The Sixth Research - Chieftain Belkan (2)
A peculiar procession crossed the barren Great Wasteland. At the head rode orc warriors mounted on direwolves—an unsurprising sight, given that the wasteland was their homeland.
“The weather is quite hot.”
“…Indeed it is.”
“The climate is very different from Heartland.”
Far more remarkable were the trolls walking alongside the orcs. Led by Chieftain Olgoldugolro, elite troll warriors escorted the group.
“…It feels as though we are the ones being protected.”
Elder Kartlig remarked in admiration as he observed the mountain troll warriors. These were not the monsters he had once faced. They wore proper clothing like civilized folk and spoke the common tongue with remarkable fluency.
“In truth, all of us are under protection.”
“What do you mean?”
At Kartlig’s question, Olgoldugolro pointed toward the center of the column. There walked the noble from the Far East and the grey-robed mage.
“Those two are the ones guarding us.”
“…Hmm.”
Kartlig narrowed his eyes and studied them. The Grey Sage Tellorian appeared unassuming at first glance, yet anyone sensitive to magic could immediately sense his formidable presence.
‘If he truly is a sage who foresees the future, then of course he would be powerful. But the man beside him, who looks like a girl—what is he supposed to be?’
The noble possessed an androgynous, almost demonic beauty. He would surely draw the eyes of women and men alike, regardless of race. Sold to a slave trader, he would fetch a chest brimming with gold ingots.
‘Yet why display such beauty here, of all places?’
The man had dressed himself to the nines from head to toe. His hair and face glistened with oil, jade ornaments adorned his person, and he wore a black doublet. Was this how the fabled Night Emperor looked when he swept through imperial ballrooms?
‘A man who knows neither time nor place.’
Thanks to his attire, he was now suffering miserably, drenched in sweat. His makeup had run, the doublet was soaked through, and the ornaments had become nothing but burdens.
“I distinctly recall telling you to dress comfortably.”
“This is me having already abandoned all formality!”
Lore Acquired: Devils!
Experience +5
15/100 until Level 17
“I shall make it perfectly clear what you just said. There is an important contract at stake, so come along in appropriate attire. I shall see that you receive a generous share!”
Lucifeles fumed.
I had brought him along, yet here he was, acting ungrateful.
“This is fraud! Deliberate deception!”
I ignored his continued whining. Had I known he would be this noisy, I would never have extended him the grace of becoming my companion.
‘Strange.’
When he appeared as a patron or an enemy, he had always radiated overwhelming dignity. During debates he spoke in poetic verse, and in battle he sang ballads while displaying the majesty of a great devil.
‘Up close, he’s just a fool…’
A devil who gets swindled by a contract scam—nothing but a vain simpleton. In the first playthrough I had thought him the most stylish villain…
‘I should have recruited his brothers instead.’
Lucifeles’s half-brothers were true archdevils of the infernal realms. They devised flawless plans and executed them without a single mistake.
‘Still, if we look at the later stages, Lucifeles is the better choice.’
His clumsiness stemmed from his human blood. Even if he was the weakest archdevil now, with proper nurturing he could realize his potential and become the strongest.
‘Hang in there, youngest son of the devil household!’
As a fellow youngest son, I felt a certain kinship. The jealousy toward more capable half-siblings, the struggle to earn a father’s favor—everything about it was familiar.
‘I escaped my father’s shadow, but…’
A son who faces a great father has two choices: to break free from him, or to surpass him.
‘It will not be easy for him.’
If he fails at both, he becomes nothing more than an extension of his father. The greater the father’s shadow, the more often the sons’ lives are ruined.
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“I was thinking of my father.”
Lucifeles grinned.
“Your family situation was complicated as well, wasn’t it?”
“…”
“Shall I look into their whereabouts?”
I considered it for a moment.
“No need.”
I refused.
It was unnecessary.
“Focus on rescuing your own sisters.”
“Oh?”
I felt no lingering affection for my parents or brothers. A faint mix of love and hate remained, but not enough to warrant dredging up unpleasant memories.
“They were kind to me.”
“I have accepted your request.”
“What is the price?”
“Consider it the brokerage fee for this transaction.”
“Not a bad deal.”
We did not bother drafting a formal contract. Lucifeles knew exactly what would happen to him if he tried any tricks on me.
“Then the progress report on the matter…”
“Handle that yourself.”
“Is that acceptable?”
“Yes. And do not inform me of the results either.”
Each of us would live our lives to the best of our ability from our respective positions. There was no reason to reopen scars that had only just healed. My sisters would likely feel the same.
“Then I shall carry out the contract and return.”
May they live in peace.
May they find happiness.
“I should change clothes while I’m there anyway.”
With a flash of light, Lucifeles vanished.
Verbal Contract with a Great Devil established!
Experience +10
Lore Points +1
25/100 until next level
Lore Points: 12
“Is that a spirit you command?”
“Hmm?”
The man who spoke was Elder Kartlig. He had been observing Lucifeles with keen interest for some time. Only natural, since he was the one guiding us to the chieftain.
“At first I thought he was a ridiculous human, but the more I look, the more I sense he is something else entirely. And of extremely high standing.”
The elder was someone who had survived into old age—even within orc tribal society.
“May I ask what manner of being he is?”
“…”
Orcs defined Transcendents as elementals. In their view, even the sun god who ruled the heavens was merely the most powerful elemental.
“What exactly is an elemental?”
I had already learned the orc perspective through the setting compendium. Still, I wanted to hear it from a native’s mouth rather than from an outsider’s written account.
“Oh?”
The question had come somewhat out of nowhere.
