The Great Chieftain Trial
The lord of Seker could not hide his bewilderment as he stared at the unexpected figures who had arrived outside the castle walls.
"How... did you come to be here?"
The empire's First Prince, the disciple of the Tower Sage, the eldest son of the Imperial Knight Commander, and the woman leading all three of them.
"I—we would like to speak with the Orcs!"
"Miss Elysia, was it? This is a matter we of the North can resolve perfectly well on our own, and already—"
"How dare you ignore someone guaranteed by the First Prince of the Empire!"
"This is exactly why northern barbarians..."
"Hmph."
The lord of Seker ground his teeth as he watched these youngsters—far younger than himself—swagger about so brazenly.
You lot can just go back to the capital whenever you please, but I have to keep dealing with the Grand Duke here in the North!
"Haha. Your Highness, three days ago Grand Duke Victor already set out to speak with the Orc village."
"What?"
The moment the name of Victor, Grand Duke of the North, left the Seker lord's mouth, Prince Baron's expression crumpled.
Wasn't this the very man who had redirected the imperial contempt and the Emperor's wrath straight onto him?
"Prince Baron?"
"Are you all right?"
"...Ah. I'm fine."
Baron turned his head toward Elysia. He must not let his emotions shake. The reason he had come here was to help her.
If he showed a discomposed face, wouldn't he look inferior next to the other two?
"Ely...sia?"
The expression on Elysia's face that entered Baron's vision was one of pure bewilderment.
What... why is that Northern Grand Duke here? No—more than that, he's talking with the Orc tribe.
This wasn't something he had seen in the original story.
Another... another butterfly effect? Damn it!
There was no time to stand around. He had to move quickly. If they lost the Orcs—one of the non-human alliances—they would lose a critical pillar of the future plot.
"Baron."
"Speak."
"I have a favor to ask."
"Haaawn."
Three days of prairie camping had been thoroughly satisfying.
Come to think of it, when the family went to Mongolia, my sister—that damn family-register mate—stepped in horse dung and I laughed myself sick.
"...Ugh."
Ruche climbed out of the tent as if her entire body were creaking and dropped down beside me.
"It's already the third day, Grand Duke."
"Indeed."
"Don't just say 'indeed.' Are you planning to stay here even longer?"
"Of course not."
They would be here soon. Just a little more waiting. Or so I told myself, but—
The Orcs aren't discriminating by gender and making us wait longer on purpose, are they?
Just as that uneasy thought took hold, Gartan began walking toward us from the Orc village.
"Gartan."
"Sorry. It took time because I circulated word not only to our tribe but to every Orc tribe."
"Hm?"
Strange. The story was supposed to begin with the Lightning Claw Tribe and expand from there. Why this sudden leap in the plot?
"You look surprised."
"Why involve the other tribes as well?"
"You said you are the Grand Duke of the North who rules this land, yes?"
"That's right."
"If a man of that stature shows sincerity by waiting with patience, wouldn't that inspire trust? I told the other tribes what I saw and gathered those willing to join us. And I received an answer."
Thud!
Gartan dropped to one knee before me and bowed his head.
"The alliance of eleven Orc tribes, led by the Lightning Claw Tribe, grants Victor Walterheim the right to take the Great Chieftain Trial, and..."
"...Hm?"
"If you pass that trial, we will elevate you as the Great Chieftain."
"Wait a second."
I scratched my head and decided to ask about the last word Gartan had just used.
"Great Chieftain—isn't that the position that vanished after the Great War a hundred years ago?"
"It is."
"Why me for that? No—more importantly, a trial?"
"The Orc tribes have come to want to see the sincerity of a man like you. Whether you are someone to whom we can entrust the future."
"Uh, I'm human, not an Orc."
"It doesn't matter. In fact, the one who led us in the Great War was also a human, not an Orc."
Right. The Great War was fought between the Snow Ghosts and the allied forces of every race on the continent. The name of that alliance's leader was called differently by each race—a MacGuffin my family-register mate the author never managed to resolve in the end...
And now, out of nowhere, a trial to become the Great Chieftain.
"When is this trial?"
"The moment the tribes arrive."
"Then there's a bit of ti—"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"What?"
"Grand Duke... over there!"
I looked where Ruche pointed. Beyond the prairie a great host was approaching, kicking up a wall of dust as it closed on our position.
"They're here."
"What is?"
"The eleven Orc tribes have gathered in this place right now."
"..."
"Victor Walterheim, are you prepared?"
No time to prepare—just do it immediately. When had it ever been any other way?
"Anytime."
"Excellent. Follow me. I will guide you to the testing ground where the chieftains have assembled..."
"Wait!"
At the voice from behind, we turned to face its owner. Golden hair that seemed to hold light itself, blue eyes. A beautiful young man who looked as though he were announcing, I am a person of noble birth. The two men behind him were no less handsome.
And then—
"Please wait."
A pink-haired girl walked forward under the escort of those three. Her looks sat somewhere between ordinary and beautiful, yet she possessed a dog-like quality that somehow triggered every protective instinct.
So she came after all.
It was the appearance of Elysia, the heroine of the romance-fantasy world created by my family-register mate.
A cold-looking handsome man with black hair and red eyes was gazing at Elysia.
That man is the Northern Grand Duke, Victor Walterheim.
