Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: 21. Black Dog (1)
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The allied forces marched toward the hilly region beyond the lake, known to house a massive orc settlement.
Whispers about Brioll echoed throughout the ranks.
They had led the vanguard in the previous battle and won the scouting competition. Brioll boasted the alliance's most outstanding achievements.
Envious glares followed in their wake.
"Your Highness, the other kingdoms are getting bolder with their jabs lately."
"What are they saying?"
"Stuff like, 'Do they just eat the same slop as the soldiers?'"
"Bring the next one to me."
"Understood."
"Anyway..."
Yuri led Brioll's knight order ahead of the allied forces' line, scouting the path.
From time to time, bands of orc cavalry watched the army's movements. Each time, Yuri pursued them with his knights.
To bog down the komodo drakes—nearly as swift as horses—the knights loosed arrows.
"This is getting tiresome."
Yuri slung his bloodied sword over his shoulder.
"These bastards just keep slinking around."
"Speak for yourself—I've got plenty to kill, so I'm thrilled."
"Jared, you've gotten rough around the edges. Finally starting to look like a proper knight."
"Who do you think I learned it from?"
Jared grinned back. They had just finished off a group of orc scouts.
"Fighting orcs is starting to feel routine."
Thanks to Yuri's uncanny knack for sniffing out orcs, Brioll's knights were racking up combat experience nonstop.
"That necklace is one hell of an item."
"Eh..."
Jared eyed the gem in Yuri's hand.
"By the way, what did that shaman say back then?"
"No idea."
"Creepy bastard stuck in my head."
On Ragna's orders to collect orc ears, Yuri had encountered a group led by an orc shaman.
They tried to flee at the sight of the knights, but when Yuri infused mana into the gem, they flew into a frenzy and charged.
The shaman was different, though. He hung back, resisting the red gem's magic.
The orc shaman's eyes were covered in black cloth, yet he bellowed something toward Yuri's position.
As if he knew something about the gem.
But Yuri couldn't understand a word.
"You should've asked Kori properly back then."
"He didn't know much."
"He just went 'akuak akuak' or whatever..."
"Ahem, maybe I should've kept him alive."
"It was a shaman. Better to kill it."
As the orc shaman began forming hand seals, Yuri severed its head without hesitation.
"Maybe I should learn Orcish..."
Yuri recalled his conversation with Kori.
'Akuak? Akuak means black... but that's all I got.'
'There was something after akuak, but I can't remember.'
'Want me to come next time?'
'No. Too dangerous.'
Kori had grown much braver.
Yuri shook off the thought and looked around.
"And..."
One orc lay slumped on the ground.
It wasn't dead yet.
The creature trembled violently, then bellowed at Yuri.
"Akuak kai! Akuak kai!"
"Akuak?"
It sounded familiar.
"You... that..."
The orc kept screaming at Yuri.
"Akuak kai!"
"Got it!"
Yuri charged and kicked the orc square in the jaw. It bit off its own tongue and passed out.
"Ugh, annoying. Keep it from drying out."
Jared swallowed a curse and shoved his hand into the orc's mouth.
"What about the komodo drake?"
"Kill it."
They had tried taming the komodo drakes, but the beasts never obeyed humans. Letting them go would just send them back to the orcs, so they slaughtered every one they caught.
"We're taking this one. Perfect timing—I've been curious."
The captured orc was small enough to ride behind someone on horseback.
Yuri loaded it up and returned to Brioll's main camp.
"Kori."
"Yes!"
Kori appeared promptly on his pony.
"Shall I translate?"
"Yeah."
"Leave it to me."
Kori had brightened up a lot while studying magic under Hernando.
"First..."
The orc reacted the same way to Kori as all the others: thrashing and yelling until a few blows quieted it down. Then it ground its teeth but answered Kori's questions obediently.
"Ask what 'akuak kai' means."
"Akuak kai? That's..."
Kori tilted his head and questioned the orc. It glared at Yuri and growled something.
"Akuak kai means 'black dog'..."
"Black dog?"
"They're calling you black dog, Your Highness."
"Me?"
Yuri cocked his head.
"Why am I a dog?"
"Your black hair... and you track orcs like a dog sniffing a scent..."
The watching knights burst into laughter.
"These crazy..."
Yuri glared at the orc.
It flinched under his gaze and muttered more.
"It says orcs giving an enemy a nickname is an honor. Be grateful."
Jared nodded in agreement.
"He's right, Your Highness. Count Sidoor is called the 'scarred wolf,' isn't he? It's a mark of fear."
"Then call me a wolf, not a dog."
"You can't fill up on the first drink. You'll be a wolf someday, then a lion. Keep it up, and you'll rank up to black dragon."
"Sounds like mockery."
"No way. Haha..."
Yuri approached the orc. It backed away.
From its reaction, it clearly feared him.
"Who came up with 'black dog'?"
"Doesn't know who, but it's spreading among the orcs. 'The emperor's black dog has come to crush Okua'..."
"Emperor's black dog?"
Yuri furrowed his brow.
Brioll's prince twisted into the emperor's dog. A humiliating misunderstanding.
"If I hear more, I might kill this thing."
"Hold back."
"Jared, you handle it."
"Got it."
Jared stuck to the orc.
He asked all sorts through Kori.
Quite a bit of useful intel came out.
The orc tribe in the hills had been unified under Okua long ago and was fully prepared for the allied forces.
It was essentially their first line of defense.
"Okua's subordinate and the hill tribe's chieftain, Kurui, is supposed to be an insanely strong warrior. Says the alliance won't get past Kurui, let alone Okua."
