Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Scar-13
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We won.
My body felt like it would collapse at any moment from exhaustion, but my mind was crystal clear.
The orcs were fleeing in every direction. It took something extraordinary to break their ferocity, but once the tide turned, they scattered more easily than anyone.
There was no room to step. The ground was blanketed with orc corpses.
"That was..."
If it was a kid who could cast a spell like that, no one came to mind except Pashier.
But I was too worn out to go hunting for her right now, and my mood was far too euphoric. Not euphoric enough to want to ruin it by seeing her face.
"We won!!!"
The survivors were roaring in triumph. I slowly headed back toward them.
"Well done!"
The lord rode up on horseback and steadied my swaying form.
"Slaying the Orc Lord? That's an unbelievable feat! Even Her Highness the Princess will praise your accomplishments!"
I'd felt it when he'd come to the tavern in person to rally people, but he was a pretty decent guy.
Maybe it was because the nobles I'd seen on my travels had set my expectations so low that I was bound to like him.
"Is it over?"
My body itched to chase the fleeing orcs, but even I knew it was impossible to order these exhausted soldiers to pursue them.
Orcs who'd lost their rallying point once wouldn't regroup in any significant numbers.
Adventurers or the army would handle the cleanup later.
"Of course! When I saw the Orc Lord, I thought it was all over... I figured it was some divine relic at worst, or maybe an orc breeder."
I nodded. If I'd known I'd have to fight such a formidable foe, I might have reconsidered joining the battle.
"We had no way to deal with a monster like that. I nearly got everyone killed because of my mistake."
From the moment I heard we'd be fighting orcs in a field battle, I'd half-expected it. There were too many variables for certainty, though.
"Anyway, let's head back. I'll throw a feast, even if it stretches us thin."
"...Thank you."
I dragged my limp body onto his horse. He had wounds scattered across his body too.
There was a lot to sort out. I was grateful for now, but I needed to find out why Pashier was here and wrap things up with Elenor.
"Incredible!"
"W-What the hell was that? What was with that light...?"
But seeing the people greeting me, half-collapsed as they were, lightened my heart a bit.
"Great work, Master!"
The maid had orc blood splattered here and there on her too. No one was unscathed.
"..."
I felt a little guilty. If I'd moved just a bit faster, maybe there'd have been fewer casualties.
The adventurer with the prosthetic leg limped over on his one good foot.
"Thank you. I'm just glad... I'm alive."
Tears glistened faintly in her eyes. Maybe the grief she'd suppressed during the battle was finally breaking through.
Even in victory, the corpses weren't few. They were just people I'd known for a day or two at most, but to her, they were family and friends.
"No, thank you."
We'd been lucky.
Not every good deed leads to a happy ending.
It was bearable when those you helped weren't grateful or accepted aid grudgingly.
Some demanded more and threw tantrums, others made unreasonable requests.
And it wasn't always the bad ones who met the worst fates.
If these people had fought just a little clumsier, if they'd been a touch weaker, no matter how hard I fought killing orcs, all that would be left behind would be their corpses.
"That's what I should be saying."
Seeing the people you swore to protect all dead was more horrific than anything.
"Thank you."
More people had survived than I'd expected. The magic had played a part, and the orcs' panic after their lord fell, but they'd held out remarkably well.
Only then could I manage a small smile.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The savory aroma of roasting meat wafted through the air.
"D-Dad! Is that right?"
The waitress watched the sizzling meat over the fire with a doubtful expression.
"No way it's wrong! I've been cooking at this inn since before you were born!"
"All you've ever done is venison or rabbit, and even that's mostly in stews or pies!"
She stomped her feet, yelling that it might burn.
"And it's not even local pork. It's expensive stuff we paid top coin for—if you burn it..."
"If you can't focus, just be quiet!"
Realizing words weren't getting through, she urgently called me over.
"Baron, sir, do something about it! This is a disaster!"
"Looks decent enough to me."
It'd be abysmal for a professional chef, but my standards for cooking had plummeted endlessly after all my travels.
"Still, it's meat the lord himself gifted us... Just sharing it like this is thanks enough..."
"No one could eat a whole pig alone anyway."
It wasn't a wealthy territory. A feast didn't mean everyone got delicacies.
That one pig was my gift.
"By the way, the lord didn't seriously think one pig was full compensation, right? He's usually nice, but a bit stingy..."
"...I don't need more. Besides, it didn't seem like that was his plan from the start."
"Shouldn't you be dining up there, sir? With the lord, the Princess, the other knights..."
"I'm fine. This inn's more comfortable."
The waitress clapped a hand over her mouth, overwhelmed with emotion, and I couldn’t hold back a laugh.
"Dad, hear that? The baron's here because our inn's comfy!"
"See? That's why I told you not to skip cleaning—do every corner thoroughly."
"I did! What about it!"
"We're not importing fancy foreign furniture. It's all about diligent upkeep and sincere service. That's what adds up to make him like our place, right?"
I felt a twinge of guilt toward the excited innkeeper, but that wasn't the real reason.
I wanted to savor this a bit longer. Once I saw the Hero's party, I doubted I'd feel this relaxed.
The lord had been disappointed I skipped their feast, but he'd handed over the pig anyway, insisting I enjoy it somewhere comfortable.
"I had no idea you were hiding that kind of power. Has this happened a lot before? It's straight out of a knight's tale—suddenly appearing to vanquish the threat..."
"It's happened a few times, but I wasn't a knight."
"Whoa, really? With that strength? Or did you train later to get that powerful?"
"It's... complicated."
If I started with, "I used to be the Hero, but I handed over my power and tagged along with the Hero's party...," who knew how far the story would spread.
"Hey, don't pry so much. The baron has his reasons."
The innkeeper came to my defense. It was only natural— a noble traveling with just one maid wasn't normal.
He'd probably look like someone who'd lost his title and gone into hiding, or caught in a family feud. That was easier for me anyway.
"You've adventured all over, though, right?"
"Yeah."
She was an adventurer too, so she'd wandered plenty. Maybe even more than me, who'd only roamed demon battlefields since arriving in this world a few years back.
"Do other villages throw feasts like this?"
I pondered for a moment.
The Hero's party had saved plenty of people, but I didn't know what came after.
We never had time to lounge at a feast—we were too busy fighting to protect them.
Afterward, we'd drag our weary bodies, accept half-hearted thanks, pack in a rush, and hit the road.
"Dunno, but it probably wasn't easy. The Demon King was still alive not long ago, after all..."
Of course, I wasn't the one who deserved thanks in those fights.
I'd just begged them to fight or assisted while evacuating civilians—I never clashed directly with the enemy.
This battle was different. I'd protected these people. I'd slain the Orc Lord.
All on my own power, without sacrificing a soul.
"Food's ready!"
It wasn't some fancy dish. The baron had given plenty of spices and salt, but no inn like this was serving gourmet fare.
But meat dripping with fat couldn't taste bad. The outside was nicely crisped, and when I sliced it open, the inside was perfectly cooked.
"Oops! Gotta grab the booze... You should've said something sooner!"
The waitress grumbled as she dashed to the barrel. The other adventurers teased her, clamoring for drinks too.
As if no one was grieving at all, they laughed like that.