Even in an Orc's Den (2)
"Squeal—! Wake up, squeal—!"
A gruff, grating voice speaking in fragmented words snapped me awake. I bolted upright and scanned my surroundings. I was still in the forest, though a pack of Orcs now surrounded me. Beside me, the half-felled tree the Orcs had been hacking away at remained tilted exactly where they had left it.
Unable to believe it, I looked down at my hands once more. They were the coarse, green hands of an Orc. Unlike when I had transformed into a fur-covered animal, these thick, calloused hands felt bizarrely real. Fascinated, I clenched and unclenched my fists repeatedly. But the novelty didn't last long. The physical sensations of my new skin, which had been temporarily forgotten in the thrill of successfully transforming into an Orc, suddenly rushed back.
"Squeak! Damn it! It stings!"
Damn it, it stings.
Damn it, it stings.
Damn it, it stings.
My pain-filled voice echoed through the forest. I clamped a hand over my mouth, horrified by how naturally human speech had slipped out. But it was too late. The other Orcs were already staring at me, their faces twisted in sheer bewilderment. Soon, a chorus of startled squeals and grunts erupted from all directions.
You guys aren't the only ones shocked. I'm shocked too. Since speaking had been entirely impossible when I was in animal form, I hadn't expected to be capable of human speech now. Besides, it seemed the Orcs' inability to speak wasn't due to their oral structure. Though my oversized jaw caused my pronunciation to slip and occasionally forced out involuntary squeaks, it wasn't enough to prevent speech entirely. That meant their silence was purely due to a lack of intelligence. These guys really were incredibly stupid.
I looked around at the creatures staring blankly down at me. Experiencing life as another species brought many new revelations. For instance, the reason they could roam around in broad daylight wasn't because they were immune to the sun, but simply because they were forcing themselves to endure it. If my skin was the same as theirs, then they were currently standing under the sunlight while bearing an unbearable, burning sting. Even now, I felt a searing pain, as if raw, peeled skin were being doused in boiling water.
"Squeal... You... squeal... speak... squeal."
Before I could fully process my new insights about Orcs, the Boss Orc addressed me.
"Squeak. Yeah, I speak. Very well, in fact. Squeak."
When I gave a half-hearted reply, his eyes widened. I hoped that look was joy at finding a companion capable of communication.
"Squeeeal—!"
Apparently not. Not judging by the way he raised his shield and lunged at me. The Boss Orc had clearly grown instinctively wary of me, sensing an intelligence that surpassed his own.
"Squeak! Damn it, stop!"
I rolled out of the way, narrowly avoiding the shield he slammed down. My skin was already burning like hell, and the friction of rolling on the ground made me curse out loud in agony. However, any room for whining vanished instantly as he swung the sword held in his other hand.
I scrambled to my feet and snatched a sword from the hand of a nearby subordinate Orc. As the Boss Orc and I squared off, the surrounding subordinates began to howl in excitement. Standing at full height, I realized the other Orcs were significantly smaller than me. It seemed that because I had touched the Boss Orc, my base size had been scaled to match his. Smiling, I realized that picking a fight with the leader right off the bat had been the right choice after all.
"Squeal—!!!"
Perhaps offended by my smirk, he lunged again, swinging his sword. But his attacks were so simplistic that dodging them was child's play. Unlike when I was a human, facing him as an Orc of similar stature wasn't frightening at all. There was no reason to fear an opponent who only knew how to swing and chop in predictable patterns.
Stepping back to avoid another shield slam, I casually slipped my foot behind his leg. Sure enough, the Boss Orc failed to notice the trip hazard and went down hard.
Thud!
He hit the ground with a heavy, flesh-shaking impact.
"Squeeeal—!!"
Flustered, the boss struggled to get back up, completely forgetting his rudimentary speech. Orcs lived in packs and maintained an unusually strict hierarchy. It was said that once a new leader was established, the pack would follow them unconditionally.
Well, that left me with two choices. I could kill him, become the new boss of the Orcs, and take responsibility for this pack of followers—or I could bolt and figure out a way to get back into my original body.
I have always preferred simple and efficient solutions.
So, holding the sword, I turned and sprinted away as fast as my legs could carry me.
"Squeeeal—! Catch him, squeal—! Catch him!!! Squeeeal—!!!!"
The furious roars of the Boss Orc echoed behind me, but what did I care? The protagonist would take care of killing him later anyway.
I ran and ran.
"Squeal—!!!!"
At the sound of the Orc's roar echoing through the forest, Jing, Ratel, and Lia all turned their heads toward the source.
"Ratel, did you hear that just now? Master Ran might be in danger."
At Jing's urgent prompting, Ratel clicked his tongue.
"No, there are no humans over there. It's just Orcs. Pull yourself together and actually listen."
Jing held his breath and focused his hearing. He had no choice but to admit it. The only things audible were the heavy, thudding footsteps of Orcs.
"Doesn't that make it even more dangerous? He might have already been captured by them."
