Chapter 149: Treasure Hunt (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 149: Treasure Hunt (3)
The final quest in Lake Fortress.
It was time to subjugate the orc colony where the last treasure was hidden.
The place was crawling with every kind of orc imaginable, starting with the Orc King. Sometimes, the royal treasure would randomly be placed there, but even if it wasn't, it was a place you had to visit at least once.
So, when the treasure appeared in the orc colony like this, it was a good thing, since it meant we only had to do the job once.
As usual, I was planning to go with just Azyeth.
“I will go as well.”
“You, Linvar?”
For some reason, Linvar, who seemed to loathe being with me, volunteered to come along.
Don't tell me she's gone senile at her age. Youthful dementia?
“The leader of our scouting party went missing while tracking orcs. He might be in the orc colony.”
“I don’t really mind, but…”
Thankfully, that wasn’t it.
Still, a missing scouting party leader.
Was there a story like that?
I couldn't possibly have forgotten a character of that importance, yet I had no memory of him at all. He probably died during the mission.
But it would be awkward for me to just come out and say he was dead.
“Understood. Let’s go together.”
Linvar firmed her resolve with a grim expression.
And so, the party heading to the orc colony was decided.
“Linvar, you have to bring the leader back!”
“We’re counting on you. I hope it doesn’t come to this, but… at the very least, bring back his body. We need to soothe his spirit.”
“Don’t you say such ominous things. Have you forgotten how tough that man is? He’s alive somewhere. You must find him.”
The villagers saw us off.
Jorn, who had been watching us from a distance, turned his back and disappeared the moment our eyes met.
“We’ll be on our way, then.”
The coachman cracked his whip, signaling our departure.
*
Arriving at a high cliff, I looked down below.
A colossal fortress.
The orc colony was in sight.
The journey here had been grueling. The path was treacherous, visibility was poor, and demonic beasts would leap out at us.
Without the map’s help, even I, who knew the general location, would never have found it.
If that scouting party leader had known about the map from the start, he wouldn't have needed to track the orcs. And he wouldn't have died.
Well, what can you do? The chief's got dementia.
A real shame.
As expected of a stage that was notoriously packed, the fortress was swarming with orcs like a nest of insects. Looking closely, I could see other races besides orcs.
Humans and dwarves.
They were the orcs’ slaves, busy repairing the broken fortress under the watchful eyes of their masters.
“Those monster bastards… How dare they enslave humans. That scum of the earth needs to be exterminated as soon as possible.”
“…”
I was just standing there, minding my own business, but I was taking splash damage. A stray stone hitting poor Karami.
“Rami… scum…?”
“That’s not something you should say to your master. And you, Linvar, please watch your words. You’re teaching Azyeth bad things.”
“Understood.”
Look at her, not even apologizing to me.
Whatever.
Once this is over, I’m done with you anyway.
“I will now tell you what you need to do, Azyeth. You will enter the fortress and wipe out the orcs.”
“Okay…”
“You can’t just use wide-area magic indiscriminately. There are hostages, and there’s an item we need to retrieve. Try to target only the orcs if you can.”
Azyeth nodded, indicating she understood.
I was a little worried she might pull a “I completely understand!” and then not understand at all, but surely even Azyeth could tell the difference between a person and an orc.
“Azyeth. I’m counting on you.”
Azyeth stood precariously at the very edge of the cliff. One more step and she would fall. And yet, she took that step.
It was Azyeth’s great decision.
*
A snowflake descended.
A snowflake in the shape of a person.
It was not a snowflake that fell under the pull of gravity like any other, but one that had leaped of its own accord.
To surrender to weight?
Or to advance with will?
Azyeth had always done as she was told.
On the surface, this time was no different.
But inside, it was.
I want to return Pascal’s music box to Darka.
I want to hear the music box’s song.
The single step she took from the cliff’s edge was not a simple fall, but the first step she had ever chosen.
The shackles of her days, forged from obedience, seemed to crumble and scatter in the wind.
“Kuruk?”
An orc, sensing the chill in the air, looked up at the sky.
A single snowflake, falling upon the gloomy orc colony.
Not a harsh blizzard, but a gentle, blanketing snow.
Her step, filled with will, was not a fall but a flight. The snowflakes traversing the space between heaven and earth radiated a wintery light.
The snowflakes soon became ice.
And they poured down.
Kweeeeeeeek!
The magic control was so precise it was uncanny.
The rain of ice struck the orcs with perfect accuracy.
Crack. Craaack.
The ground froze over, and shards of ice shot up from it.
An ice slide formed to catch Azyeth.
Riding the U-shaped slide, Azyeth did a somersault in the air before landing gracefully.
An intruder.
The orcs roared, sounding the alarm.
