Voices in the Dark

Before the founding of the Empire, in the world's infancy, all kinds of monsters and humans were said to have been entangled. Monsters devoured humans, and humans hunted monsters. In a world of pure chaos, locked in an endless cycle of conflict, it was Sierra Abaran who drove the monsters away.

Yet, it was not a perfect victory for humanity. The monsters did not vanish. Though no one knew where or how they came to be, they could appear at any moment to threaten mankind. One thing was certain: whether Sierra intended it or not, the war between humans and monsters was far from over.

A long time passed in a silence that no one dared to break. Or perhaps the oppressive weight of the silence simply made the passing moments feel much longer. Lia's eyes wavered, unable to settle on any one spot. Soon, however, she found what was most important next.

"Jing, the Orcs you cut down back then... they weren't human or anything like that, right? They all lunged at us to kill us. So..."

She trailed off, her words hovering somewhere between a question and a monologue, before turning her gaze toward me. "Excuse me, you. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You don't have any memories from before you were born, right? Like... memories of living as a human before you became an Orc, or something like that."

Of course I did, but that wasn't the answer she was looking for. I shook my head. "Gwek. No. I have no such memories."

A faint look of relief washed over Lia's face. "Lady Lia, the Orcs we defeated were all mindless monsters. They were not humans transformed into monsters. The monsters were merely born from devouring humans." Jing dismissed the worst-case scenario she was imagining.

"Right? Back then, the Orcs you defeated, they were all..." Lia, who had been swaying, planted her feet firmly and straightened her back. "Excuse me, please guide us quickly. I am fine now."

Jing, who had been watching her, looked at her with concern. "Lady Lia, there is no need to overexert yourself. You can rest for a bit."

But Lia shook her head, declining Jing's offer. "I am truly fine. More importantly, we have to do something quickly. Only one thing is certain here: if we leave things as they are, Ratel will disappear, and a new Orc will be born. We must save Ratel before that happens."

She was right. With no way of knowing when or how a new Orc might be born, there was no time to waste. Jing must have decided it was better to support her efforts to cope with the shock, as he didn't press the matter any further.

"Gwek. If the birth of the Orcs is indeed related to the Temple, then going to the Orc Den is the right move. That is where all Orcs are born." At my words, Jing's gaze turned back to me.

"Are you truly alright with this? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Guiding us like this. Your own kind might die."

"Gwek. Do you think an Orc feels affection for its kind? You misunderstand. The only reason I saved that big guy before was because things would have gotten more troublesome if he died." When I gave the most Orc-like answer I could muster, Jing nodded.

"Right... Of course. You don't seem like an Orc at all, so I forgot for a moment. Let us go." As Jing spoke, a look of relief similar to the one Lia had shown when I denied having human memories washed over his face.

We headed toward our destination, much quieter than when we had started. By the time we located the Orc Den, the sun was already beginning to rise, so we decided to wait for nightfall a short distance away. It was a calculated move, knowing that many Orcs wouldn't leave the cave during the bright daylight. Now that they lacked a leader, they were even less likely to endure the stinging sunlight to roam outside.

Settling under a tree far from the damp smell of moss and the sickening stench of fish, we gathered around an Orc we had captured on the way. Perhaps out of consideration for Lia, Jing had captured it alive instead of killing it. Though he had beaten it so badly that the creature might have preferred death.

"Gweeeek—" The creature, knocked unconscious from the relentless blows to its head, let out a painful groan and twitched even in its sleep.

"Gwek. They are sensitive to smell, so masking yourselves with its scent will make it easier to move around."

"Right. I read about that in a book." Lia agreed readily, despite her disgusted expression. Thinking that being an Orc wasn't entirely bad at this moment, I took a step back.

Without a word, Jing rubbed his hands over the unconscious Orc's skin several times and then smeared it onto his own neck and face. Watching him, Lia also squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her hands against the Orc's skin.

"Ugh... this feels dirtier than I ever imagined. It's so sticky." Keeping her eyes tightly closed, she quickly followed Jing's lead, rubbing her hands over her neck and face. Surprisingly, the distinct human scent emanating from them began to fade. Calling it a "human scent" felt a bit strange, but there was no better way to describe it. It was that unique smell humans inevitably carried from being raised on their mother's milk.

As she continued the disgusting task, Lia looked at me. "Excuse me, but do Orcs not have names originally?"

"Gwek. No. Why do you ask?"

"Well, no matter what book I read, there won't be any information more accurate than hearing it directly from an Orc like this. I don't know when I'll ever get ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠another opportunity like this, so I should ask as much as I can." I was about to reply that I only knew what I had read in books myself, but realizing it was pointless, I kept my mouth shut.

"Lady Lia, I must repeat, you should not take everything he says at face value. He is a mutant among mutants." Lia nodded, but her eyes still held a lingering curiosity. Since I had nothing to answer and found it bothersome anyway, I ignored her gaze.

