The Serpent’s Gambit
A heavy, thunderous roar of footsteps shook the very earth deep within the heart of the Orc horde. The confused Orc warriors instinctively retreated to either side.
KRRRAAAAK!
A colossal figure strode through the gap. Its body was twice the size of an ordinary Orc, covered in scars and clad in armor forged from beast bones. Most terrifying of all was the overwhelming pressure radiating from its entire frame.
It was the Orc Great Warrior.
He was furious. His horde had been struck by an unknown blood sorcery that had descended from the human walls above. His eyes burned with cold fury as he glared at the fortress.
Yet the Orc Great Warrior did not charge blindly. He stepped forward one pace and bellowed in rough Common:
“Human commander! Hear me!”
His voice, thick with aura, pierced the blizzard and rang across the walls.
“We came here not to seize your stronghold! We were driven south by a far more dangerous foe!”
The words sent ripples through the human commanders on the walls.
The Orc chieftain’s voice rolled on like war drums. “We will pass this barrier and move to a region far from your northern kin. Open the way!”
It was an absurd demand.
Volkrik stood at the very end of the wall and answered coldly.
“I cannot.”
Volkrik’s own voice, equally aura-laden, thundered across the battlefield.
“This fortress is the northern gateway of the Empire. Allowing twenty thousand Orcs inside our territory would betray our northern duty! We cannot open the way!”
Volkrik’s answer was absolute. No matter how corrupt the central nobles might be, this place had to be defended. It was the very meaning of the North itself.
Even if the Orc chieftain’s words were true, the way could not be opened.
The Orc Great Warrior slammed his massive axe into the snow.
“Then so be it.”
His eyes flashed with savage light. “If you will not open the way, we will break this wall with our bare teeth! We will kill as many humans as possible even if we cannot breach the walls, and paint this fortress red with your blood!”
It was not an empty threat. It was the raw killing intent born of desperation.
The atmosphere on the walls became suffocating. Fifteen thousand Orc warriors—aside from the defeated flank—plus warg riders, shamans, and the Orc Great Warrior himself, whose strength was enough to make even a Sword Master hesitate.
If they threw themselves into a suicidal assault with the retreat cut off, the fortress would suffer catastrophic damage no matter what.
At that moment the Orc Great Warrior made his offer.
“Instead of a full-scale battle, let’s settle it with a warrior’s duel!”
Everyone on the walls held their breath.
“Five against five! Five warriors from each side will fight!”
The Orc chieftain’s voice slammed down like a hammer. “If we win the duel, you will open the restricted passage and provide us with the bare minimum of food we can eat!”
He added another condition.
“Conversely, if we lose, we will stop attacking in front of your fortress and withdraw to wait. If your humans can at least give us food, we will hand over the intelligence we know about the dangerous enemies to the north. And if necessary, we will cooperate in stopping them!”
The Orc Great Warrior struck his own chest hard.
“I swear my honor as the Orc Great Warrior on this proposal!”
***
Inside the command tent.
Volkrik and the commanders began an urgent discussion.
“Can we trust them?”
“How can we believe the word of Orcs?!” young commanders protested.
But the veterans who had fought on the front lines gave a different answer.
“If the Orc Great Warrior has made an oath in his own name, then no matter how unlikely, we must believe it.”
“Exactly. Honor is a heavier value than life to them. They will not lightly speak it.”
“Most of all, a full-scale battle would cause devastating damage to the fortress. A duel is dangerous, but it is the most realistic way to buy time and reduce losses.”
Kyle stood with arms crossed, listening quietly to their debate.
This isn’t simple bravado.
His green eyes flashed coldly.
The Orcs were truly being pursued. The only thing they needed right now was survival itself, not territory.
So even in his rage the Orc Great Warrior had thought rationally. Rather than sacrificing his kin in a full-scale war, he had chosen the duel as the solution. He had shown both caution toward Kyle’s strange blood sorcery and reason.
A leader’s judgment, not a warrior’s.
