after all these years.
Owen, listening, was baffled.
The previous Great Chieftain had died honorably in battle against him.
No demon plot involved.
Yet the Great Chieftain lied brazenly.
“Remember that great warrior felled by treachery! We must prevent such tragedy now. Don’t forget—poison can be medicine in measure. To fight demon allies, we need some demon power!”
“Right!”
“Kwaaaargh!”
By insulting the past generation, the Great Chieftain won the warriors’ support.
Karaku’s persuasion seemed futile.
His face fell in despair.
“Is there truly no one left with sense…?”
Seeing his slumped shoulders, the Great Chieftain smirked.
One order, and the intruders would be swept away.
As he opened his mouth, a sharp voice rang out.
“Lies!”
It was Owen.
He burned with fury at the Great Chieftain’s falsehoods.
Though just a boy, his spirit silenced the orcs momentarily.
But jeers soon followed.
“How dare a human!”
“This isn’t your place!”
“Shut it!”
Karaku might be a fallen hero, but no one needed to hear a human brat.
The orcs hurled abuse; the Great Chieftain’s face relaxed in leisure.
‘Kehhehe. Idiot! I worried Karaku might twist words again, but this rabble human ruined it all.’
But Owen’s next shout shattered that leisure.
“I know what he said in his dying moments!”
Owen’s orcish was accented but clear enough.
And it hooked them.
No one knew the prior Great Chieftain’s final words.
Vividly recalling them as the chieftain fell on his blade, Owen shouted.
“In death, he mocked Duke Owen Glendower. Blood spewing from his mouth, he grinned as if amused! He said endless orc assaults would eventually destroy the Empire. Twice! Thrice! Four times! Orcs never give up until victory!”
Owen’s tale stirred the orcs’ hearts.
Unyielding will.
Relentless offense.
It embodied the war they revered.
The jeering orcs fell silent, ears perked.
“Even the victorious Glendower shuddered, reportedly feeling fear deep down! The chieftain lost, but his will never wavered. He believed in orc strength to the end—never resorting to demons upon his fall!”
Owen advanced, rebuking them all.
“Thus, one human asks: Are you orcs? Or demon minions?”
The listening orcs couldn’t hide their shame.
“Getting schooled on warrior pride by a little human…”
“Is it true?”
“Doesn’t matter now.”
The orcs’ resolve quaked like an earthquake.
Sensing opportunity, Karaku pressed.
“Orc glory! Orc revenge! Will you rely on evil power for these tasks? If we’re truly Hero Shata’s descendants, we must find it shameful!”
Mentioning Shata, the Maou-slayer, snapped them alert.
“Shata!”
“Yes! Maou-killer! Shata!”
Claiming Shata’s lineage meant rejecting demon power.
Karaku ended their conflict.
“I, Karaku, hold no rank. But if you permit, I’ll duel. And swear—by our ancestors’ name! From this day, I’ll cleanse the sticky demon filth from the orcs!”
“Kwaaaaaah!”
The orcs roared.
Debate was pointless.
They slammed weapons, shaking the cavern.
“Duel! Duel!”
“Duel! Duel!”
Ignoring all eloquence, they waved weapons wildly.
“You fools! Falling for such agitation!”
The Great Chieftain shouted desperately, but none listened.
Realizing he’d lost control of the mob he’d easily swayed before, cold sweat beaded on him.
“Insolent scum! How dare you against the Great Chieftain!”
His rage changed nothing.
Karaku declared to him.
“Take up your weapon, Kaladashyr. It’s the only way to settle this between us!”