"But I heard Orcs originally can't roam around during the day. Yet all the Orcs on this mountain move about in daylight. Does the sunlight not affect them?" She was persistent.

"Gwek. It feels like having your skin peeled off and washed with water, so it's not as if it's nothing. It's painful enough to make even speaking difficult." My annoyed retort quickly shut her up.

Chuckling softly at Lia's embarrassment, Jing leaned his back against a tree as I had suggested. He unstrapped Sierra's Sword from his back and placed it on his lap. As he carefully unwrapped the cloth, the worn sword revealed itself. Finally getting a look at Sierra's first Holy Relic, I leaned forward slightly.

"Gwek. Is that the sword that devoured your companion?" Asking as if I didn't know, Jing nodded once.

"What on earth could be the connection between this and the creation of Orcs?" Lia murmured, stepping closer to Jing and lightly brushing her hand over the old sword.

"Gwek. Who knows. Just as those who call themselves priests of God don't always do things as noble and clean as you'd think, the God you worship might not be a purely clean existence either."

At my sarcasm, the corners of Lia's eyes flared instantly. "Listen here. You might say such things because you won't be chosen by God even in death, but we live our lives having received great grace from Lord Sierra. Do not speak of him in that manner."

Without noticing the tightening of Jing's expression beside her, Lia continued. "And something must have gone wrong this time. Either the Holy Relic is flawed in some way, or the priests of the Limis Temple worshipped the wrong god."

I shrugged at her confident assertion. From the way she spoke, she seemed to accept the situation exactly as she did in the original story. In the novel, she had said similar things to Ratel and Jing when they tried to destroy the Holy Relics.

"Gwek. Once you enter the Orc Den, there will be a place where the Orcs are particularly crowded. That is where they are born."

Lia frowned at the sudden piece of information, but her curiosity won over her annoyance, and she listened quietly. "Why do they gather there? Because it's where they were born? Is it like a mother's embrace to humans?"

"Gwek. I suppose so. At any rate, if you want to find something inside, target that place first."

"Are you telling us this to get rid of the troublesome Orcs as well?" Jing asked, examining Sierra's Sword.

"Gwek. Yes. And keep this in mind. If you don't think you can kill them all, leave the leader alive."

In the original work, Ratel showed a merciless side by completely obliterating the Orc Den, but for some reason, I didn't think Jing would go so far as to drench himself in blood like that. Though Jing's mouth hardened as if he didn't like my request, he gave an understanding nod. He was carefully examining the junk sword in his hands as if it were a delicate glass ornament. Whether that was because of the person trapped inside or the sword itself, I couldn't tell yet.

Ratel took his hand off the basement wall, panting heavily. His body, which had been unleashing power without rest for a long time, was drenched in sweat. Channeling just enough power into every corner of the basement without letting it overflow was a task that demanded immense mental strength.

Despite the grueling ordeal, a crooked smile hung on Ratel's face. "Found it," he muttered.

He had discovered the spot where the power was flowing abnormally. El, who had been watching the situation from inside Ratel's pocket, poked his head out with a bright face.

"Squeak! Squeak, squeak!"

Frowning at El, who was as happy as if it were his own achievement, Ratel soon moved his feet and approached the place that was devouring the flow of power. Ludicrously, it was the center of the door that had been hiding the Holy Relic. Though annoyed that he had wasted time failing to find such a simple location, Ratel placed his hand on the door. Then, he channeled his Manis.

A small vortex of power formed in the center of the door. Ratel poured in more power to force open a gap. However, the small ripple of power failed to grow any larger and fizzled out like smoke.

No matter how many times a flustered Ratel repeated the process, the result was the same. Like pouring a cup of water onto the scorching sands of a desert, his power vanished without producing any ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠greater force.

"Damn it."

In the end, a quiet curse escaped Ratel's lips. The anxiety born from the reality of facing such difficulty in destroying just the first Holy Relic was steadily growing. Having already consumed a vast amount of power, Ratel began to pour his energy in as if he were prepared to collapse from exhaustion.

Watching Ratel's breath grow increasingly ragged, El crawled out of his pocket, climbed down his shoulder, and clung to his hand. It was a pitiful gesture from a small animal, but Ratel brushed El off as if flicking dust from his sleeve. Yet El did not give up and clung to Ratel's arm once more.

After this exhausting cycle repeated twice, irritation flared in Ratel's eyes. Gritting his teeth, Ratel grabbed the small animal by the scruff of its neck and yanked it away roughly. "If you interfere one more time, I'll skin you alive."

At his chilling threat, El shrank back, but as soon as Ratel set him down, he scrambled right back up Ratel's arm. Staring down at El expressionless, Ratel slowly reached his hand toward the small back of the creature's head. Believing that merciless violence would surely fall upon him this time, El squeezed his eyes shut.

At that moment, the familiar voices echoing through the wall caused Ratel's hand to freeze. Ratel and El's gazes turned toward the door where Ratel had been pouring his power. The voices of Jing and Lia were drifting through.