In the original novel he had been imprisoned for the fall of Blackheart Castle, but Blackheart Castle had never fallen, and thanks to that the Northern Grand Duke remained intact. On top of everything else, he was the man who had swept away every knight the imperial family had planted in the North.
Why is this man here? And why is he talking with Orcs—no, with Gartan of all people?
Gartan was supposed to be the first stepping stone in recruiting the Orc tribes. So why was he standing with that man?
Moreover, the woman beside the Northern Grand Duke is Ruche von Helm—the boss of the Northern Subjugation arc. Don't tell me she put ideas into his head?
"Outsider."
"Yes? Me?"
"Yes. I'm speaking to you."
At Gartan's voice, thick with killing intent, Prince Baron, the mage Boris, and the knight Ryan all drew their weapons as one.
"How dare you direct killing intent at Elysia!!"
"I'll burn you to ash, Orc bastard."
"I'll carve you into pieces."
The imperial soldiers who had accompanied the prince's party leveled their weapons at Gartan in the same breath.
Elysia stared at the scene in horror.
Kgh. I brought them because I was afraid Cecilia or the other bitches would pull something the moment I left, and now this...!!
Originally, the only person who should have arrived here was a single ordinary girl named Alicia. A simple story in which Gartan, moved by one girl's sincerity, joined forces with Alicia and his tribesmen to defeat the Seker lord's troops that had come to suppress them. But now—
"Elysia, fall back! Talking with Orcs was nonsense from the beginning!"
"Baron, listen to me—"
"Soldiers! Evacuate Elysia to a safe place!"
"Ah... no!"
At this rate Gartan would die and the connection to the Orc tribes would—
"Gartan."
BOOM!!!!
"What is this commotion."
The massive Orc approaching from the distance spoke only a single sentence, and everyone present froze solid. Fear that began at the tips of their toes flooded through their entire bodies until not even a finger joint would move.
If I move...
I'll die!
The scars and tattoos covering his face proved he was a survivor who had walked away from countless battles across the years of his life.
"I gathered the tribes in a hurry and ran all the way here, you know."
"I greet Filgote, the great warrior of the Black Axe Tribe."
Filgote!!!
Elysia was stunned. Why was the strongest warrior of the Orc tribes—who only joined at the very end of the novel—standing here right now?
Dangerous. If Baron's party misspoke even once—
Thud!
But contrary to Elysia's fears, Filgote simply walked past Baron's party. No—he passed them so naturally it was as if he did not even register that they were standing there.
"As expected, the human Gartan recommended for the Great Chieftain Trial."
"Indeed, great warrior Filgote."
Filgote met Victor's red eyes that were looking straight at him.
Huh. Look at this one.
No falsehood. No hesitation. The unwavering eyes of a true warrior.
Gartan's words were true. The strongest shield protecting the continent from those vicious, cruel Snow Ghosts, is it...
"Is there some problem?"
"No, none. Let's go. The other chieftains are waiting for you at the testing ground."
"W-wait!!!"
Filgote glanced at the owner of the voice behind him. His eyes held neither wariness nor anger—only a flicker of curiosity, followed by disappointment.
"Let's go."
"Didn't I tell you to wait, Orc!!!"
"Small and foolish human, today is an auspicious day."
BOOOOM!!!!
"Ghk..."
The pressure Filgote released made Baron feel as if razor-sharp fangs were stabbing into his lungs; his knees hit the ground.
"So I will mercifully let you leave. But there will be no second time."
"Y-you!!!"
The gaze fixed on Baron carried neither contempt nor rage. It was simply the look one gives a pebble rolling by the roadside.
Don't look at me... don't look at me like that...!
"I'm sorry!"
"Elysia?"
"Please forgive us..."
"You... what are you doing!"
"A wise child. But at the same time—"
Filgote clicked his tongue as he turned away and muttered under his breath.
"A vessel far too small for the ambition she carries."
Crack!!!
Glaring at Filgote—who had ignored both him and the woman he loved—Baron made a silent vow.
I will... I will definitely kill you! You and every last Orc!!!
Paying no mind to the stinging gaze boring into his back, Filgote strode forward with the natural bearing of the strong.
"Disappointed I didn't kill them?"
I shrugged at Filgote's question.
"No. Aren't they the sort who aren't even worth staining Lord Filgote's hands with blood?"
"Heh. Is that so."
Still—Filgote. The strongest Orc, who was only supposed to appear right before the final battle, had already shown himself.
"Hm? Something wrong?"
"I'm curious how exactly you explained me to them."
"Hahaha. I introduced you as a human the likes of which we have never experienced before."
"Pardon?"
"They said that, except for a hundred years ago, no one of power has ever set everything aside and faced us with true sincerity."
Ah. So that was it. When Elysia recruited Gartan, her standing was still weak compared to the later arcs. But I was different.
Even carrying the name of the Northern Grand Duke who ruled the North, I had set everything down and simply asked to talk.
That must have scored far higher on favorability.
"I've brought him."
Guided by Filgote and Gartan, we arrived at a place where nine Orcs sat waiting for us.
"Thank you for coming. Chieftains of the Orc tribes. I am Victor Walterheim, Grand Duke of the North."
The nine Orc chieftains nodded. At the same moment Filgote stepped forward until he stood directly before me.
"Victor. Take your weapon in hand. We begin the trial."