After extracting enough info, Yuri took the captive orc to Ragna.
Ragna promptly split its skull. His sword swing cracked like thunder.
Ragna handed the bloody blade to his aide.
"Even a translator? Brioll's full of talent."
"Thank you."
"Kurui, huh..."
Ragna smirked, clearly eager for battle.
His confidence was reassuring, but in his past life, the alliance had failed.
Yuri spoke up.
"It won't be easy. We need to prepare."
Yuri regretted his lack of detailed knowledge about the allied forces.
He knew they lost, but not the specifics. All he could do was warn them.
Ragna eyed Yuri with a grin.
"Thought you were reckless, but you're surprisingly cautious."
"It's war."
"You're right, Yuri."
Ragna had started calling him by name familiarly at some point.
"Won't be easy. Good work. Rest up."
"Yes, sir."
"Wait."
Ragna stopped Yuri as he turned.
"Yuri."
"Yes."
"Got a girlfriend? Fiancée?"
The sudden question widened Yuri's eyes.
"What brought this on...?"
"Answer."
Ragna's imperial dignity pressed down even in casual talk.
Yuri couldn't dodge.
"No."
"Age?"
"Eighteen."
"No defects, I hope. You fight bravely, so probably not. Anyway, Yuri—you're a man, so you like beauties, right?"
"What are you..."
"I've got a niece..."
Ragna trailed off.
"Never mind. Not the time for this in war."
"You don't mean..."
"Forget it. Go."
But Yuri had heard everything.
Definitely a niece. And Ragna had only one niece he'd call a beauty.
He wanted to grab Ragna's shoulder and yell that woman was out of the question.
"Something's seriously off."
Yuri muttered on his way back to camp.
"Need to take measures."
If things stayed like this, Ragna might try pairing him off after the alliance wrapped up. He had to avoid that.
But he couldn't refuse Ragna's favor outright.
Only one option: find someone suitable to fool Ragna's eyes.
Yuri racked his brain for a woman who might conspire with him.
"Ah, Yuri."
He bumped into Sibylla.
"Heard you fought orcs again today. Impressive. Any injuries...?"
She faltered under his stare.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing. Forget it."
Yuri shook his head.
Sibylla's status was too high.
But then again, she was a powerless princess, a figurehead checked by her brother, the heir.
Actually, she might fit perfectly.
As Yuri stared again, Sibylla frowned.
"Why do you keep staring?"
"Good."
"What?"
"You didn't blush."
No real feelings could sprout. Sibylla passed on that front.
"What the hell kind of nonsense is that?"
"Sibylla, you haven't forgotten you owe me your life, right?"
"Of course..."
"That's all. Just know I trust you completely."
"What are you on about...?"
"Let's keep helping each other. Take care!"
Yuri clapped her shoulder hard and walked past. His steps felt much lighter.
"What the...?"
Sibylla shook her head at Yuri's retreating back. Utterly unpredictable. No idea what he was thinking.
Then someone approached her.
"Princess."
"Penek?"
Penek led the Holy Kingdom's knights alongside Sibylla.
He had overheard their talk from behind.
Penek gazed at Sibylla thoughtfully.
Her face soured.
"Planning to stare silently this time?"
Penek cleared his throat.
"It's a fine sight."
"What?"
"For the Holy Kingdom's future, I support you two. Sincerely. I'll help anytime."
His intentions were transparent.
Penek followed Sibylla's brother, Larson. If she hooked up with another kingdom's prince, it'd solve his headaches.
"I'll be going then."
Like Yuri, Penek said his piece and turned away.
Sibylla wanted to yell at both, but held back with foreign troops watching.
"Both are pains in the ass."
Returning to camp, Yuri stumbled on a curious scene.
"That's how it happened."
"I see."
Graham sat on a rock, chatting with Kori.
"Ah, Your Highness."
Graham bowed as Yuri approached. Neither excessive nor rude.
A common soldier in white garb now, but his innate nobility shone through.
"Sir Graham, have you reconsidered my offer?"
"Drop the title, please. I'm just a soldier. And sorry, I only came to talk with Kori."
"With Kori?"
Kori wore his hood pulled low as always. But Graham seemed to know his secret.
"Ever met a half-orc?"
"Yes. I joined the last alliance."
Yuri sat beside Kori.
Kori shrank between them.
Yuri draped an arm over his shoulder and ruffled his head through the hood.
"How's the magic coming?"
"I'm trying, but it's hard. Sorry."
"Yeah, you should be."
"I'll work harder."
"Not harder—better."
Yuri glanced at Graham.
"Sir Graham, what'd you ask Kori?"
Graham opened his mouth, but Kori spoke first.
"S-Sir Graham asked if I could kill orcs. He asked other things too..."
Kori rarely volunteered without being asked.
"And I said yes."
His voice was firm.
Yuri looked at Kori.
His looks were orcish and ugly, but his heart was human.
"I lived in an orc settlement until Count Sidoor took me in. That's not a reason not to kill them—it's why I can. Even with orc blood in my veins."
Yuri understood.
In his past life, he'd been a mercenary, wandering the deadliest battlefields.
He'd seen plenty.
No sympathy for orcs.
Yuri gripped Kori's shoulder and shot Graham a mock glare.
"Hey, why try to kill our Kori's spirit?"
"Pardon?"
"Thought you were decent, Sir Graham, but I'm disappointed. Asking such a scary question. Kori's a precious future mage."
"Whoa, Your Highness?"