“So the Sage is interested in elementals?”
Even so, the elder answered willingly. Perhaps it was goodwill toward someone showing interest in their faith.
“I am.”
“An elemental refers to any soul born from the great nature. They are far more powerful and sacred than souls born from mortal flesh.”
In other words, according to the orc viewpoint, elementals were beings inherently spiritual in nature—gods, demons, angels.
“However, the elementals we most commonly interact with are those of the four great elements. Our world is composed of four elements, after all…”
It would be necessary to clarify the definition of [Mortal]. Even elves who live a thousand years are mortals. Ancient dragons possessing power comparable to archangels are also mortals.
Because they lack divinity.
Therefore their lifespans are limited.
Lore Acquired: Mortals!
Experience +10
Lore Points +1
35/100 until next level
Lore Points: 13
“…Where was I?”
“Elementals are souls born from great nature.”
“Indeed. There are elementals in the very earth we tread and the air we breathe. In the whispering waters and the blazing flames…”
The four great elements.
The classic image of elementals.
“…But elementals exist wherever great nature is present. Even in the beasts you call monsters, and in the peculiar realms you refer to as hell or heaven.”
That was why good and evil did not exist in the world of the desert orcs. They believed that one’s nature changed depending on which elemental one worshipped.
“Our mortal inner selves are like a vast ecosystem. There are barren deserts and fertile oases alike. Thus we harbor both beasts and herbivores within our hearts. That is why your perspective of dividing dispositions into good and evil, chaos and order, feels foreign to us.”
Lore Acquired: Philosophy (Desert Orc)!
Experience +10
Lore Points +1
45/100 until next level
Lore Points: 15
Religion and culture define one’s worldview. Such perspectives are called worldviews, and when people with different worldviews live together, conflict becomes inevitable.
“There are also innate racial differences, are there not?”
“Indeed. We are stronger than you.”
Elder Kartlig spoke with evident pride, and his pride had solid grounding. Orcs possessed far greater muscle mass and bone density than humans. Their faster metabolism also granted them superior physical capabilities overall. A single orc male could take on three human males, and an orc female could take on two.
“In exchange, we have shorter lifespans than you.”
“It does not matter. We live glorious lives.”
“Short average lifespans make it difficult to form advanced civilizations. That is the first reason your people have not progressed beyond tribal society.”
Short lifespans.
Difficulty accumulating knowledge.
“Furthermore, your brains are smaller than ours, which reduces your capacity for mathematical reasoning or precise manual work. That is the second reason you cannot escape tribal society.”
If orcs had achieved the same level of civilization as humans, they would still be the ones ruling the continent.
Lore Acquired: Biology (Orc)!
Experience +10
Lore Points +1
55/100 until next level
Lore Points: 16
“But such magical facts do not prove orc inferiority or human superiority.”
I shifted the atmosphere.
This was what I had been aiming for from the beginning.
“Because superiority is a relative concept.”
“…”
“All living beings have simply evolved to suit their respective environments. To rank them as superior or inferior…”
…The concept of evolution was far too alien to the orcs of this medieval land. Moreover, in this world it was common for deities to be involved in the creation of races, so explaining races through purely magical logic would leave gaps.
“…Just as elves are not superior to humans, humans are not superior to orcs.”
Only then did Kartlig understand the argument and nod. It was a clear enough logic even for an orc’s mind to grasp.
“I understand your meaning.”
“I am glad.”
“So what is it you wish to claim?”
I smiled.
“We can coexist.”
“!”
“Provided we acknowledge each other’s differences.”
The conclusion of our long exchange.
Orcs and humans could coexist.
They simply needed a mediator.
“I will demonstrate that.”
Convinced the Orc Elder!
Experience +10
Lore Points +1
65/100 until next level
Lore Points: 17
Three days later.
The Great Plains, gathering place of the desert orcs.
“Chieftain!”
“Wise Belkan!”
“Big brother!”
Three orcs bearing heavy responsibilities rushed toward the chieftain’s tent. They were the respective leaders known as the War Chief, the Grand Shaman, and the Chief Pathfinder.
“““Order us to march at once!”””
At the same moment, one hundred thousand warriors arrayed across the plains raised a thunderous roar. The sight of the livestock herds they had brought along bellowing in unison resembled a horde of demons rising from hell.
“I am impressed by your skill!”
“At last, all the tribes are enraged!”
“A wretched death to the treacherous humans!”
The tragic deaths of the envoys had united the previously fractious desert orcs. Normally, desert orcs were each other’s most dangerous rivals, forced to compete over oases.
“Let them fear us!”
“The wrath of the elementals shall descend!”
“A green tide shall sweep across the central lands!”
Thanks to this, the desert orcs—who had gathered all tribes together for the first time in three hundred years—witnessed just how powerful they became when united.
“…”
Yet the chieftain was deep in thought.
“Return to the camp and wait.”
“Chieftain! If we delay the march any longer—!”
“Wait.”
At Chieftain Belkan’s heavy reply, silence fell. War Chief Blacktusk was momentarily overawed, but soon snorted and answered.
“The fury of the excited warriors pierces the heavens!”
“Even so, the War Chief must not lose his composure.”
“Why must I not lose my composure?! They castrated, beheaded, and devoured the envoys we sent seeking aid! Now is the time to return every ounce of the humiliation we have suffered!”
At this, Chieftain Belkan quietly placed his hand upon the red hammer resting on the armrest. Blacktusk likewise gripped the handle of the double-bladed axe slung across his back.
“…What do you think you are doing?”
Just before a fight could break out,
the elder’s voice was heard.
“We have guests arriving from afar.”