"Then there's even less of a point in chasing after him. He'd already be dead."
At Ratel's blunt reply, Jing's expression turned colder than ever before.
"So, you're saying we should abandon Master Ran and head to the Temple?"
"Yes."
"Fine. Then we part ways here."
Ratel's eyes widened slightly.
"Don't you realize that if we don't destroy the Holy Relic as soon as possible, your family in the Capital will be in danger too?"
"I know."
"And yet you'd choose searching for a useless corpse over your own family?"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm suggesting we divide and conquer. I will stay behind alone to search for Master Ran. You go ahead and gather information on the Temple."
Ratel gestured to their surroundings. "How do you expect to find a single corpse by yourself in these vast, rugged mountains? For all we know, he might already be nothing but bones."
"I believe Master Ran is still alive. He must be hiding for some reason."
A sneer played on Ratel's lips at Jing's unwavering conviction.
"He might have just used the chaos as an excuse to run away."
"I told you, he wouldn't do that."
A suffocating silence stretched between the two. In the end, Ratel was the first to yield. He let out a long sigh and took a step back.
"Fine. I'm going to the Temple. Stay here and search for his corpse or do whatever you want, Jing. I won't stop you. But once I arrive in Limis, I will only wait for a single day. After that, I'm going into the Temple and doing things my way, so be prepared."
With that, Ratel mounted his horse and rode off. He did not look back.
"Um, excuse me, Jing... I think I'll stay and help you. I'm worried about Ran too."
Lia, who had been caught awkwardly in the middle of their argument, finally let out her held breath and spoke softly.
Jing gave her an apologetic smile and shook his head. "No, Lady Lia. You should follow Ratel. That boy lacks basic common sense when it comes to city life and the Temple. He's going to need you."
"B-but I need you here, Jing. Besides, Ratel doesn't listen to a single word I say anyway."
Jing smiled bitterly at her very reasonable concern.
"But I have to search this entire mountain range in a single day. It will be too difficult for you to keep up with me."
He was right. Traipsing through the mountains all day was far too demanding for Lia's current physical limits.
Jing gently patted Lia's slumped shoulders. "And don't worry about Ratel. If he won't listen to reason, just let him do as he pleases. I'll handle him somehow later. Just speak up if it looks like he's about to get himself killed."
This less-than-comforting advice only made Lia's face fall further. She had no desire to travel with someone who made life-threatening decisions so casually. Yet, her path was already decided.
"But you have to find Ran and come back tomorrow, okay?!"
Lia forced a brave smile, blinking back her tears, and spoke resolutely. She quickly mounted her horse to catch up with the receding figure of Ratel.
Perched on Lia's shoulder, the squirrel, El, looked just as conflicted as she was. It glanced at Jing, then at Ratel, before ultimately deciding to remain on Lia's shoulder.
With its most prominent candidate for the throne vanishing overnight, the Abaran Empire was plunged into absolute chaos. There was Rasiah's mysterious death, the massive fire that had broken out at the Capital's Temple, and the near-ruin of the Fides Duchy.
Duke Millio wiped the greasy sweat from his brow as he walked down the corridor leading to the council chamber. Information that entered the imperial palace never leaked out. No one dared to even think of betraying the imperial family. Everything that transpired within those walls was swallowed whole by the palace.
In such an extremely conservative circle, the established flow of power rarely shifted. Duke Millio knew that this chaotic period was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was the perfect chance to elevate his own family to become the right hand of the imperial family, replacing the practically ruined Fides family.
"Ah, Duke Millio, you've arrived."
As he entered the chamber, the nobles gathered inside stood up one by one to greet him. At this sight, a smug smirk crept onto Duke Millio's face. See? The treatment is already different.
Duke Millio took his time finding his seat, thoroughly enjoying the way the other nobles watched him warily. Now that those eyesores were gone, life was incredibly sweet. They must all be anxious and terrified. Duke Millio thought to himself that he was entirely different from these pathetic fools who had gathered here to flatter whoever they could out of fear of sudden change.
I'm not like the rest of them. I have...
"His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, enters!"
The rustle of nobles hastily rising was instantly followed by a heavy silence. The ornate doors swung open, and the Emperor entered. By custom, the leading candidate for the throne always accompanied him to the council. Everyone was on high alert, eager to see who would take Rasiah's place and be confirmed as the next successor.
Following close behind the Emperor was a man with platinum-blonde hair. Upon identifying the owner of that platinum-blonde hair standing beside the sovereign, Duke Millio had to use every ounce of his self-control to keep from grinning ear to ear.
"The Second Prince, Ditto Abaran, will be joining today's council."
With the Emperor's brief introduction, the new candidate for the throne raised his head and looked down at the assembled nobles.
Desperate to catch his eye, Duke Millio sat up ridiculously straight, stretching his short torso as high as it would go. After sweeping his gaze over the room, Ditto let his lips curve into a gentle, deceptively warm smile.