In the end Volkrik made his decision.
He returned to the wall and answered the Orc Great Warrior.
“I accept the duel. But even if we lose, deciding to open the way is something I cannot do on my own authority.”
Volkrik modified his condition.
“If we lose, I will deliver your proposal to my family and request that they open the way. And whether we win or lose, as long as peace remains, we will provide the Orcs with the bare minimum of food. The food will consist mainly of preserved rations!”
The Orc Great Warrior fell silent for a moment.
Then he nodded.
“Good! Until the duel is over, both sides will cease all attacks!”
The war beneath the walls instantly went silent.
The soldiers on the walls stared at one another in confusion. A battlefield that moments ago had been filled with blood and flames had simply stopped—with just a few words.
Kyle felt a strange familiarity watching the scene.
War is always like this.
Even after spilling blood and fighting like beasts, they would stop the moment their interests aligned. A duel wrapped in honor was no different. In the end it was nothing but a transaction to limit their own losses.
“….”
Meanwhile, Karon, who had been watching the entire situation in silence, his blue eyes cold with calculation.
A duel.
It was the perfect opportunity he had never expected.
Honestly, I thought I wouldn’t be able to eliminate him in the chaos of a full war.
When he had seen Kyle’s bizarre blood sorcery, Karon had worried he would have to change his plan. He hadn’t known what kind of power Kyle was hiding.
But the Orc Great Warrior had handed him the perfect stage.
Five versus five duel.
Killing him in the middle of a battlefield’s chaos would be messy. This is far cleaner.
If he died in a duel, it would be neither an accident nor assassination. The most honorable, most legitimate death in the world. The knights would be shocked if they learned, but Karon didn’t believe in honorable deaths. Except for Elena, everything had value in his eyes.
That night.
Karon prepared quill and ink inside his private tent. A trusted soldier from the family stood waiting with the quill in hand.
“Write.”
“Yes, young master.”
Karon gave the order. It was to hide his own handwriting just in case. A guarantee in case something went wrong—he would claim he knew nothing.
The letter read as follows.
[In the duel, absolutely target Kyle Hartvalt.]
Underneath were the names of Kyle’s subordinates.
[Wulfran Gehte.]
[Leina Garyen.]
The probability of Lumia the mage participating was low, but Wulfran Gehte had to be killed together with Kyle. Leina Garyen was valuable as future loot, but she would gladly die if she threatened him while tied to Kyle.
And the most important condition was added.
[Especially, Kyle Hartvalt is a strong warrior. The Orc Great Warrior should personally step forward and sever his throat. It will be a righteous battle that does not tarnish my honor.]
At the end of the letter was Karon’s outrageous proposal, phrased ambiguously so that it could be attributed to his subordinate.
[Once Kyle disappears and a new successor takes control of the Hartvalt Duchy, I guarantee your safety. I will provide food and open the way.]
It was bait for the Orcs. Negotiating with the current northern command was far less profitable than dealing with the future Duke. Karon knew the Orcs would desperately want the road he promised to open for sure.
“Have you written everything?”
“Yes, young master.”
“Move immediately. The front is calm, so the negotiation route is open. I will create an opening. You will shoot secretly with an arrow and send it to them. Understood?”
“Yes! Understood!”
The soldier left the tent.
Karon blew out the candle.
Only his cold blue eyes remained visible in the darkness.
The Orc Great Warrior seems to understand rationality. He won’t reject my proposal.
If Kyle entered the duel, the Orc Great Warrior would crush him with overwhelming force and kill him. Karon would stand before everyone as the sad little sister mourning her brother’s death.
If Kyle disappeared, Karon would become the Duke.
The next heir.
In the darkness Karon smiled quietly.
Kyle.
He thought of his brother’s name.
I will handle the Orc Great Warrior who will kill you later. I’ll send him to your side. Don’t be too sad and die quietly.
Karon sincerely prayed that one day he would never have to remember the name Kyle again.