Azyeth paid them no mind. She looked around, searching for the people.
The orcs’ slaves.
They wore shackles with iron balls attached to their ankles.
They were bone-thin.
Their faces were etched with the emotions of sorrow and despair.
She had come to know the dwarves.
She had come to know the people of Northguard.
Azyeth did not know how to smile.
Nor did she know the emotion of joy.
But she knew that what she saw did not suit them.
They liked to smile.
To gather together with passion.
So that they could be like that again.
Azyeth created a sword.
It held no brilliance.
It held no ferocity.
But for her, this was a revolution.
Deep in her heart, a tiny crack formed on the soul that had been trapped in ice.
The dragon’s curse activated instantly, but Azyeth resisted.
Clutching the small piece of will she had protected, a will that had not yet vanished, she swung her sword.
*
Why do bad guys always love dark places?
The thought suddenly bloomed in my mind as I watched the orc colony.
Is it for the atmosphere?
If that’s their taste, they must be suffering from a bad case of chuunibyou.
Narcissists, getting high on their own moody vibes in some dark, gloomy place.
Then is it because it’s easier to commit evil deeds?
I could understand if they were some petty, insignificant thieves, but for a leader who commands an entire region to act like that is just pathetic.
The strong do not care for day or night.
In fact, they cause trouble in bright, crowded places. That’s how you get attention, and by crushing those who try to stop you, you can show off your power.
In other words, those who hide in the dark to do their dirty work are weak. It is because they are weak that they cannot act openly and must resort to cowardly tactics.
The strong are not those who hide in the dark.
Nor are they those who stand in the light.
A true powerhouse is one who turns their back to the light and advances into the shadows.
The world calls such a person a hero.
The protagonist of a fairy tale.
Just like Azyeth right now.
Having landed in the middle of the orc colony, Azyeth was slaughtering orcs with her sword and magic.
I’d held my breath in shock when she jumped off the cliff, but thankfully, my fears were unfounded. That little rascal, giving her master a heart attack.
Well, since my slave is working so hard, I should do my part too.
“Let’s head down, too. While Azyeth is fighting the orcs, we’ll sneak in and get the people and the item out.”
“Can’t we just go in after the young lady kills them all? Do we really have to sneak in now?”
“Cornered orcs might do something to the hostages, and more importantly, we don’t have much time. We need to grab the Orc King and get out of here immediately.”
“Why?”
“There are reasons.”
Linvar looked like she didn’t understand, but I remained vague about the details.
To put it simply, the areas where the final treasures are located are Skadia’s territory. The wyvern’s nest was one, and so is this orc colony.
If Azyeth, who is supposed to be sealed, rampages in Skadia’s domain, the dragon will notice her existence.
We had to finish the job quickly and scram.
We went around the cliff and attempted to infiltrate the orc fortress.
Orcs are powerful.
It takes four soldiers to take down a single one. For me, who had zero combat ability, and Linvar, a scout, they were tough opponents.
Fortunately, thanks to the spectacular scene Azyeth was making, most of the orcs had gone out to fight her. We managed to sneak in without any trouble.
Our first priority was to secure the slaves’ safety. We made our way to the underground prison.
Fwaat.
As we were about to enter the prison, a screen popped up in front of me with the system’s characteristic sound effect.
`[Slave Clue: Highest Grade]`
`In Eisengar, the frozen tundra of the continent's farthest north.`
`Tarkind, an Ironblood Warrior and a Northguard, defends his village from an invading orc horde.`
`After a fierce battle, the Northguard repels the orcs.`
`Tarkind pursues them to find their base, only to be captured and become an orc's slave...`
A Slave Clue? What was this again?
It was an item I’d gotten from the gacha.
It had drained all my points, and what came out seemed to be a male slave, so I had completely put it out of my mind.
And that Slave Clue had just activated now.
A Northguard who was captured while tracking orcs…
“Linvar, by any chance, is your leader’s name Tarkind?”
“Yes. Did I not mention it?”
“You might have.”
I probably just forgot because I wasn’t listening.
If he was a character from a Slave Clue, there was no chance he was dead. He was probably working as a slave somewhere in this fortress.
But it feels like a lot of time has passed.
If this were a game, nothing would happen until the user made contact, but this wasn’t a game…
I was about to find out what happens when you neglect to rescue a slave.
“Orcs scary… hate orcs…”
A solitary cell in the underground prison.
A naked man, hanging from chains.
The system’s official slave marker floated above his head.
`[Tarkind, the Ironblood Warrior]`
His emaciated body and filthy appearance made him look like he’d been completely sucked dry.
And the only ones here who could have done the sucking were the orcs…
My bad.
But… I think it’s your fault for being born a male character in a waifu game.
I’m not to blame.